Olwethu Leshbane
2017 Fellow
The Red Wings Project • South Africa
Olwethu Leshabane is a 26-year-old who is wise beyond her years, has a bustling life in the entertainment and media industries and a need to develop and empower young women. She is a talented brand strategist, owns her own media company, Busara Media, and previously co-ran Stanford Media before returning to the corporate world as an Account Manager at Dentsu Aegis Network. Her strategic communications skills and an inquisitive and unique eye for strategic media communication have made her a sought-after asset in the brand building, communication and public relations industry. This has led her to work with, and build, celebrity and product brands. Leshabane has regular current affairs, lifestyle and entertainment features on a number of radio and TV platforms including e-tv, Power FM and UJFM. Her passion for female empowerment has led her to make a positive difference in the lives of others. At the end of 2014, she formed an organisation which collects sanitary pads and donates them to underprivileged young women. This organisation, The Red Wings Project, also speaks to the lack of adequate sanitary education and facilities available to underprivileged women and girls in Africa. Olwethu believes that being Mrs. South Africa 1st Princess 2017 has given her a platform to create further awareness surrounding the struggle that rural and township women face.