This year’s She Is Forestry South Africa (SIFSA) Women’s Day webinar celebrated the second anniversary of its Mentor Me programme. The theme was the Power of Words.

The event was hosted by six women mentees: Dr Noxolo Ndlovu, Mfundo Ngcobo, Noxolo Kheswa, Yoliswa Dlamini, Nonku Ntinga and Trudy Sebelebele. They brought personal experience and practical insight to the discussions.

She Is Forestry SA was established in 2020 by Forestry South Africa (FSA) and the Forest Sector Charter Council (FSCC) in partnership with the sector. The annual webinar is relevant to women across the forestry value chain.

In 2025, the Mentor Me five-year programme was launched to break down barriers that prevent women from advancing into leadership roles and to connect them with mentors, female role models and professional development resources.

“Women consistently cite a lack of confidence, experience, limited opportunities and flexibility as the biggest barriers to advancing their careers”, says Makhosazana Mavimbela, FSCC Executive Director. “Handing over this year’s programme to women who were themselves mentored by women is exactly what Mentor Me was built for”.

Dr Kaluke Mawila, Campus Principal at Nelson Mandela University’s George Campus, delivered the inspiring keynote address.

The Mentor Me Talks featured:

• Dr Karin Hofer (Research & Development Manager, Gratkorn, Sappi Europe): Effective Communication in Your Network
• Cindy Mji (Business Development Manager, Mondi Zimele): Building a Personal Brand: Creating a Strong Professional Identity and Networking Effectively
• Tamaryn Whittal-Steynberg (Manufacturing Strategy and Optimisation Manager, PG Bison): From the Boardroom to the Laboratory: How Motherhood Upgrades STEM Leadership
• Prof Sanushka Naidoo (Programme Leader of the Forestry Molecular Genetics – EPPI group at FABI, University of Pretoria): Leadership Styles: Exploring Different Approaches and Embracing Your Own
• Dr Tatenda Mapeto (Lecturer, Nelson Mandela University): In Progress: Figuring It Out – Lessons from a Career Still Being Built
• Sedzani Nemukula (Senior Forestry Regulatory Officer, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment): A Career Protecting South African Forests

SIFSA Book Club

Dr Katy Johnson of FSA launched the SIFSA Book Club. The online book club offers curated reading recommendations for women balancing work and home life, often leaving little time or flexibility for their own development.

Women working in or outside the forestry sector are encouraged to visit the website and find an impactful book to read. You are invited to add your own recommendations, including industry-specific titles, personal development, health and wellbeing, inspirational autobiographies or biographies, or any book you would recommend to a friend. 

The Special Guest Speaker in this session was Erika Donker, Head of BEE, at KAP.

Going Beyond

The Going Beyond discussion looked at ways of developing the next generation of forestry sector role models. Early-career women from across the sector shared the journeys that led them into forestry, a process that SIFSA has engaged in since inception. The programme includes videos of the webinar hosts talking about their backgrounds and why they chose forestry as a career. The videos are slowly changing the mindsets of female high school learners, and they are opening up to the opportunities the sector offers.

During the webinar, Ruth Hicks from the Shaya Izibalo Maths Institute shared how its maths programme provides additional support to learners and teachers at schools, including those supported by SIFSA, in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape.

Sponsors

The impactful annual event was made possible by the sponsors.

• Forestry South Africa (FSA) sponsored the webinar while the Forest Sector Charter Council (FSCC) sponsored the webinar hosting.
• The session sponsors were MTO Group, Sappi, Mondi, NCT, SA Wood Preservers Association (SAWPA), Mondi Zimele, Paper & Allied Manufacturers of SA (PAMSA)
• The comfort and lunch break sponsors were SA Utility Pole Association (SAUPA), NCT and the Fibre Processing & Manufacturing Sector Education & Training Authority (FP&MSeta).

Awards

The day ended with the revered annual Forestry Sector and Student Awards.

Forestry Sector Awards

Resounding Contribution to Forestry Sector and Forest Products Value Chain
Sponsored by NCT

Winner: Sanelisiwe Mbense, Silviculture Forester at Mondi.

Resounding Contribution to Forestry Science
Sponsored by SAWPA

Winner: Dr Nicky Jones, Programme Leader - Tree Biotechnology at Sappi

Resounding Contribution Behind the Scenes
Sponsored by Sawmilling SA

Winner: Precious Singo, FSA Office Administrative Assistant, Gauteng.

Small Scale Enterprise Award
Sponsored by Mondi Zimele

Winner: Dumisile Caroline Vumase. She joined the Sappi Khulisa Programme in 2005 with only four hectares of Eucalyptus. Through determination and a willingness to continuously learn, she has expanded her forestry area to 105 hectares.

Undergraduate Student Award
Sponsored by Sappi

Winner: Emihle Sobekwa, a student completing her Diploma in Forestry at Fort Cox Agriculture and Forestry Training Institute.

Postgraduate Student Award
Sponsored by PAMSA

Winner: Sandisiwe Langman, BSc Honours student in Natural Resource Management (Forestry) at Nelson Mandela University.