Third annual A Night of Mystery Gala celebrates women reshaping industries, institutions and communities across South Africa
SOUTH AFRICA, 31 August 2026 — WomenCan has marked another milestone in its mission to celebrate and amplify women’s leadership with the third annual A Night of Mystery Gala and WomenCan Awards, bringing together accomplished women, leaders, partners and allies for an evening centred on achievement, transformation and the power of collective action.
Held under the compelling theme “Rebirth and Reinvention,” the gala placed the journeys of women at the heart of the evening, celebrating those who have challenged conventional boundaries, created opportunities for others and demonstrated what is possible when courage is matched with purpose.
The WomenCan Awards have established themselves as a platform for recognising women whose work is creating meaningful impact across business, education, entrepreneurship, sport, healthcare, philanthropy and community development.
This year’s gathering went beyond celebrating individual achievement. It created a broader conversation about what meaningful female representation should look like — particularly in institutions and spaces where decisions about capital, policy, leadership and opportunity are made.
From representation to influence
Delivering the keynote address, Ayanda Mafuleka CA (SA), CEO of FASSET, challenged organisations to move beyond simply placing women in positions of visibility.
Her message centred on the distinction between representation and genuine influence.
“Women representation is essential, but representation without systematic change and influence is like a decoration,” Mafuleka said.
She called for women to occupy positions where they can shape agendas, make decisions, direct capital and contribute to ethical governance.
“We need women who shape the agenda, make decisions, direct capital and women who will govern ethically and build pipelines for those not yet in the room.”
The message resonated with the broader theme of the gala: transformation cannot be sustained by symbolism alone.
For women to create lasting change, they need access to decision-making power, resources, networks and opportunities to develop the leaders who will follow.
Celebrating women who are creating impact
The 2026 WomenCan Awards recognised 10 women across a diverse range of fields, reflecting the many dimensions of female leadership and social impact.
The recipients were:
- The Powerhouse Award: Sandi Mazibuko, Founder of House of Fabrosanz
- The Beacon of Hope Award: Prof Puleng LenkaBula, Vice-Chancellor at UNISA
- The Mind Builder Award: Palisa Jobela, Founder of ME 2 (YOU)TH
- The Voice Award: Mbali Ntuli, Founder of Ground Work Collective
- The Butterfly Award: Babalwa Mbuku, Founder of Ntombam Sanitary Towels
- The Heart & Soul Award: Dr Lethabo Machaba, Founder of Business Side of Medicine
- The Cornerstone Award: Relebohile Msiza, Founder of Lethabo Foundation
- The SheCan Award: Marlene Coetzee-George, CEO of Laureus Sport for Good Foundation SA
- The Sky Award: Ayanda Mhlongo, Entrepreneur
- The Founder Award: Charlotte du Plessis, Founder of Woman of Stature
Together, the honourees represent a wide spectrum of leadership — from academia and entrepreneurship to youth development, healthcare, sport, social impact and community empowerment.
Their recognition reinforces an increasingly important reality: women’s leadership is not confined to a single sector or profession. It is shaping institutions, businesses and communities across the country.
Building a culture of collective success
WomenCan founder Tumi Mthemb congratulated the recipients, highlighting the diversity of their achievements and the collective power of their stories.
“Together, these remarkable women represent different dimensions of leadership, purpose, innovation, and impact with each demonstrating through her own journey, what women can do, believe, and achieve,” said Mthemb.
The sentiment captured one of the defining characteristics of the WomenCan platform — the belief that individual achievement becomes even more powerful when it creates pathways for others.
The gala therefore placed considerable emphasis on connection and community.
Guests were brought together not only to celebrate award recipients, but to build relationships, exchange ideas and strengthen networks among influential women, business leaders, partners and allies.
Rebirth and reinvention as a leadership philosophy
The theme “Rebirth and Reinvention” provided a fitting framework for an evening focused on transformation.
For many women, professional and personal growth is rarely a linear journey. It can involve changing industries, rebuilding after setbacks, redefining success, creating new businesses or finding new ways to serve communities.
Reinvention, in this context, becomes a leadership strength.
It represents the ability to adapt without losing purpose — to recognise when an old approach no longer serves a new reality and to have the courage to create something different.
The WomenCan Awards used the stories of its honourees to demonstrate that transformation can take many forms.
A founder building a business, an academic leading a major institution, a social entrepreneur addressing community needs or a leader creating opportunities for young people can all contribute to a larger movement towards more inclusive and impactful leadership.
Beyond the red carpet
While the awards provided the formal centrepiece of the evening, the gala was equally focused on creating an environment in which relationships could flourish.
Guests experienced a combination of entertainment, empowerment and celebration, with the event designed to encourage meaningful connections among women from different sectors and backgrounds.
That emphasis reflects WomenCan’s broader belief that empowerment is strengthened through community.
Networks matter.
Access matters.
Mentorship matters.
And perhaps most importantly, creating opportunities for women to open doors for one another can have an impact that extends well beyond a single career or organisation.
The gala consequently served as both a celebration and a networking platform — bringing together people who have the potential to influence business, social development, leadership and the broader empowerment agenda.
A new chapter for women’s leadership
As WomenCan enters another chapter, the 2026 gala offered a powerful reminder that celebrating women should not be limited to acknowledging what they have already achieved.
It should also be about creating the conditions for what they can achieve next.
The stories recognised at the WomenCan Awards demonstrate the importance of women who build institutions, create businesses, challenge systems, develop young people, strengthen communities and use their influence to create opportunities for others.
The call from the evening was therefore bigger than representation.
It was a call for influence, ownership, ethical leadership and succession.
In that sense, “Rebirth and Reinvention” was more than a theme. It was a statement about the future of female leadership — one in which women are not simply invited into existing spaces, but are empowered to reshape those spaces and build new ones.
And perhaps that is the most powerful definition of what women can do: not merely occupy the room, but change what happens inside it.
