President Cyril Ramaphosa’s eldest son Andile will send his entourage to Uganda tomorrow to officially kick start lobolo negotiations with the family of his fiancee Bridget Birungi Rwakairu.

Sources in Uganda told Sowetan last night that Andile’s entourage was expected in the capital Kampala today for the negotiations tomorrow.

“Andile Ramaphosa representatives will meet Andile’s fiancee’s family for discussions on Saturday. Andile will officially be introduced by his fiancee Bridget to her family,” the source said.

“The ceremony known as ‘okushaba’ will take place at a residence in Kololo, a posh suburb in Kampala. The traditional function involves negotiations of marriage between the two families and it will be fully honoured with the payment of bride wealth. The bride wealth is usually heads of cattle,” said the source.

Rwakairu, 37, is a niece to Amama Mbabazi, a former Ugandan prime minister and presidential candidate.

She holds a postgraduate degree in business administration (MBA) from University of Science and Technology Beijing. She also holds a BSc in environmental engineering.

President Ramaphosa’s spokeswoman Khusela Diko could not be reached for comment last night.

Metro FM DJ‚ Masechaba Ndlovu‚ on Friday afternoon confronted Babes Wodumo on allegations of abuse that the musician had allegedly endured at the hands of her longtime partner and record boss‚ Mampintsha. In the interview‚ which was broadcast live on Metro‚ Mzansi’s ‘national treasure’ wept and nodded her head as Ndlovu claimed Mampintsha had allegedly punched the Wololo hitmaker in the face and broken her leg.

Ndlovu confronted Babes‚ who was in studio to promote her new song‚ Ka Dazz‚ about the alleged abuse. Ndlovu claimed that she had a friend who had taken Babes in when Mampintsha allegedly punched her in the face and broke her leg. The interview was broadcast live and was also streamed live on Babes’s Instagram Stories.

In the video‚ Babes is shaking and starts crying when Ndlovu confronted her about the claims. Shortly after radio broadcast ended‚ family members and friends who were in studio with Babes are seen going to console her.

TshisaLIVE has made several attempts to get comment from Mampintsha on the allegations. The calls have been declined and messages read‚ but unanswered.

Babes’s new manager Keke Mokoena told TshisaLIVE shortly after the interview was aired that she was proud of Babes for speaking out.

“Babes is going to be okay. I’m really proud of her. We’re all shocked. I dunno. F*ck. This was not part of the plan. We were there because we were dropping a song. It all just happened in the weirdest way.”

At the start of the interview‚ hosts MoFlava and Masechaba asked her about the rumours that she was pregnant. Babes said she was “free” and denied the speculation that she was still engaged to Mampintsha and pregnant with his child.

She later admitted that Mampintsha had access to her social media account and claimed that he posted a picture from March of the pair together‚ even though they had split and she is in a relationship with somebody else.

During an ad break on the radio interview‚ video footage on Babes’s Instagram account shows Masechaba and MoFlava coaxing Babes to tell the truth.

“The truth is the key. You’ve done nothing wrong. My blood is boiling. I hate to see a young woman as terrified as you‚” Masechaba told the musician.

When the show started again‚ Masechaba told Babes that she knew she had been allegedly abused.

“I said I wasn’t going to do this‚ but Babes‚ you know‚ I think it needs to be said because I hate to see a young woman as talented‚ as smart as you‚ living in so much fear. Babes Wodumo. Right. You don’t have to answer this question‚ but we all know‚ we’ve heard from multiple sources‚ we’ve witnessed the fact that you have been physically abused by Mampintsha. That he has beaten you in your relationship‚” said Masechaba.

It is at this point that Babes looks down and starts weeping.

“I have a very close friend of mine who took you in the day Mampintsha punched you in the face. And you were bleeding from your nose. You don’t even know that I know that story. You don’t even know that I know from someone else that he broke your leg. Babes‚ we live in a country where women are getting killed left‚ right and centre. And quite frankly I’m prepared to deal with the BCCSA. Mampintsha‚ bring it on‚” added Masechaba.

TshisaLIVE understand that Babes has not laid any charges against Mampintsha as yet‚ but is considering her options.

“That is someone for her and her family to discuss. She’s sleeping right now. We don’t talk to Mampintsha so I don’t know what his reaction to this is‚” said her manager.

Although the pair has often made headlines for being part of publicity stunts‚ the allegations have rocked Mzansi as the couple is considered a powerhouse in the entertainment industry.

Babes has trended as the number one topic on social media‚ with over 80‚000 comments on Twitter at the time of publishing this article.

The word mayibuye, which means to return in isiZulu, is also the name of the 5 581-hectare Mayibuye Game Reserve, which is located between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.

The land being returned to the community was taken via forced removals in 1963, which saw 445 people lose their homes.

Chairperson of the reserve, Welcome Maphanga said the community was relocated to KwaXimba, near Cato Ridge.

“In 2003 we set up a trust and registered our claim with the Land Commission. The claim was successful and our land was given back to us in 2007,” said Maphanga.

After they got their land back the community decided to establish Mayibuye Game Reserve.

The reserve was assessed by the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Stewardship Programme and given the status of a private game reserve.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife is a subsidiary of the Department of Environmental Affairs.

The programme is a guide for the wise use, management and protection of land.
Maphanga said they had to look for investors so that they could develop the land.

The benefitting communities will have a 51 percent share in the company that is rolling out the exciting new development.

The Mayibuye Game Reserve has created 78 job opportunities, including field rangers and administration clerks.
Community member and office clerk Thembile Phetha said she is happy to be part of the reserve.

“I was sitting at home for years and couldn’t find a job. I am also very happy that I am able to provide for myself and my family,” she said.

Community elder Khuphula Mchunu (83), a trustee said he can now die a happy man because he knows that the reserve will be completed and that the land has been returned.

“Our investors helped us to fence the reserve but unfortunately the fence was vandalised. We had to start all over again. This is the third time we are fencing the reserve,” said Maphanga.
Fortunately, the KZN Department of Agriculture rescued the trust, with R5 million boost in funding.

“The Department of Environmental Affairs gave us a further R10 million,” Maphanga confirmed.

Government’s funding enabled the reserve to erect a 45 km wildlife fence, a gate house and build offices.

In addition, two houses have been refurbished and converted into project offices. Wildlife introductions have been initiated, including the purchase of giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, kudu and other buck species.

Maphanga said that once complete, the reserve will offer game drives and walks, conferencing and wedding facilities, two lodges, a spa, restaurants, a world-class wildlife rehabilitation facility and select breeding programmes.

Many organisations say they want to increase the number of women in leadership roles and close the “gender gap,” and while many factors play into this, a good place for these employers to start is to focus on engagement.

Ongoing discussions about women’s career development can give them a comfortable space to articulate their needs, blossom in their current roles, and give way to leadership opportunities.

“The truth is that, although the world is waking up to the many challenges facing women in the workplace, women are still under represented in growing industries, over represented in roles threatened by automation and there is still a stubbornly low levelel of women in senior roles,

According to a Right Management survey of over 4400 associates and managers in 15 countries, a full 82% of today’s employees would be more engaged in their work if managers conducted meaningful career conversations with them on a regular basis. Not performance reviews that focus on “How did I do?”,  but career coaching conversations that focus on “How will I develop?”, “How do I fit?”, and “What’s next?”.

Women could  take advantage of these kinds of proactive career conversations to address their individual needs, articulate their value, and advance their careers. Employers could use these conversations to better understand their employees and align their strengths with what the organisation needs.

Self-Discovery

While it can be hard for anyone to articulate their value to an organisation, women report more discomfort with this than men. Historically, many women have shied away from talking about their accomplishments and strengths because they fear they will be perceived as “bragging.”

Yet, to attain leadership roles, women need to answer these kinds of questions:  “What do I add to my team?”,  “What specific strengths do I have, and what are examples of those in action?” ,  and “How has the organisation benefited from my work in the last 6 months?”.

As an employer, these ongoing discussions can be a great place for you to draw out the answers to these questions and help your female employees become more comfortable in articulating their value in specific measurable terms.  To be clear, career conversations need not be a parade of accomplishments, but there will be times when you, as a leader, will have to support and model ways that women can and should share how they have added value to the organisation.

Organisational Alignment

Organisational alignment is a term used to define a time when an employee is doing work that is consistent with her values, talents, and interests, and that work is seen to be of clear benefit to the organisation. Ongoing career conversations are a great way to talk openly about alignment – addressing questions like what does the employee need? What does the organisation need?  What value do they offer each other?

As an employer, a key path to higher engagement (i.e. retention and productivity) from your female employees may lie in fleshing out their needs, particularly those around flexibility.  Since women traditionally bear the weight of family care giving – childcare and eldercare – the need for flexible work hours and work location top many women’s wish lists. However, these are not issues many women are comfortable raising for fear of being dismissed as not serious about their careers or roles.

If ongoing conversations are in place, this could be a path to establishing clear expectations and allowing more flexibility. “When an employee understands what she needs to achieve, when and where the work happens may become less important,” says van den Barselaar.

Action Planning

Ongoing and intentional career conversations must also lead to action.  Your job as a leader is to partner with your high potentials to be jointly accountable for identifying the next steps in their careers.

Whether you can help them identify new experiences internally, gain exposure to other leaders or lines of business, or promote an opportunity for them to learn new skills, you should plan to conclude every career conversation by soliciting a call to action from the women who work for you.  Hold them accountable for contributing their gifts to the organisation in a meaningful way: plan the work, then, work the plan.

“Organisations need to engage with female employees to create a platform where  these employees  are comfortable in freely engaging with their managers outside the mandatory employee review,  and focus on how you as an employer can coach employees into leaders.“  concludes van den Barselaar.