On the occasion of National Women’s Day in South Africa, Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) is proud to introduce the all-female adjudication panel for the 26th Annual BASA Awards.
BASA is a membership organisation that elevates partnerships between businesses and the arts in South Africa; to this end, the BASA Awards celebrate and showcase innovative and sustainable collaborations that push the boundaries of creativity, creating a positive impact on society.
“For decades, businesses that have joined forces with creatives in mutually beneficial endeavours have played a pivotal role at the forefront of the country’s arts movement,” comments BASA Marketing Manager, Sinenhlanhla Mdiya. “These partnerships have not only nurtured new ideas but also supported emerging talent and sustained the cultural heart of the nation. It is through these extraordinary partnerships that the arts are propelled forward,” she explains. “The Awards are a testament to the power of collaboration in fostering artistic growth and cultural enrichment. Chaired by Khanyi Mamba, this year’s all female panel of judges bring diverse skills and real world experiences to the table.”
MEET THE PANEL
KHANYI MAMBA is the Marketing Communications Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa at Cambridge International, an international education organisation. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the company’s marketing, events and public relations activities across 28 countries in the region. Khanyi has more than 16 years’ experience in marketing and public relations and has previously held marketing and communication roles at DHL Express, Pirelli Tyre, and Sun International.
LERATO MATSOSO is the Stakeholder Relations Manager for CAPASSO and a media expert. She is the former entertainment and lifestyle editor of the Daily Sun and Sunday Sun newspapers where she worked for 12 years. Having served as a judge on different local and international awards for years ranging from music, television and the arts, her knowledge and passion for the entertainment industry keeps growing. Lerato was named as one of the Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans in 2014, among other achievements. Lerato also doubles up as an entertainment expert and commentator, and has previously engaged on platforms such as Ukhozi FM, YFM, Moja Love’s TMI,SABC 1’s Real Goboza, as well as eTV’s Sunrise breakfast programme, where she presented a round-up of entertainment news. She has been on different panels tackling issues in and around the entertainment and creative industry, including Google, Moshito and the South African Music Awards. An activist, she prides herself in uplifting communities around her, including her initiative,The Love Care Packs, which distributes toiletries to girl and boy high school learners annually.
NADIA VIRASAMY is the CEO of 44-year -old Moving into Dance. She has been nominated among the top three finalists for the Conscious Companies Awards in 2019, the top five for the Standard Bank Rising Star Awards (2015), the top three finalists for the Business Women’s Associations Regional Awards in the category of social entrepreneurship (2015) and was named among the Top 100 Difference Makers in South Africa (2016). She is a passionate go-getter, with a range of accomplishments and no fear of a challenge, longing for the call of the unchartered and unexplored.Exhibiting great social skills, her skills set comes with an embellishment of humanity and conscience. Working in the NPO sector for the last 17 years has made her resilient to the challenges that may come with organisational flux.
LUANA MALAN serves under the Strategy and Corporate Affairs Division at the Industrial Development Corporation in her capacity as a CSI Specialist, driving social impact projects. She has 13 years of experience in the Socio-Economic Development sector across diverse portfolios including; Entrepreneurship, Agriculture, Arts and Culture, Active Citizenship etc. She takes pride in connecting, strategising and collaborating with people to achieve meaningful interventions that enable economic inclusion, deliver the intended impact and unlock human potential. She obtained a Post graduate Diploma in Management from Regent Business School; Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Pretoria, Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS); Postgraduate Project Management from the University of South Africa (UNISA) School of Business Leadership and Development Studies, and a BA Political Science Degree from Rhodes University. She is a Professional Fellow for her participation in the Michigan State University: Strengthening Leadership Capacity and Professional Skills: a women’s economic empowerment programme for Tanzania and South Africa coordinated by the U.S. Department of State. At her leisure, Luana is planting and harvesting seeds or adding to her reflections in her unpublished poems.
FAATIMAH MOHAMED-LUKE is a visual artist and designer based in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2003, she graduated from Cape Town University of Technology with a diploma in Fashion and began her creative journey as a founding partner of SA designer brand adam&eve. Within the fashion design industry, she has honed her artistic and entrepreneurial skills, having participated in fashion weeks and exhibitions globally for over a decade. She also completed a multidisciplinary design course focused on graphic, interior, industrial, textile and jewellery design disciplines. Six years ago, she resigned from the fashion industry to focus on art and interior design. Her aim is to reintroduce the art form of tessellation in a thoroughly modern way, utilising plastic building blocks to create large scale artworks. She enjoys challenging the views of materiality and what constitutes an artistic medium, while elevating the humble child’s toy into a nostalgic visual feast. Faatimah’s chosen medium allows for a playfulness and accessibility within her artworks. Her need to foster accessibility and inclusion has led to numerous public installations, one of which has won her a Bronze Loerie award. She hopes to constantly blur the line between art and design as she evolves and grows on her journey through various creative avenues.
GRACE MEADOWS is a South African actress and presenter best known for co-hosting the Channel O flagship daily music programme O-Boma, from 2005-2009. She has a great track record in the arts industry and has ventured into new projects after a successful freelance career as an arts educator and independent producer. She later became Performing Arts Manager at the University of Johannesburg. Meadows has recently been selected into the first South African cohort aimed at increasing capacity in Higher Education Management and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Bath (UK). She has a MA Degree in Applied Arts and is a Drama for Life Scholar (Wits).
JACKIE MAY has worked in big and medium-sized mainstream media organisations for more than 20 years. She launched Twyg in 2018. At the core of the content she publishes on the platform is a commitment to exploring ways we can live well now while ensuring a kinder, inclusive, nature-friendly future for all. When she’s not producing content for her site, she works with Refashion Lab exploring inclusive and repurposed fashion. Jackie is a graduate of Stellenbosch University, University of South Africa and University of London. In 2020, she graduated with a Postgraduate Diploma from the Centre for Sustainability Transitions at Stellenbosch University. She is currently studying for an MPhil Sustainable Development.
The finalists for the 26th Annual BASA Awards will be announced on 1 September 2023. For more information visit https://basa.co.za/awards/.
