beauty& BRAINS

Meet four women who are breaking boundaries, redefining industries and celebrating milestones as they strive forward in the workplace

- NABEELA KARIM

It's tempting to view the corporate status quo through rose-tinted glasses as barriers break down across industries and women experience previously unimaginable success.

It's just as easy to feel disheartened by the adversity that many women still face in this environment. To find the reality between these two extremes, we spoke to four women in vastly different fields to share a snapshot of the working worlds that they are leading, changing and defining through their challenges and joyful triumphs.

Vuyisile Hlongwa

Jaca Flying the flag of female empowerment, Vuyisile Hlongwa Jaca recently made history as the first black African female sailor to circumnavigate the world. The journey included passing the notoriously treacherous Cape Horn at the bottom tip of Chile in South America as part of the Ocean Globe Race.

Vuyisile and her fellow crew members on the Maiden yacht, who came from many different countries, were also the first-ever all-female crew to win a round-the-world race. (What's more, they achieved this feat without the use of electronic devises, GPS or other technology.)

"It really means a lot. It is a lifetime achievement that no one will ever take away from me. It's like I have graduated at sea," she says. "When I first started sailing, I didn't know how to swim. But I quickly developed a love for the sea and sailing."

Vuyisile, who hails from KwaMashu in KZN, was introduced to nautical science in high school, where her teacher would take their class to Durban harbour once a week to learn the ropes at Sail Africa. She was taught how to safely navigate the boat (and to swim), and soon became deeply immersed in the world of sailing. A decade later, and she's conquering the oceans.