Olwethu Leshabane joins forces with Brand South Africa as a Play Your Part ambassador. The current Mrs South Africa First Princess is also an accomplished businesswoman and thought-leader in the entertainment and media industries.
Play Your Part reporter
Businesswoman, wife and mother Olwethu Leshabane, crowned Mrs SA First Princess in October 2016, is one of our new additions to the Play Your Part ambassadors, who go above and beyond in supporting the development of South Africa and its people.
Born in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth and raised in Pretoria, 26-year-old Leshabane juggles the demands of motherhood and business, as well as takes an active role in the development and empowerment of women.
A brand strategist, Leshabane also runs and co-owns Stanford Media, the media arm of diversified investment holding company Stanford Group.
Empowerment
Leshabane, a firm believer in the immense potential that women have to change South Africa and the world, can now use her status as Mrs SA First Princess to raise awareness about women’s health issues, encourage the education of young women, and empower women socially and economically.
One of her major goals, she says, is “to use the crown to make a meaningful contribution towards significantly dropping the ever-increasing statistics of women being killed or abused in relationships and marriages by advocating for tolerance in marriages”.
Her position as Mrs SA First Princess, coupled with her new role as a Play Your Part ambassador, means she is well-placed to make an even bigger impact in her chosen field.
Red Wings
In 2014, Leshabane started The Red Wings Project, an organisation that collects sanitary pads to donate to underprivileged young women.
She believes that feminine hygiene should not exclude those who cannot afford it, and hopes to get the government and private business to work hand-in-hand with her organisation to help address the issue.
“Women need to be educated, included socially, have their health made a priority, and also be given a platform economically,” she says, further highlighting the need for women to be brought to the forefront of South Africa’s growth.
