HER-STORY: If she can see it, she can be it
From local classrooms to national parliament, three Knysna women share how mentorship and representation are shaping a brighter future for South Africa's young women.
When a young girl sees a woman in her community succeeding, stepping up, or standing resilient through tough times, leadership stops being an abstract idea. The distance between where she is and where she wants to go suddenly feels within reach.
Simply put: if she can see it, she can be it.
For our KILT Women’s Day feature, three women from Knysna shared their personal journeys with us. From lessons learned around the family table to choices made in local classrooms and parliament, their stories remind us of what it really takes to open doors for the girls coming up behind them.
Watch the video
Watch the video below to hear directly from Imivuyo Malahla, Nwabisa Hamza, and Eleanor Bouw. Their insights offer a grounding reminder of why we need to keep supporting, mentoring, and backing the girls and women in our communities.
Three distinct perspectives
- Imivuyo Malahla: KILT’s School Wellbeing Programme Lead and a Social Work graduate – Imivuyo reflects on her own path, explaining why seeing other young women step into leadership showed her that her background didn’t have to dictate her future.
- Nwabisa Hamza: A mother and teacher at Fraaisig Primary School – Nwabisa talks about the steady strength of her grandmother, and why she makes it her personal mission in the classroom to build confidence in young girls so no voice gets left unheard.
- Eleanor Bouw: A former teacher, Knysna Mayor, and Member of Parliament – Eleanor shares what it was like stepping into leadership roles when there were few women before her to follow, and why purpose matters so much more than perfection.
Beyond the headline achievements
In the video, none of these women speak from a pedestal. Instead, they get honest about the parts people usually skip over – the quiet doubts, the hard work, and the need to be transparent about real-life challenges.
Together, they tackle a few core questions, including:
- Why does representation matter so much to young women right now?
- Who gave them the courage to believe in their own potential?
- What needs to change so the next generation doesn’t face the exact same hurdles?