On 28 August 2021, North-West University (NWU) alumnus Ofentse Rabaji walked away with a 2021 SA Heroines Award in the category Man of Honour.

The Heroines Awards event is an annual award celebration, founded by Caroline Mosiamo in 2012, to honour and promote selfless women in different fields. In collaboration with the Free State Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, these awards are hosted under the Heroines Awards Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that enables women to reach their full potential.

As a male candidate in the female-dominated event, Ofentse was selected as one of the winners because of his involvement in projects aimed at empowering women.  

“I was honestly just trying my luck – little did I know that my contribution to empower others – particularly women – would be recognised and acknowledged,” says Ofentse.

He says when the results came out he got the shock of his life: he had topped the top 50 nominees list. That was when he realised how many people were supporting him. “The votes were not the only deciding factor, my community work to empower women helped me to clinch victory.”

This wasn’t the first time Ofentse was honoured for his contributions. In June this year, the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) recognised him after he proved that entrepreneurship was a key contributor to the country’s fight against unemployment.

During the pandemic, he proved that one man’s waste is another man’s resource, producing masks from recycled waste. His passion for environmental sustainability motivated him to make affordable, quality masks with “scrap” fabric.

NWU alumnus Ofentse Rabaji proudly displays his Man of Honour award.