Palesa Selepe

Women in ICT and Science

Nominee's Province:
Gauteng

Project Name/Description:
Multichoice

More info:

To sitting on the Multichoice women technology committee is something Palesa Selepe, never envisaged, but when it happened, she welcomed the chance, viewing the move as an opportunity to empower women. As media technology engineer, she is proud of her achievements and the fact that she is one of the few women to hold the position in the industry that is still male-dominated. She believes “the sky is the limit”, and that more can be expected of her “as the world of technology increasingly evolves”. She is passionate about media technology, and the fact that women were increasingly raising their hands as full participants in its evolution excites her. She believes that more women should be encouraged to find a niche for themselves in the media and be committed to competing aggressively against their male counterparts in order to push themselves to positions of authority. Selepe, with 12 years’ experience as an engineer, is committed to ensuring that transformation in the broadcast media industry is realised sooner than later, and that the women’s collective voice becomes more louder in agitating for change. As a technology enabler in the business of content acquisition and content creation, she provides end-user support within the fast-paced media environment with the objective of achieving maximum customer satisfaction. Her journey into the world of technology started during her high school days. She loves mathematics, and she owes her progress in her chosen career to her mother who sacrificed every cent to give her a better education. Her meteoric rise to the pinnacle of her career should not be surprising. She has amassed 12 years of experience in the media and technology environment and is the first woman to lead an Outside Broadcast Premier Soccer League Production unit for SuperSport, a position which was previously reserved for male technical staff. “I must say that working in a male-dominated industry presented its own challenges. It is important that I exert myself more because not doing that would make others see me as incompetent,” says Selepe. Selepe sits on the Women in Technology Committee at Multichoice, a platform which affords other women an opportunity to rise within the corporate ladder. The platform has different streams that include mentoring, learning and development while inculcating the culture of inclusivity. This contributes towards self-development and a chance to add value to the lives of young black women in technology.