Posted:
by QW+ staff writer
Kath Magrobi – The Company We Keep
The Company We Keep: Kath Magrobi, Director of Quote This Woman+
Pronouns: she/her
Born: 10 August 1970
Status: Two awesome grown up kids and a twenty-year long second relationship. This, after a tumultuous first marriage that gave me those amazing kids. Also the best cat and dog anyone has ever owned (see Florence the dog in the image above).
School: Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School
University: Degree in Politics, Economics and English, with English honours, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal
First job: Bartending at a nightclub
Home: Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal
Transport: My partner and I have recently decided to try sharing one car – a Honda. Hilton is a small enough village that most things are within walking distance.
Book on your bedside table: The LGBTQ+ History
Music in your playlist: Lots of Nina Simone
Describe your job in no more than seven words: Running a kick-ass feminist non-profit in media
What keeps you awake at night? Forgetting regular meditation. The slightest anxiety can wrestle me in the witching hours if I don’t stick to a meditation schedule.
Who is your biggest hero? At any given moment, the QW+ expert I’ve most recently vetted.
Remote or office? Remote. QW+ was remote even before Covid – we have yet to afford proper office space. In 2024, our Gauteng staff have had workspace donated to them at Workshop 17.
What’s the most exciting part of your job? The magic when journalists find experts, inside their deadlines, from the QW+ database. And when experts find opportunities to grow resulting from QW+ related media coverage.
Career highlight? Ask me in three months, and I’ll say, keeping Quote This Woman+ alive for five years. But so far – being on the M&G’s 50 Most Powerful Women of 2023 list.
What is your superpower? Not giving up
What is the least known fact about you? That the older I get, the more I veer from spiritual to downright religious.
If you could get the ear of one person, to convince them your work is important, who would it be? Only one person? A philanthropist open to funding us without the usual golden handcuffs that come with the global North funding mindset.
If you had the power to pass a presidential decree, what would it be? Something to guarantee we all could trust the upcoming SA elections and believe our vote matters. Because this would ensure high voter turnout – especially young voters. And we need the youth to engage actively in democratic electoral processes.
Your best piece of advice? Beware the danger of a single story.
What’s your next big thing? There are 16 elections across Africa to work on in 2024, and our new database to tweak. After that, re-imagining the QW+ media training offering.
What do you do to relax? I grow veggies, read, listen to music, and cook for family and friends.