Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages (CCPB) is using Women’s Month to highlight the changing role of women across its workforce, from manual production roles to technical, operational and senior leadership positions.
Bryn Morse, Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages (CCPB)'s culture and people development director. Image supplied
The independent Coca-Cola bottler and distributor, which serves parts of the Western and Northern Cape, employs approximately 1,350 people, with women now accounting for around 27% of its workforce.
The shift is particularly evident in senior management. In the mid-1980s, CCPB had just one woman among 30 senior leaders. Today, 12 women hold equivalent leadership positions.
From factory floors to leadership
According to Bryn Morse, CCPB's culture and people development director, women's roles have changed significantly since he joined the company in the mid-1980s.
Women were initially concentrated in manual manufacturing roles, but training and development opportunities have helped create pathways into professional, technical and operational careers.
The transformation has also challenged traditional perceptions around jobs such as driving and logistics.
"Going back to the mid-1980s, there was the perception that women couldn't drive forklifts, that they couldn't be lorry or truck drivers, that it wasn't a woman's role. That has changed. Some of our best forklift operators and truck drivers are female," says Morse.
Larochelle Bezuidenhout is one example. She joined CCPB in 2005 as a seasonal truck driver and became the company's first permanent female driver in 2012.
Larochelle Bezuidenhout became the company's first permanent female driver in 2012. Image supplied
"I envisaged myself as being an example for many other females to follow," she says.
Breaking into technical careers
The shift is also visible in technical positions traditionally dominated by men.
Refrigeration technician Yonela Mayongo says entering the field was initially intimidating, but believes more women should consider technical careers because of the opportunities they offer.
Yonela Mayongo believes more women should consider technical careers because of the opportunities they offer. Image supplied
For CCPB, increasing female representation is not simply about changing workforce numbers, but about ensuring women have access to career paths across the organisation.
"The real measure of success isn't how many women we have today, it's whether the next generation sees these careers as possibilities from the start," says Morse.
He adds that increased female representation in leadership creates visible pathways for future employees.
"The more women you get into leadership roles, success breeds success. They become role models."
Building the next generation
For long-serving employees such as brand activations manager Suné Kies, who has spent two decades with CCPB, creating opportunities for the next generation has become an important part of her career.
Suné Kies says creating opportunities for the next generation has become an important part of her career. Image supplied
"One of my proudest achievements has been receiving my 20-year long service award. Today, I'm equally proud to contribute to the Springbok Rugby x Coca-Cola partnership and to mentor the next generation of leaders within the business," she says.
CCPB's approach reflects a broader evolution in workplace opportunities, with women increasingly moving into roles across manufacturing, logistics, technical operations and leadership.
The company says its focus now is on ensuring that these opportunities remain visible and accessible, so that future generations of women see careers in traditionally male-dominated areas as attainable from the outset.
