Johannesburg Junior Council starts Women’s Month off strong!

by | Aug 6, 2025

The Outreach Committee of the Johannesburg Junior Council opened Women’s Month with a Women’s empowerment conference.

  • The outreach committee of the Johannesburg Junior Council hosted a Women’s Day open discussion to raise funds for the Chayil Foundation.
  • Women from different backgrounds and professions were invited to sit on a panel with the purpose of initiating conversation amongst women and fellow councillors.
  • The event was themed “The Power of Her Voice”.

The Johannesburg Junior Council (JJC ) opened Women’s Month on August 2 with a female empowerment forum themed The Power of Her Voice.

The forum was created with the intention of inspiring women in the wider Johannesburg area to understand that they have the potential to affect change by speaking up against injustices that affect women, while simultaneously raising funds for the Chayil Foundation, a non-profit organisation created to up-skill and empower women and the youth through health and rehabilitation programs, food and clothing drives and youth mentorship.

Among the panelists were Tebogo Makgatho, chief executive officer of Netcampus, Karen Landi, Kingsmead’s director of service and Robyn Le Roux, the founder of the Chayil Foundation.


Despite Le Roux’s efforts in Eldorado Park, her foundation’s headquarters were broken into by thieves
who took her cooking utensils and other means essential to the running of the foundation. The funds raised at the women’s forum will be donated to the foundation to replace some of what was lost in the burglary.

The outreach community, along with the JJC struck a great balance between uplifting the Chayil Foundation and providing a space for women to educate and empower other women as well as any Johannesburg residents who were in attendance.

“The vision for this event was just to bring together people to have a space where we can have open conversation,” said Lesedi Moletsane, head of the JJC’s outreach committee.

We’ve had incredible speakers come here tonight and share their lived experiences. In the world women’s voices a lot of the time are not necessarily listened to and are put aside. Just giving the women, the opportunity to speak is truly transformative,” said Moletsane.

The Power of Her Voice forum is part one of a two-part initiative to bring awareness to women’s struggles and issues during Women’s Month. The second part of this initiative will be a march on the August 10 in Parktown.

According to Oliver Bouilliart, co- mayor of the JJC, the events have been structured this way “to create awareness around what Women’s Day is truly for, but beyond that capture the essence of what Women’s Day truly is. Bouilliart believes that Women’s Month is the perfect time to have both these events to influence public discourse and inspire the exploration of topics that might be otherwise considered taboo.

From her extensive experience in the information, communications, technology and services industry, Tebogo Makgatho encouraged all the women to study the way AI will be used in their dream careers, as a way to better prepare themselves. Karen Landi candidly opened up about her experience being hijacked and provided the attendees with tools to rise up and overcome trauma. Lastly, Robyn Le Roux spoke about her journey to founding the Chayil Foundation and provided tips on how young people can
engage in community outreach in the absence of resources.

“May we leave here not only inspired but deeply committed to advocacy, to equity and to unity,”
Moletsane said in her closing remarks. “Not just during Women’s Month, but during every conversation, every classroom and every community we return to.”

The planned march for August 10 will begin outside Parktown Boys High School at 11am. Marchers will pass through St. Andrews and Hillside Road in Parktown and then end back at Parktown Boys.

FEATURED IMAGE: A photo of two members of the outreach committee hosting the evening. Photo: Secaba Molete

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