Posted:
by QW+ staff writer
The company we keep: Rikky Minyuku
Rikky Minyuku is an independent human rights, development and facilitation consultant. Specialising in participatory multi-stakeholder processes gives her the opportunity to promote her passion for equality and human rights. She uses feminist approaches to accelerate systemic change in gender equality, DEIB and gender-based violence prevention.
Pronouns? She/Her
Born? Johannesburg South Africa
Status? Single mother of five joyous angels
School? Sacred Heart College
University? University of Cape Town and Wits
First job? Parliamentary Lobbyist for the National Association of Democratic Lawyers
Home? Sandton, Johannesburg
Transport? Uber
Book on your bedside table? Apartheid’s Granddaughter – Lidia Rauch; The Bone People – Keri Hulme; Strong Mothers, Strong Sons – Meg Meeker; and the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide five-year review.
Music in your playlist? Celebrate Me by Inga Rose on repeat
Describe your job in no more than seven words: Creating safe space to unlearn oppression
What keeps you awake at night? The way our systems and structures (built by people) disable agency (action for change by people).
Who is your biggest hero? Winnie Mandela
Remote or office? Remote
What’s the most exciting part of your job? Watching the weight lift off a person’s shoulders as they get past the anger and fear of change and begin to embrace unlearning.
Career highlight? Hearing an organisation of 1000 people reflect on how they turned the tide on gender-based violence internally after working with Womaniko.
What is your superpower? Stubborn faith
What is the least known fact about you? That I am as old and experienced as I am
If you could get the ear of one person, to convince them your work is important, who would it be? The President
If you had the power to pass a presidential decree, what would it be? Public reporting on gender-based violence by all institutions private and public
Your best piece of advice? Life is a journey, not a destination
What’s your next big thing? Getting the private sector to invest in meeting the tipping point to end gender-based violence and harassment.
What do you do to relax? Write, sing, cook and dance