A CONSCIOUS LEADER WITH A HEART OF SERVICE: MEET BUSISIWE MEMELA-KHAMBULA

By Cuma Pantshwa

• Busisiwe Memela-Khambula, CEO of SASSA, reflects on her upbringing and the values instilled by her parents, which have shaped her approach to leadership and community empowerment.
• With over 23 years of experience mentoring women through the International Women’s Forum (IWF), she emphasises the importance of mentorship and coaching in developing future female leaders.
• As South Africa commemorates Women’s Month and 30 Years of Democracy, she calls for a renewed focus on women’s empowerment, policy engagement, and sustainable development to break the cycle of poverty.

Busisiwe Memela-Khambula proudly introduces herself as “Ngiyintombi yaka Gambu—I’m a daughter of the Gambu clan,” honouring her heritage and roots. She begins by fondly recalling her childhood in the 1950s in Soweto, where she grew up with eight siblings. With a warm smile, she reminisces about her parents, who taught them early on to carry the power of love and the importance of family wherever they go.

Ms Memela-Khambula reflects passionately on the values instilled in her by her parents—connection, support, kindness, and generosity. These values have shaped her approach to leadership and life. Her mother, a domestic worker, emphasised the importance of education as a key to unlocking a brighter future. “She often said that the only thing that would lift us out of poverty is education,” Memela-Khambula recalls. This belief profoundly shaped her understanding of the transformative power of knowledge and learning.

Her upbringing also ingrained in her a deep value for sharing, which underpins her passion for passing on knowledge, wisdom, and resources to others. “Coming from a big family teaches you to share—YOU LIFT AS YOU RISE, and you look out for one another,” she explains. “This philosophy has driven me over the years.” This mantra has become more than just words; it is a way of life that fosters a sense of community and empowerment. Through her involvement in mentorship and coaching, Memela-Khambula aims to create a ripple effect of positive change.

For over 23 years, she has mentored numerous women, sharing her experiences, expertise, and empowering advice to help them navigate challenges and reach their full potential. “Through the International Women’s Forum, an organisation of eminent women globally, I continue to develop women wherever I go. Mentoring women is my ‘pay it forward’ legacy; I call it my community-development work, and it is a privilege for me to coach and guide other women executives,” she says.

Speaking on bridging the gender gap and emphasising the mentorship programmes she has carried out with IWF, Memela-Khambula calls on women to stand up and take action. “The World Bank and United Nations reported that it will take 131 years for women to have equal opportunities, but that doesn’t mean we should not do anything today,” she stresses.

In a society where millions live below the poverty line, she underscores the urgency of developing women in today’s world. Currently, she is working towards a qualification as an internationally accredited coach through The Creative Consciousness Academy, with plans to earn her diploma by the end of the year. She highlights the distinction between mentorship and coaching, noting that coaching unlocks a woman’s inner potential. “When you coach, you ask the right questions, because often, we have the answers but need help processing them. I love the academy because it focuses on working on your consciousness as a human being. This means understanding that you have the power to achieve anything you set yourself to achieve,” she explains.

In a world where leadership is often associated with power, Memela-Khambula embodies servanthood and people-centricity. She has made it her mission to impact others and encourages those she works with to “first go within and expand self.” She adds, “For women to thrive today, they need to prioritise themselves. It starts with you! As they say on the aeroplane, before you can help your child, make sure you have your own safety kit on. Once you are happy with yourself, then you can make others happy.”

Memela-Khambula particularly advises women to focus on self-development, especially those in environments where they are called to serve others. With a deep commitment to serving the most vulnerable members of society, her career in banking and the financial sector has allowed her to make a positive impact on the lives of millions of South Africans.

As the country commemorates Women’s Month and 30 Years of Democracy, she calls on women to remember the 20,000 women who marched to the Union Buildings in 1956 to protest against the proposed amendments to the Urban Areas Act. “Those women paved the way for us, and without them, not much could have been achieved in our country today. In our evolution as women, we need to ask ourselves—What am I doing to impact other women’s lives?”

“As a country, a lot has been done, and a lot has been achieved because today, as a woman, you do not feel uncomfortable at any table, but women do tend to fall behind despite the efforts and policies made by government to ensure we don’t leave anybody behind,” she notes. However, to create a more equitable society where everyone thrives, she believes the government still has a mammoth task, but she also stresses the role of women in leading these changes.

“Women should remember they are their own change-makers. The key is for us to understand the people we serve on the ground. Most importantly, as women, we need to have an interest in policy debates to ensure that, as policy is tabled, we are part of it. Unfortunately, we often find that many women are not there, meaning that as a government, there are some policies we have to rethink to serve women well,” she emphasises.

Reflecting on the millions of beneficiaries of SASSA grants—primarily women—Memela-Khambula urges a shift towards sustainable livelihoods. “For us at SASSA, we need to rethink and ask ourselves what we can do to create sustainable livelihoods. We can’t continue giving people the fish, particularly mothers; we need to ensure they learn how to fish so they can lift their children out of this intergenerational poverty cycle.”

Committed to service and forward-thinking, she confidently shares the innovative solutions under her leadership that aim to address poverty and inequality, restore dignity to the vulnerable, and eradicate the intergenerational cycle of dependency on grants. With these powerful words and her commitment to her work and those she serves, she affirms, “We will create programmes for the future. At SASSA, we are not doing our clients a favour; we exist because they exist. We exist to serve them.”