A Conversation with Yandisa Jubase and Nhlakanipho Mahlangu

iNtyatyambo Elityeni, a flower growing from a rock, is more than a title; it is a philosophy. It speaks to the resilience, determination, and strength of women who continue to rise, lead, and transform society despite the obstacles placed before them. It asks a profound question: How does a flower grow from a rock? By all accounts, it should be impossible. Yet, like women throughout history, it survives, adapts, and blooms.

As South Africa continues to navigate social, economic, and political challenges, a new generation of women leaders is emerging with the courage, vision, and determination to shape a more just and inclusive future. iTyatyambo Elityeni: Young Women in Leadership brings together two dynamic voices, Yandisa Jubase and Nhlakanipho Mahlangu, for an inspiring and thought-provoking conversation on leadership, activism, ethics, transformation, and the role of young women in shaping society.

Yandisa Jubase, the 1st Deputy Provincial Secretary of the African National Congress Youth League in the Eastern Cape and an Outreach Officer for the National Youth Development Agency, has dedicated her work to youth empowerment, entrepreneurship development, gender justice, and community engagement. Her leadership journey, shaped through student activism, advocacy against Gender-Based Violence, and grassroots organising, offers important insights into political participation, youth leadership, and social transformation.

Joining her is Nhlakanipho Mahlangu, an academic leader, researcher, and facilitator whose work focuses on ethical leadership, inclusion, and institutional transformation. As an Academic Programme Convenor in the Faculty of Commerce at Eduvos, and through her work with leadership development initiatives, she has contributed significantly to developing future leaders equipped to navigate complexity with integrity, accountability, and purpose.

Together, Jubase and Mahlangu represent a generation of women who are redefining leadership across sectors. Their experiences span politics, education, community development, research, youth empowerment, and ethical leadership. Through dialogue and reflection, they will explore how young women are navigating positions of influence while remaining committed to social justice, community upliftment, and meaningful change.

In South Africa, women have long been at the centre of social, political, and economic transformation. From the anti-colonial struggles and the fight against apartheid to contemporary movements for justice, equality, and human dignity, women have consistently carried communities, sustained families, and challenged systems of oppression. Their contribution to liberation is captured in the enduring words:

"Wathint' abafazi, wathint' imbokodo"
"You strike a woman, you strike a rock."

These words remind us that women are not only witnesses to history but makers of history. They have been organisers, intellectuals, workers, artists, activists, mothers, and revolutionaries whose labour and leadership have shaped the foundations of our society.

This conversation also draws inspiration from the themes explored in Siphokazi Magadla's Guerrillas and Combative Mothers, which examines the lives of women who participated in South Africa's liberation struggle. The work challenges us to rethink traditional understandings of leadership by reminding us that women were not only supporters of liberation movements but active agents of change, organisers, combatants, strategists, and community builders. Their stories reveal the often-overlooked role women played in shaping the struggle for freedom and democracy.

Today, that legacy continues through a new generation of women leaders. Yet despite significant progress, young women continue to confront barriers to participation, representation, and recognition. Questions of gender inequality, economic exclusion, violence, and access to leadership opportunities remain pressing realities.

Through this conversation, Jubase and Mahlangu will reflect on what it means to lead as young women in contemporary South Africa. They will explore the importance of ethical leadership, mentorship, representation, courage, and collective action. They will discuss how women are building institutions, movements, and communities that are more inclusive, accountable, and responsive to the needs of future generations.

At its heart, iNtyatyambo Elityeni is a celebration of women who continue to bloom where many believed growth was impossible. It honours the women who came before us, recognises those leading today, and inspires those who will carry the struggle forward. It reminds us that the flower growing from the rock is not a miracle it is a testament to the extraordinary strength, resilience, and power of women.

In celebrating young women in leadership, we celebrate the continued flowering of a nation built on courage, sacrifice, vision, and the unwavering power of women.