By Fiona Wakelin & Koketso Mamabolo
“The work is not for oneself. Kill the spirit of ‘self’ and do not live above your people, but with them. If you rise above them, take somebody with you,” were the words of the great Charlotte Maxeke in 1938 during the National Council of African Women’s second conference. South African business icon Dr Anna Mokgokong turned to these words in 2019 when she wrote of Maxeke’s legacy, painting a picture of her own philosophy, one that is community-based, formed around a spirit of caring, an approach the word ubuntu captures perfectly.
A renowned entrepreneur, humble and selfless, Dr Mokgokong, a Standard Bank Top Women Lifetime Achiever Award winner, joining the likes of Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and the late Justice Yvonne Mokgoro, is an eternal optimist who is using that philosophy of service to contribute to the vision the country has aspired to in the last thirty years of democracy.
“South Africa has got so much to offer,” says Dr Mokgokong, speaking to Standard Bank Top Women Leaders. “There’s a lot of apathy and unhappiness, but I think each one of us needs to ask ourselves, ‘What am I doing to make South Africa better?’”
“I think motherhood made me a grounded person,” explains Dr Mokgokong. “I utilise it as a tool in my daily life.” Widely respected and the recipient of a long list of awards, Dr Mokgokong is down-to-earth and carries this motherly approach into her professional life which has spanned decades of involvement and excellence in healthcare, commerce and academia.
“I have served on many boards, many commissions. So when people ask me, ‘What do you do for civil society and communities at large?’ I say, ‘I have served my time.’”
Dr Mokgokong has a vision for revitalising communities, making her own contribution to South Africa, and returning to her roots as a community leader who began her career as a medical doctor. She’s working on her own legacy, focusing on projects she believes can have a lasting, positive impact.
“I’m currently involved with three communities that are under traditional leadership because we must find, as South Africans, what we can do as individuals to contribute to the welfare and wellbeing of our citizens. The tendency is to apportion the blame to politicians. Politicians have their own role, but we as civil society have a role to play.”
She was approached to lead efforts to create jobs, reduce poverty, build infrastructure and support local economies. “They’ll be entrepreneurs taking advantage of opportunities right on their doorstep.”
Energy is a particular focus for Dr Mokgokong, with the highly successful Community Investment Holdings, which she chairs and co-founded in 1995, making significant investments in the energy sector. Her goal is to uplift these communities and kickstart local economic growth.
She has served on the boards of five Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed companies, including Africa’s largest retailer, Shoprite, which she saw as an opportunity to gain more knowledge and share her own knowledge on transformation.