Woman of the Year Award 2003

For the first time in the history of the Award, prominent icons will co-present the category Awards together with junior achievers in their own right. Dr Adelaide Tambo, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Natalie du Toit, Khanyi Dhlomo, Dr Wendy Orr, Maria Ramos, Irene Charnley and Dr Mamphela Ramphele have achieved great heights nationally and internationally, remaining truly committed to their communities and to South Africa, and will present the Awards as follows:

Dr Adelaide Tambo, wife of the late Oliver Tambo, an ANC stalwart, founder member of the Pan-African Women's Organisation and a leader amongst women, will announce the top achiever in the Community Affairs category.

Dr Wendy Orr, Director of Transformation and Employment Equity at the University of the Witwatersrand and human rights campaigner, will announce the Health category winner.

Maria Ramos, sought-after global finance guru and Director-General of the National Treasury, will announce the Business Entrepreneurs category winner.

Dr Mamphela Ramphele, one of the World Bank's four managing directors, medical doctor, anthropologist and former political activist, will present the Education category Award.

Khanyi Dhlomo, South Africa's most popular newsreader and the country's youngest editor, who tripled the circulation of True Love in just seven years, will present the Media & Communications Award.

Yvonne Chaka Chaka, South Africa's top diva, dedicated businesswoman and charity worker will announce the Arts & Culture category winner.

Natalie du Toit, the first disabled person to compete against able-bodied swimmers at the Commonwealth Games and winner of the Sports category of the Award in 2001, will announce the Sport category winner.

Irene Charnley, Commercial Director for the MTN Group, and listed for two consecutive years by Fortune magazine as one of the most powerful non-US based businesswomen, will present the Science & Technology Award.

The outstanding achievers in each of the eight categories, as well as the overall winner of the Award, will be announced on Thursday, 31 July 2003 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Tickets for the gala event, starting at 19h00, are now on sale at Computicket outlets in the Western Cape. The R150-00 per person ticket includes drinks, a buffet dinner and entertainment from top SA artists, as well as the opportunity to join the sponsors in paying tribute to South Africa's unsung heroines.

The 24 finalists and the judges in this year's award, the eighth since the Shoprite Checkers / SABC 2 Woman of the Year Award was launched in 1996, will be flown to Cape Town courtesy of SAA, and accommodated at Sun International's premier Table Bay Hotel.

The gala event for the Shoprite Checkers / SABC 2 Woman of the Year Award will be broadcast in an hour-long celebratory programme on SABC 2 at 21h00 on Saturday, 9 August 2003 – National Women's Day and again on Sunday, 10 August 2003 at 10h00.