2011 Shoprite Checkers Women of the Year Award winners

Dr Brigalia Bam, Shona McDonald, Ednah Zulu, Whitey Basson: CEO Shoprite group of companies, Rosalia Mashale, Dr Nobulembu Mwanda and Dr Elmi Muller.

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Winners

• Youth Mover Award - Rosalia Mashale
  
• Socio-Economic Business Developers Award - Shona McDonald
  
• Good Neighbours Against Crime Award - Dr Nobulembu Mwanda
  
• Health Care-Givers Award - Dr Elmi Muller
  
• Educators Award - Ednah Zulu

Dr Brigalia Bam was honoured with the 2011 Shoprite Checkers Women of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award after the public nominated her this year as the esteemed South African who during her lifetime has inspired generations and has had an impact on the future of many fellow South Africans during her lifetime.

Better known as Mama Rosie, Mashale is the founder of the Baphumelele Education Centre and Children's Home in Khayelitsha. "No words can truly express my happiness winning this award! It means that I will now be able to help more vulnerable, abandoned, HIV-Aids infected, and orphaned children. Importantly more doors of employment will also be opened for my community."

Receiving the Socio-Economic Business Developers Award, McDonald said: "Over 500 000 children and young adults with mobility disabilities living in South Africa do not have access to appropriate wheelchairs and accessible community based seating support services.

"Having received this coveted Award will help us raise awareness and increase our ability to provide more training for parents, caregivers, teachers and rehabilitation workers, making sure that both the public and our health care professionals know that without the right type of wheelchair, one that fits the child correctly, and suits the environment in which it will be used will ensure equal access to opportunities for people with mobility disabilities."

Dr Mwanda, a medical doctor and a pioneer in the field of prevention and holistic management of child abuse, said: "The great exposure will provide both the possibility of integration into the greater body of work that seeks to prevent child and woman abuse in our country, as well as the requisite resources to achieve this ... it will cast the spotlight on child abuse, sadly a blind spot in our society."

Dr Elmi Muller is a pioneer in the medical field, who with her transplant team, were the first in the world to transplant a kidney from a HIV-positive donor to a HIV-positive recipient. She carried out this historic transplant in October 2008 and has since performed nine similar procedures.

Ednah Zulu is the first principal of the Ngqengelele High School in a small village, Mahlabathini in rural KwaZulu-Natal. She upgraded the teaching facility from having one classroom, one grade and no toilets to a school that now has 10 classrooms, proper toilet facilities and an administration block. The school has achieved outstanding results in the national matric examinations with an overall pass rate of between 70% and 80%.

Said Zulu: "I will now be able to build a library, a media centre and or a laboratory for our learners to have a better education and a better future."

Prizes

Each of the category winners received R30 000 in individual prize money while the Shoprite Group of Companies will also give R100 000 to the work of each of the winners to impact positively on the future of the country. To ensure sustainability of this work the Shoprite Checkers Women of the Year Award has partnered with the WHEAT Women's Fund to help her manage the investment.

The Shoprite Group of Companies also gave R100 000 to the LifeTime Achievement Award winner Dr Bam to donate to an organisation and cause she believes is finding solutions for those critical matters affecting the future of the people of our country. She said she would ask for the donation to go to Goqwana Pre-School in the Eastern Cape which her mother founded.