Young, gifted women in technology

13 APRIL 2022

Young, gifted women in technology

Meet RMB’s Sinenhlanhla Mazibuko and Zwivhuya Ramavhoya

In the quest to attract and retain critical skills, RMB is proud of the strides it is making in becoming a leading player in this space.

To ensure that the business attracts and retains the kind of talent necessary to maintain its competitive edge, it has adopted a multi-dimensional approach, says Luyanda Ngosi, a Human Capital Business Partner at RMB, supporting the Chief Technology and Operations Office.

“In the past few years, we have become more deliberate about recruiting students with a technology background to bolster the skills required to fulfil current and future roles. We are focused on attracting IT skills from tertiary institutions through the RMB graduate programme, specifically focusing on students completing their post graduate degree in commerce, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Our Minds That Matter graduate programme provides the opportunities, resources, and support for students in these fields.”

RMB has identified a gap in secondary education, particularly in previously disadvantaged schools, and to solve for this the bank is supporting young students who are interested in embarking on a career in STEM. The intention is to invest in their education in the form of bursaries, career guidance and practical work exposure.

To ensure that current employees remain relevant, RMB supports them by providing learning and development opportunities to expand their skills.

“We have exciting initiatives that showcase how their skills can be applied to deliver value to the business and ultimately our clients,” says Luyanda. 

RMB also offer women a space to support each other as they progress through their technology careers.  The Women in Technology Forum meets quarterly, with the main purpose being for like-minded women to network and connect; learn and share success stories; discuss topics that affect women in the workplace and in society as a whole; identify challenges and gaps, and work together to overcome these. Male colleagues aren’t excluded, and often get invited as guest speakers to share some of their insights and to be part of the discussion on how to progress women in technology.

Two software developers, Sinenhlanhla Mazibuko and Zwivhuya Ramavhoya who were recruited through the RMB graduate programme, embody RMB’s achievements, says Luyanda.

Mazibuko wasn’t always interested in IT or computers, having studied life sciences in high school.

The term “leapfrog” springs to mind when describing Mazibuko’s journey as a software developer.

At the Sithokozile Secondary School in Clermont, a township in Durban, Mazibuko was encouraged to pursue the traditional route that studying subjects like geography, physics and maths offered. The school had a computer laboratory, but it was always locked, making it inaccessible. Nor was computer science offered as a subject.

The most high-tech experience she had while young was with Mxit – the free instant messaging system developed in South Africa in the early 2000s. She “stumbled” on to computer science when her older sister chose to study the subject through the University of South Africa (UNISA).

“My sister needed a computer and my parents got her a second-hand one, and that was really exciting for the family”. The computer at home also piqued her interest.

Having enjoyed, and performed well in Maths throughout school, learning more about computer science through her sister, Mazibuko pursued the field while at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

“Computer science requires logical thinking. I increasingly enjoyed the course during university, and it deepened my love for programming.”

Mazibuko was recruited to RMB through the graduate programme and as the expression goes: “the rest is history”.

She is acutely aware of the need to create a pipeline of young people interested in IT, especially in software development.

As part of her commitment to reach out to young people, Mazibuko addressed learners at her old high school, but making an impression was quite a challenge.

“Timing is important and selecting youngsters who are genuinely interested is even more crucial,’’ she says, as last year all the learners at her alma mater were made to listen to her talk, regardless of whether or not they were keen on computing.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and disrupted schooling, the teachers thought it would be a good idea to have all the matric learners sit in for the talk. However, this proved to not be the best decision as those learners who knew they had no interest in studying computer science or were not performing well in subjects like maths were unfortunately rather disruptive.

“People passionate about recruiting women should focus on girls in high school who are curious about and show a keen interest, and channel them in the direction that will see them land not just in the top positions, but to hold technical positions,” says Mazibuko.

Mazibuko has been inspired by three prominent women who have made a mark in their respective industries. They’ve also been frank about their challenges in navigating and balancing the challenges they faced. They are Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, who famously exhorted women to “lean into work and leadership roles”.

Pepsico’s Indra Nooyi found herself dealing with childcare challenges as an Indian living in the United States and detailed her travails in a book titled “My life in full: Work, Family and Our Future.”

Nolitha Fakude, whose elegant prose in “Boardroom Dancing” is another inspiring work for Mazibuko. Fakude, the daughter of a shopkeeper rose to lead the boardrooms of blue-chip companies such as Anglo American and Sasol.

Zwivhuya Ramavhoya says that computers chose her, not the other way around.

Ramavhoya, who regularly obtained 100% in high school maths exams, attributes her ease with figures to her mother’s proficiency in maths, a trait that’s clearly shared by the women in the family, as her younger sister is an actuary. At Mbilwi High School in Sibasa, a small town in in Limpopo, her outstanding maths marks put her in line to study medicine or actuarial science.

“I literally didn’t know what computing was about,” she says.

She wanted to do maths and statistics while at UCT and picked computer science because she needed an elective. “I wasn’t sure what I was getting into,” she admits with frankness. Soon she found herself excelling in computer science and dropped statistics.

Ramavhoya was the top achiever in her third-year class at university and the first black woman to top the class.

“Finding a job at an insurance company was the expected thing to do,” she says. But her talent at maths and perseverance now sees her at the cutting edge of a trading desk, which is a remarkably demanding role for a 32-year-old mother of a one-year-old son.

Now, as an she relishes the precision required for her role. Clearly she was cut out for major challenges and thrives under pressure. “There are no ‘do-overs’, the stakes are high,” she says, as she works directly with traders.

She prides herself on being a good communicator, a soft skill that isn’t always associated with the technical prowess of a software developer. “I talk a lot, so I guess that’s why I’m able to understand what people need from me. Building solutions for the team means first getting to know what they need.

Apply for RMB's MINDS THAT MATTER Graduate Programme:

https://www.rmb.co.za/page/rmb-graduate-programme