For Engen’s Bontle Khambule, Women's Month is a reminder of the enormous strength that women have.

This Women’s Month, Engen celebrates 22-year-old Bontle who hails from Potchefstroom in the North West province. 

“Women’s Month is a way of acknowledging the contributions and efforts that women have made over time to help society become the place it is today in terms of gender equality,” says the Ikageng local.

Bontle who matriculated from B.A Seobi Secondary School believes that it is important for all women to understand that all that is great, comes from hard work and determination.

“But it’s only failure, if you give up trying.” 

Bontle says that her personal philosophy is that “no matter how small or how great your ambition is, it is important to remember that before we can learn to walk, we must all first crawl, stumble, and scratch our knees.”

Today she is a proud graduate of North West University (Potchefstroom campus) and holds a BA Industrial and Organisational Psychology degree. 

Thanks to Engen she has secured a place on the prestigious 2-year Engen Graduate Development Programme, working in the company’s Human Resources department.

“I started my journey three months ago and have already learnt so much.  It’s a chance to not only improve my life, but also to develop important life skills, form positive relationships with people that matter, and advance my career.”

Bontle says that she is fortunate to have supportive parents who have always encouraged her.

“My life and the person I have become has been influenced by my mother’s unwavering support in whatever I do. She has witnessed me at my best, worst, and greatest moments, and no matter what was happening to me, her eyes always shone with pride.  When I begin to crumble, she never fails to put me back together.”

What concerns her most about the world is poverty and how hard it is for other people to get by. 

“I think that by sharing whenever I can, I can do my part to help. It all begins with one individual, and a little bit goes a long way.  That’s what I love about Engen, the underlying philosophy that prevails, to do good, even when no one is looking.” 

For Engen, Women’s Month is poignant time to acknowledge the talent and determination of talented women such as Bontle.

As a company that is passionate about progress and seeks to provide opportunities for talented young adults to explore new horizons, Engen’s Graduate Development Programme offers recent graduates, valuable work experience across a broad range of business functions.  

“The aim is to ensure that all participants emerge as highly employable individuals, bolstered by enhanced confidence, workplace experience, and a comprehensive understanding of working in teams,” says Engen Skills Development Manager, Mmalenyalo Galane.

Explains Galane further: “It is Engen’s ultimate reward to help set talented people up to pursue stimulating careers that won’t only benefit them personally, but also their families and the broader economy of South Africa.

“As a company, Engen is firmly committed to building tomorrow’s leaders and if we want to ensure that the youth of tomorrow are prepared for a rapidly changing world, we need to ensure that they have the right mix of skills for them to reach their full potential,” she adds.

In 2022, Engen invested R14.7million in Learnerships and Bursaries, along with a further R33 million in other social causes, such as its flagship CSI programme, the Engen Maths and Science Schools. 

As a company, Engen champions nine UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 5 – Gender Equality, which aims to end gender inequality through actions that eliminate discrimination that curtail women’s rights in both the private and public spheres.

Engen is keenly aware that equality is everybody’s business, and that it owes it to its employees, customers, and broader society to make every effort to drive positive change.

Engen salutes all the women of South Africa.