Women in transport share their journeys at special forum

A "Women in Transport and Business” themed forum took place in Durban on 2 August 2018.

The forum entailed eight female executives in the Transport industry sharing their experiences and life stories. The guest speakers included Amanda Siyengo from Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) along with Kathy Bell from Standard Bank, Lebo Letsoalo from the African Women in Supply Chain Association, Margrit Wolff from Mercury Freight, Portia Nkuna from the Gautrain Management Agency, Michelle Pearton from the eThekwini Transport Authority, Palesa Phili from the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Ingrid Ramalekana-Werz from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa.

According to the Transport Forum’s organisers, the event revealed some interesting insights from these leaders in industry about the challenges of integrating work life with home life, as well as advice on how they overcame certain tough situations in their lives and the importance of education and working together to create a better future for South Africa.

“I felt honoured to be part of such an esteemed panel of business women and leaders who had such inspirational stories to share. It was also interesting to hear so many common themes and challenges raised during the discussions. I think time management when it comes to juggling work with family and home is a common challenge that most women face in business," said Siyengo.

"Nowadays people don’t refer to ‘work-life balance’ but rather being able to effectively integrate the two into one’s life. Another major challenge that some of my fellow panellists spoke about was the importance of education and empowering women in business."

She is proud to work for an organisation that prioritises the upliftment of women and youth by actively offering programmes and initiatives that help develop and nurture their growth within the business.

There are a lot of women in operations at TPT - myself included - and there are exciting times ahead for us with Transnet’s vision to connect with other countries and ultimately grow in Africa,” said Siyengo, who is the general manager in KwaZulu-Natal for bulk, breakbulk and cars operations.

TPT is involved in a number of initiatives and events that are taking place during women’s month and throughout the year the company also offers various development and upliftment programmes for women.

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