By Mduduzi Malinga
As we close off Women’s Month in South Africa, a reminder needs to be instilled in us all that South Africa has the most powerful women, who are innovators, form of inspiration, and heroines in their fields of work, be it sports, business, media, or academia. Maureen Audrey Mokena is a 66-years-old South African woman who works hard and is self-driven by her profession as a Health Practitioner.
Maureen Audrey Mokena was born in Sabie, Mpumalanga and then moved to Johannesburg when she got married. She then pursued her goals to become a health practitioner and trained at Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital where she attained her nursing degree and also studied Occupational Health and Safety at Wits University.
Audrey worked for several companies as a health practitioner because it is her true calling and she does it with so much love and care.
Being self-driven and looking for more opportunities, Audrey decided to relocate back to Mpumalanga to start a toilet paper manufacturing company. SEDA Mbombela assisted her to establish Q-tissue, which was her toilet paper manufacturing company. Unfortunately, she had to shut it down due to a lack of support and funding from MEGA (Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency).
With so much love and passion for her profession, Audrey started her Primary Health Care 
and Occupational Health Clinic business, which operates on two locations, one operates inside a major retail store and another inside a shopping complex in Mbombela central.
She operates the business out of her pocket money as securing funding has, and is still a huge challenge. Her children have contributed a computer and a printer and they assist with funds to keep the clinic operational. Audrey’s Landlord assisted her with a small loan to enable her to buy the equipment required to do the physical assessments of patients, however, she needs more equipment to cope with the growth of the business. Her vision is to have a one-stop Health Care Centre, by acquiring her own big property to accommodate more beds and buy X-ray machines, more testing equipment.
Audrey’s goal is to see her business grow big and helping people who are seeking medical attention get it, but her struggle lies in funding to keep her business operational as she is not financially capable on her own.
Audrey’s passion exceeds that of being a health practitioner only, she also helps others in need through giving and thus far, has given food parcels to 10 families since the effects of the national lockdown and Corona Virus Pandemic hit hard our country. She tries to assist more families wherever she can.
For more information on how you can partner with and support the Primary Health Care and Occupational Health Clinic. Email address nelspruit.nurse@makro.co.za
