Chronicle Editor
Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Senior Reporter
MRS Sibonile Dube dates her love for communication back to the 1990s when she was an intern at Chronicle, juggling health, sport, business and entertainment stories.
The 45-year-old Bulawayo-born world-renowned corporate strategist and communications expert says her journalism career was instrumental in ushering her into the world of big and multinational companies where she has been flourishing.
To her the challenging male-dominated fraternity has been a launchpad to a meteoric rise against all odds and aim to be the best — which she says is the portion for every living woman and girl.
She grew up wishing to be a teacher and then changed her mind and decided she would rather spend her life as an air hostess.
By the time she went to college however, she was convinced communication was her passion — a path she took and from which she never looked back.
After her journalism career, Mrs Dube started on her corporate communications journey at Cairns Foods before relocating to South Africa where her dream to work for big multinational companies came true.
It all started at Ford Motor Company before she moved to Nokia, LANXESS — a German Mining Company and Coca-Cola.
She said her journey is proof that women can become whatever they want as long as they work hard and stay focused on winning.
“When I was an intern I covered all sorts of beats on a daily basis which I think prepared me for the multiple industries that I have to deal with in my corporate communications journey. When I realised that my vision and goals were inclined to corporate communications, I knew that I wanted to be big and that I have managed to do, glory to God,” says Mrs Dube.
“Humility is an important thing because it enables you to remain level headed, make sober decisions even when you find yourself at the top. Bulawayo, my home, is a humble place and that virtue which I mastered while growing up has helped me tackle even the most challenging situations in all these companies as their communications person.
“Hard work is engraved in most Zimbabweans, especially those who are based this side but it doesn’t rub off, one needs to have an internal drive to succeed. Faith has also played an important role in what I have become and that includes my belief in God and in that I can push myself beyond boundaries. This gives me resilience and mental ability to be able to deliver any task that is before me.
“One of my key highlights was working for a German company whose communications department I started from scratch and by the time I left them it was vibrant and a functional, I was one of the few Africans who were in managerial positions. I also had the privilege to be part of the brains of Coca-Cola 2018 World Cup while I was their head of communications.”
During that tenure, Mrs Dube won the Zimbabwe Achievers Awards (South Africa Edition) Professional of the Year Award alongside other achievers such as Oliver Mtukudzi.
She moved to Uniliver where she was head of corporate communication East and Southern Africa and in 2019, she was a recipient of the Impact Award issued by a Switzerland-based multinational for driving a menstrual hygiene project for girls in South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Ivory Coast.
The former St Jame’s High School pupil is now the head of communications and patient advocacy for Novartis — the third biggest pharmaceutical company in the world.
Her women’s month message borders around encouraging women and girls to rise and be there for each other.
She recently penned a book entitled Climbing the Hill on Heels focusing on how women can walk head high while facing challenges and still win despite trials from every angle.
Mrs Dube says the book is a narrative of the regular woman as well as that of the accomplished professional who has seen it all and still continues to find her way to the top despite the challenges she faces.
“The book is a reminder for us as women. Let us awake and realise that we can now wear high heels and still climb to the top of the hill with class and style,” she says.
To the young woman who may be still struggling to find themselves and purpose, Mrs Dube says: “Don’t subscribe to extreme forms of modesty, own your strengths, your beauty and own your intelligence. There is a difference between arrogance and confidence, just be confident. Surround yourself with women (and men) who will fan the flame of your goals and vision. People who will challenge, stretch and sharpen you.”
“Be grounded, no matter how successful you become, always stay grounded and humble. Make sure you are not part of the problem if you are in a position of power.”
A review of the book on Amazon reads: “Book Summary
Title: Climbing The Hill On Heels
(Available on Amazon)
Sub-Title: All The Way To The Top In Class and Style
Author: Sibonile Dube
With seemingly insurmountable odds stacked against her, a background that has given her little or nothing to catapult her to the summit, she is the pearl hidden in the coal, a diamond covered by dirt and yet her intrinsic worth is invaluable.
She has been through a lot, more than many can imagine. The kinds of trials she has gone through speak volumes about the destiny she is headed to. She has given everything of herself, her energy, her soul, her strength, her vitality, her resources, and her creativity.
In return, she is and continues to be on the receiving end of physical, psychological, sexual, and emotional abuse. Hers is a life at the mercy of male sympathy, regardless of her abilities and capabilities. Her brilliant ideas and suggestions are second-guessed at least and ignored at most, but when her male counterparts present the same idea, it’s received with applause and recognition as if it’s original.
She has been pulled down by the sisterhood, pushed down by the brotherhood, and trampled upon by the menacing tag-team of both. This is a woman who is working herself up the socio-economic strata and she is unapologetic of her success. She is gracefully navigating all obstacles and traps designed to pull her back.
This is a woman who is lifting other women up as she ascends the corporate ladder, identifies business opportunities and cracks the secret codes of being a woman in a man’s world. She is not defined by marriage and motherhood, for she is the best version of herself, with or without. She is not a pole that grows alone and overshadows the rest.
She is a tree whose branches offer shelter, whose fruit satisfies many, whose roots are both deep and secure. Hers is not the stuff of legends, because her secret is doing simple things well and the complicated things simply. She is a reservoir of wisdom, a well-spring of courage, and wrapped up in an indomitable spirit which makes her such a tidy package.
This is a woman who is willing to allow her sisters to stand on her shoulders without allowing them to trample on her head. She is unfazed by sitting in a boardroom full of men, not just as a note-taker, minute-maker, or a tea girl but as a leader in her own right, with a distinct voice that makes a difference. This is a lady whose dreams are so big that they keep her up at night burning the midnight candle studying. This is a woman whose past mistakes fortify her experience and do not serve as a life sentence.
This is a woman who buys the building when they shut the door on her. This is the woman who announces her grand entrance when the world around her denounces her efforts, sincere as they are. She is ambitious but humble, serving but leading, just like perfume, invisible but irresistible. She is both a career lady and a homemaker. She is what she decides to be, lives the way she chooses, and makes her own rules without breaking the laws of the land. She is a team player, unique in her own style, and writes her own headlines.
This book is a clarion call for her to rise from the ashes and shoot up with class, excellence, and style without compromising her beliefs and values. She should not just climb the hills before her crawling on her belly, begging to be recognised but she should climb the hills on heels.”
She holds a Diploma in Journalism from Harare Polytechnic, a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Sociology and a Master of Management in Strategic Marketing from the University of Witwatersrand Business School, South Africa and also has a qualification in Strategy Execution from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa.
She is pursuing her PhD in Integrated Marketing Communications at the University of Witwatersrand.
Mrs Dube is also a mentor at the Phakama Women’s Academy which seeks to empower final year students in South Africa with the necessary skills to prepare them for the corporate world.
She is married to Melusi Dube and has three children. — @thamamoe
Online Reporter