Ms Rhoda Mthembu played a strategic leadership role in a team of professionals during the conceptualization and implementation of the Operation Khanyisa program, which launched in 2010 and was implemented through to 2017. Operation Khanyisa was one of Eskom’s largest partnership campaigns aimed at mobilizing South Africans towards legal, safe and efficient power use.
The campaign targeted all power users in the residential, industrial, manufacturing, agricultural and commercial sectors, as well as contractors in the electricity industry. Its sub-campaigns included Education, Stakeholder, Large Power Users (LPU), Business Partner Campaign and Non-residential Small Power Users (SPU), Residential SPUs and PPUs (including focus sites).
Furthermore, the campaign included community engagement, social mobilization and related partner and stakeholder management campaigns. It was through this program that Ms Mthembu’s conflict resolution and negotiation skills set elevated. She led intergovernmental discussions and mapping of strategic partners who played a significant role as advocates of the objectives of the program. These included the business units of SA, South African Local Government Association (SALGA), Crime Line, Mining Sector, National House of Traditional Houses, Proudly SA, AGRISA, South African Police Service (SAPS) and other institutions.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The campaign was able to drive behaviour change through awareness, education, social mobilization and the power of the law.
- The successful implementation of the campaign heightened the need to adopt transformational methods such as those demonstrated through the stakeholder management and social facilitation interventions.
-The campaign won a Loerie Award in 2013.
-In 2014, Ms Mthembu’s work on the Operation Khanyisa campaign landed her an invite to speak on Social Impact Projects at a Social Marketing Conference in Rottendam in the Netherlands.
The Phila Programme was launched in October 2016 by the then Deputy President of South Africa, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, with former Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. This project was aimed at encouraging citizens to adopt a positive attitude towards matters of health and to lead healthy lifestyles. It further sought to motivate people to know their health status, encouraged increased physical activity, healthier eating, adherence to treatment, good sexual health and a safe, violence- free society. The campaign also dealt with educating and creating meaningful dialogues around Gender Based Violence (GBV).
As Account Director, Ms Mthembu strategically guided the holistic marketing and communication approach for the planning and implementation of the Phila Programme. Low interest in engaging around matters of health is a norm within our communities, therefore the task at hand was a challenging one that required a Back to Basics approach. Here, not only the needs of the community needed consideration, but the intervention required sensitivity in handling the subject matter. To this end, Ms Mthembu’s softer, empathetic nature became very instrumental.
This initiative was the department’s proactive response to the challenge of a burden of diseases faced by all South Africans, such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and poor help emanating from lack of exercise, smoking, excessive drinking and unsafe sexual practices. These challenges have contributed to several epidemics that currently prevail, these are Non-Communicable Diseases, HIV and AIDS, TB, Violence Injury and Trauma, Mother-Child-Woman Health.
-The campaign was impactful, with a noticeable eagerness to engage from the various communities.
-There was a tangible shift in health-related belief systems and behaviour particularly around youth.
Ms Mthembu spearheaded this voter education campaign which sought to educate Gauteng residents on voter registration, voting processes and the importance of voting. The campaign was aimed at increasing voter registration, as well as voter turnout for the 2016 Local Government Elections (LGE).
Although the campaign targeted all Gauteng residents who were eligible to vote, the messaging was primarily aimed at the youth stratum as an important element of the voting population. The campaign sought to engage tertiary students, high school pupils, young professionals, young artists and athletes, the taxi industry, People with Disabilities, and traditional voters across townships, informal settlements and affluent suburbs
HIGHLIGHTS
- Through this campaign, interaction between communities and elected public representatives was strengthened.
- Gauteng residents were encouraged to leverage their voting power during the 2016 LGE, particularly the youth.
- The Gauteng Legislature’s Voter Education Campaign enabled an environment conducive to free and fair elections in Gauteng
In pursuit to accelerate the redress of past discrimination in the education, training and development sector, Ms Rhoda Mthembu and her business partner founded a Skills Development and Training programme called Olwazini Training Academy. The Academy offers BANKSETA and SAQA Accredited courses on GENRIC Management, with modules such as Leadership and Human Resources, Business Communication and Introduction to Management
The various training offerings of the Academy, as well as its training methodology, are structured to achieve thorough understanding of course material by the learners. This is a deliberate approach to ascertain that upon completion, the learners are equipped to compete in the job market. The training not only focuses on theoretical training, but facilitators coach the learners around issues of personal development to help them discover their full potential. The training offered capacitates learners to be innovative, to seek out entrepreneurial prospects, and thus create employment opportunities to help address South Africa's triple threat of poverty, inequality and unemployment.
- Testimonials from past learners who have deemed our training valuable as it has equipped them to excel within their workplaces.
