Credit: Originally published by CLHG | 2 August 2018.

On 9 August we remember the remarkable women of South Africa by celebrating National Women’s Day. While we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to historic heroines, we’re excited to find out which women are building South Africa’s future, today.

Here are a few amazing women who are doing big things. We hope their stories will inspire you the same way they’ve inspired us!

SARAH FERGUSON

The first thing you need to know about Sarah is that she is humble, talented and on a mission to save the world. She’s in love with swimming and the ocean, which led her to found Breathe, her ocean conservation initiative. She recently did a 60km marathon swim to raise awareness for conserving the world’s oceans!

She also commits her time to another passion of hers – youth development. She is always looking for new ways that she can help underprivileged children reach their dreams using whatever talents they have.

ZANELE MUHOLI

Zanele Muholi creates some of South Africa’s most striking artworks. She is a visual activist and uses photography as her platform to share her message.

You can find her Instagram account full of self-portraits that are as beautiful as they are eerie. Over the last decade, she has been using her skills to bring marginalised communities to the attention of the public.

The motivations behind her work, the communities she is supporting and the simple beauty of the art she is creating are all reasons why Zanele is a future icon in the full swing of her career.

DR ADRIANA MARAIS

We’re always proud to see a fellow South African get international recognition for their work. But, what if being known all around the world wasn’t enough?

Dr Adriana Marais has set her sights for the stars. More specifically, Mars. She is one of the 100 candidates of the Mars One Project. The goal of the project is to establish a human settlement on Mars!

That not enough for you? She’s won the global L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science award and is a part of too many social development initiatives to mention!

These women are all doing themselves and South Africa proud in their fields. We look forward to following their bright careers as they continue to inspire us. Don’t forget to celebrate the other incredible women in your own life this Women’s Day.

Happy Women’s Day from all of us at CLHG.