SPAR My Tshwane Challenge 2026

A Legacy of

Celebrating Her, Together

For more than 25 years, SPAR has proudly stood alongside the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane — not only as a sponsor, but as a committed partner in building stronger, healthier communities. At the heart of this enduring relationship lies a shared belief; when women are supported, celebrated, and empowered, entire communities thrive.

The SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane is far more than a race. It is a powerful platform that brings together thousands of women from all walks of life — each with her own story, her own strength, and her own reason for showing up. As SPAR, we are deeply honoured to play a role in creating a space where women can gather together to celebrate themselves and one another under the banner of #CelebrateHer.

Our continued investment in this event

reflects our commitment to showing up where it matters most. We believe in creating opportunities that inspire women to do and be more — whether that means taking the first step towards a healthier lifestyle, reconnecting with friends and community, or simply embracing a moment of joy and achievement.

What makes this event even more special is the incredible team behind it. A predominantly female Local Organising Committee works tirelessly each year to bring the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane to life. Their passion, attention to detail, and deep understanding of what this event means to participants is what elevates it from an event to an experience.

These women are not only organisers — they are leaders, creators, and champions of community. They embody

the very spirit of #CelebrateHer, ensuring that every runner, walker, and supporter feels seen, valued, and inspired.

As SPAR, we are proud to support an initiative that is built by women, for women — and that continues to uplift and empower with every step taken. We look forward to many more years of celebrating strength, joy, and community together.

Retha Ingenbleek & Hloni Mashigo

SPAR North Rand Thank you to all our Sponsors:

Sophia

Gerda

Marlene

Retha

Natasja

Marilize Magriet

Hloni

Lindi

Joy does not always announce itself. Sometimes it arrives quietly — in the shared laugh on a training run, the way your body remembers what it feels like to move freely, the moment you cross a finish line and think: I did that. This year, we are not just celebrating the big milestones. We are celebrating the small, ordinary, extraordinary moments that make the Challenge worth showing up for.

Colour in the word “JOY” on this page. Then write down five things that genuinely bring you joy — from people and places to sounds, smells, and small moments. Don’t overthink it — follow what feels true. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

FAQ’s

Before the Starting Gun

The SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane is almost here, and the only thing standing between you and the most wonderful afternoon in Centurion is a little bit of planning. Here’s everything you need to know — so you can spend the day smiling, celebrating, and soaking up every single moment with the thousands of women beside you.

From 14h00 on 1 August 2026, SuperSport Park will be exactly what it always is with the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane — full of colour, full of laughter, and full of women choosing themselves. You are already part of something extraordinary. Come and feel it. #CelebrateHer

1. Humans Only, Please

We love animals, but with approximately 18 000 participants and their families, the environment can be overwhelming for them. Please leave your furry friends at home.

2. Family Fun for AlL

Children and babies can join the fun! For their safety, please stay behind the front runners. We recommend writing your name and cell phone number on their arm in case they get separated in the excitement. If your little ones would like their own goodie bag, please ensure that they have a paid entry. Should you and your loved ones become separated during the event, please make your way to the Lost and Found area, where staff will be on hand to help reunite you.

3. Braai at the SuperSport Park

Please do not bring your own braai. We will have braai facilities for everyone at the venue, with fire provided. Only plastic bottles are allowed within the venue.

4. Celebrating Every Finisher

There is no official cut-off time for the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane. We celebrate every participant and will wait for the last runner or walker to cross the finish line before concluding the event. Prize-giving will commence at 16h00. Winners receiving prize money will be paid via EFT after the doping results have been finalised.

5. Afternoon Delight

Yes, the time is right — we are starting at 14h00. Recognising that mornings can be busy for many women, the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane is held in the afternoon. Plenty of water stations will be available to help everyone stay hydrated, especially if the weather is warm.

6. One Goodie Bag Per Participant

Please note that each participant is entitled to one goodie bag only. Goodie bags will not be issued without a valid Challenge race number and cannot be collected on behalf of others.

Find Us Online

sparwomenschallenge.co.za

SCAN ME

@SPARWomensTshwane

@SPARWomensTshwane

@SPARWomensTshwane

Remember to share your experience with the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane community on Challenge Day by posting on social media and using the official hashtags!

#CelebrateHer... Her Day, Her Way

We are so excited to see you all on 1 August 2026!

Supersport park August 2026 1 14h00 5kM & 10km

CHALLENGE INFORMATION

• Entries are limited.

• Pre-entries will close at stores on 26 July 2026 at 20h00

• Pre-entries will still be available at SuperSport Park from 27 July 2026 to 31 July 2026 between 10h00 and 18h00, and on 1 AUGUST 2026 from 8h00 until 13h00, IF ENTRIES HAVE NOT SOLD OUT. WIN! WIN!

Check out our WIN! amazing give-aways on page 8!

2026 Theme

Every woman carries a story. A story of early mornings and late nights, of showing up when it would have been easier not to, of laughing through the difficult parts and crying through the beautiful ones. The 2026 SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane is built around one powerful idea: #CelebrateHer — and that means you. This year’s Challenge honours the joy that lives in the everyday, the strength that rarely makes the headlines, and the communities of women who hold each other up without a second thought. Whether you are crossing a finish line for the first time or the fifteenth, running for yourself, for someone you love, or for something you believe in — this Challenge is a celebration of everything you are.

One message. Thousands of women. Welcome to #CelebrateHer

CONTACT

Race Office Number: 011 203 5303

General Email Enquiry: ladiesracepretoria@spar.co.za

Sophia Matlou: 074 750 7186

AGN Office: 012 327 4931

Companies and running clubs: Email Lindi at lindi@eofe.co.za or on 083 685 1989 to book your space on the field.

Thought of Everything

So You Don’t Have To

Challenge Day should feel like a gift — and this year, #CelebrateHer means making sure every woman arrives, breathes, and leaves feeling looked after.

Tog Bag Area: Run unburdened. Our secure Tog Bag area gives you a safe place to leave your belongings, so you can move freely through the day without a second thought.

Kiddies Corner: Moms, this one’s for you. The Kiddies Corner offers supervised fun — crafts, games, and activities — so the little ones are happy and you can be fully present in your own celebration. Because that’s what today is: a celebration. Of movement, of community, of the women who show up — for others, always, and today, beautifully, for themselves.

A Small Change. A Bigger Celebration

Celebrating women and caring for the world they live in go hand in hand. In the spirit of #CelebrateHer, this year’s Challenge Pack will not include a peak cap by default — a small shift that makes a meaningful difference. We’ve set aside 5 000 peak caps available for collection at the Registration Zone on Challenge Day. First come, first served — so pop by if you’d like one!

In past years, many caps were left behind or discarded after the event. This new approach reduces unnecessary waste and ensures that every cap that leaves with a participant is one that is truly wanted and worn with pride.

More Reasons to Go the Distance

Crossing the 10km finish line has always been its own reward — but this year, there is something extra waiting for you. Participants in the timed 10km SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane can now earn 600 Discovery Vitality points for completing the race, making Challenge Day a celebration of your health in every sense. Please note this benefit applies to the 10km event only.

Details on linking your entry to your Vitality profile will be available at registration — so keep an eye out and make sure your kilometres are counted. Run with purpose. Celebrate your health. Every step matters.

MANAGING

Kim Smit editor@freeradicalmedia.co.za

DESIGN & LAYOUT

Aneska Meintjes +27 66 489 2915 aneska@freeradicalmedia.co.za

PR & MEDIA

Natasja Martens +27 82 901 4014 natasja@oxigencomms.com

IMAGES Photography: Belrie Botha: belriebotha@gmail.com Reg Caldecott: regpics101@gmail.com

ADVERTISING SALES info@freeradicalmedia.co.za

CONTRIBUTORS

Retha Ingenbleek, Kim Smit, Corli Prinsloo, Adré Muller, Natasja Maartens, Promise Kwena, Vanes-mari du Toit, Irene Homes, ASICS, Garmin, GLS, Aramex, Lil-Lets, West Rand Box, Portia Tabola, Anneke Bosch, Jenny van Dyk, Mpudi Maubane, Maryke Swartz, Bulls Daisies, Devon & Candice Williams, Gerda van Schalkwyk, Ricardo Griessel (WarrorRic), Violet Semenya & Masai Athletics,Martin Bester, Mo’s Crib, Kleinkaap Boutique Hotel, City of Tshwane My Tshwane Challenge Magazine is published annually by Free Radical Media. My Tshwane Challenge is subject to copyright in its entirety. The contents may not be reproduced in any form, either in whole or in part, without the written consent

Win on social media

This year, the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane is giving back in a big way. From a brand-new Hyundai Exter waiting for one very lucky participant on Challenge Day, to experiencing the feel of running in the best shoes available — there has never been a better reason to enter, invite a friend, and stay for the celebrations. Whether you are running for yourself or rallying your community, there is a prize with your name on it. Lace up, sign up, and let the Challenge begin.

Run in the

Best as Big as the Prizes

The Experience

Ever wondered what it feels like to run in the latest ASICS technology? On Challenge Day, you will not have to wonder for long.

ASICS will have over 200 pairs of a selection of their latest-technology shoes available for participants to trial on the day. Simply head to the ASICS

Keep your eyes on our social media pages for your chance to win some amazing prizes in the run up to Challenge Day! We will be posting surprise competitions in the coming weeks. Stalk us so you don’t miss out!

@SPARWomensTshwane

@SPARWomensTshwane

@SPARWomensTshwane

stand before the race, lace up a pair, run your Challenge, and return them afterwards. It is the ultimate test drive — and it is completely free.

A word of advice: arrive early. With 200 pairs on offer, they will not last long.

Head to the ASICS stand on arrival to secure your pair. Shoes must be returned to the ASICS stand after the Challenge.

*Colour of car may vary

Every woman who enters the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane 2026 stands a chance to win this year’s star prize — a stunning Hyundai Exter, yours to keep. All you need to do is enter the Challenge, scan the QR code on your race number make sure you are at the prize-giving after the event. That’s it. No complicated entry forms, no extra steps. Simply register, show up, run your race, and stay for the celebration.

Because this year, we are not only celebrating the finish line — we are celebrating everything that comes after it too. The prize-giving is where the magic happens: the medals, the memories, the moment someone’s life changes in the time it takes to call a name. Make sure yours is the one we call.

REGISTER. Run. Stay. Win.

The Hyundai Exter will be awarded at the prizegiving on Challenge Day, 1 August 2026, at SuperSport Park, Centurion. Participants must be present to claim the prize. The winner must be a woman and in possession of a valid South African driver’s licence, or be able to obtain one within six months of winning.

Hyundai Exter

Picture this:

You cross the finish line, catch your breath, and drive away in a brand-new Hyundai Exter. It could happen. In fact, it could happen to you.

remember to Register, show up on Challenge Day and be at the stage for prize-giving to WIN!

The Ultimate Challenge Day Hamper

Because every woman who shows up on 1 August 2026 deserves to be celebrated — and one lucky participant is going to have a very good day indeed.

We have put together the ultimate Challenge Day hamper, packed with everything you need to arrive ready, run strong, and leave with a smile. Think a gorgeous SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane towel to wrap up your finish line moment, a bold bucket hat and bright socks to keep you cool and colourful on the road, and a tote bag that is as practical as it is pretty.

There is a certain kind of joy that only arrives on Challenge Day — when thousands of women gather in the pre-dawn light, lace up, and decide together to do something extraordinary. The right kit won’t create that joy, but it will help you savour every second of it. Stock up, snack smart, and show up ready to celebrate.

Wear your crossbody bag with flair Carry

your order from SuperSport Park the week before the

Every Step, Every Smile, Every Story

Some moments need no explanation — they simply need to be seen.

On 2 August 2025, thousands of women gathered at SuperSport Park, Centurion, and did what they do every year; they showed up. They showed up in mint and lilac, in running shoes and tutus, with friends and daughters, and colleagues and strangers who quickly became both. They showed up nervous, excited, determined, and joyful — sometimes all at once. Under the banner of #Twenty20Thrive, last year’s SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane was a reminder that thriving is not a destination; it is a daily, deliberate choice. On Challenge Day, it looked like this — a sea of women choosing movement, choosing community, choosing themselves. Every photograph captures a real moment from that extraordinary day. Look closely. You may even find yourself.

Joyfully Themselves Radiantly, Recklessly,

Vanes-Mari du Toit

#CelebrateHer … Unique moment in the sun, giving yourself permission to do the same.

Joy is not a mood. It is not a filter or a highlight reel. It is a decision — made in the middle of a difficult day, or a hard year, or a life that has asked more of you than you thought you could give. The women and men in this section know that. They have each lived through something that could have dimmed their light. They chose brightness instead. These are our #CelebrateHerJoy ambassadors and they have a great deal to say about what it means to be fully, beautifully alive. Feel the warmth and lace up, because Challenge Day is almost here — and it is going to be magnificent.

Adré Müller

#CelebrateHer for the strength she carries through life’s most difficult moments, the faith that keeps her standing, and the joy she bravely chooses again and again. Celebrate the woman she was, the woman she is, and the woman she is still becoming.

#CelebrateHer — the woman who keeps choosing joy, even after life has broken her heart, and who carries her faith, her story, and her light forward so that other women know they can too.

YOU ALREADY HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO SHOW UP JOYFULLY. OUR AMBASSADORS ARE PROOF OF THAT. NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. #CELEBRATEHERJOY

Corli Prinsloo

For me, #CelebrateHer means…

The journey.

The rising.

The trying again.

The woman who keeps showing up.

The one who builds, creates, and gives.

The one who finds joy in food, in people, in life.

Gerda van Schalkwyk

#CelebrateHer is about honouring each of us — the magic we bring to change the world, the hard work we pour into everything we do, and the love we share with those around us.

It’s the organised chaos in our motherly hearts, the friendships we cherish, the loyalty to our tribe, and the way we find and lift others into our circle. It’s all of us, shining, messy, powerful, and unstoppable.

Rest, Refresh, Play

Take a Breather

Training is serious business, but nobody said it had to be boring. Whether you are counting down the kilometres to Challenge Day or simply stealing five minutes for yourself between school runs and spreadsheets, this little corner is yours. Stretch your brain the way you stretch your legs: one step at a time, no pressure, just fun. Joy is not only found at the finish line — sometimes it is hiding inside a crossword clue on a Tuesday afternoon.

Crossword

Think you truly know the women, words, and world of the SPAR Women’s Challenge? PROVE IT.

ACROSS

1. Portia Tabola’s story in one word — sitting exams the month her mother died

4. The pink pillar — the kind that keeps going when everything says stop

6. The yellow pillar — not the absence of pain, but the courageous choice to keep living fully

9. Violet Semenya’s athletics club — where South Africa’s next great runners are being built

10. ___ Bosman — radio presenter, mother, community ambassador, and the warmth in your morning

13. The post-race ceremony

14. ___ Semenya — head coach of Masai Athletics Club and builder of champions

16. The official first step — join the Challenge via WhatsApp or your nearest SPAR store

19. Vanes-Mari’s fragrance brand for women — also what every runner at the start line deserves to hear

21. Martin Bester’s ___ Angels — his daily radio act of community kindness on Jacaranda FM

22. ___ FM — Tshwane’s beloved radio station and the race’s official media partner

26. Irene Homes is one of these — an organisation that benefits from the race each year

27. ___ Park in Centurion — where thousands of women will gather on 1 August 2026

28. We are who we are through each other — Mo Mokone’s guiding philosophy at Mo’s Crib

30. The white pillar of #CelebrateHer — built person by person, run by run

31. ___ Ric — Stanford graduate, California-born, Tshwane’s own 5km start line legend

32. ___ Homes — Tshwane charity and one of this year’s official race beneficiaries

33. ___ Bester — Jacaranda FM Breakfast Show host, Good Morning Angels creator, devoted dog dad

34. ___ Xaba — coached by Violet Semenya and three-time consecutive SPAR Grand Prix winner

DOWN

2. What the SPAR Women’s Challenge delivers to every woman who crosses any finish line

3. August — when South Africa officially celebrates her daughters, and the Challenge takes place

5. The SPAR Women’s Challenge ___ ___ Series — always capitalised in full

7. Cross this and celebrate yourself — Warrior Ric sends you there from the start

8. #___Her — the 2026 campaign’s heartbeat and its invitation to every woman

11. The Strength section colour — bold, determined, impossible to ignore

12. Adré Müller’s title — she builds multiple ventures while carrying grief and choosing joy

15. A champion of the Challenge who carries the message and lives the theme

17. ___ Tabola — ECD teacher, dancer, and one of the strongest young women in this magazine

18. The Joy section colour — also the bright lemon that runs through the campaign’s identity

20. ___ -Mari du Toit — SPAR Protea, fragrance creator, West Coast dreamer, Joy ambassador

23. The town that hosts SuperSport Park — and the beating heart of the 2026 Challenge

24. The Jacaranda City — home of Masai Athletics Club, Jacaranda FM, and the August Challenge

25. Where Warrior Ric works his magic — and where every journey begins

29. ___ Müller — Mrs South Africa finalist who carries grief and joy with equal grace

Write a letter to yourself on Challenge Day morning.

Tell her what she is capable of, what you want her to feel at the start line, and what you want her to remember when the road gets hard.

I find it difficult to feel joy when ___________________________.

But even then, I can still find it in _____________________________.

Find the Word

How well do you know the women, words, and world of the SPAR Women’s Challenge?

Words to find — words may run in any direction, including diagonally and backwards.

ADRE ... Müller — Mrs South Africa finalist

AUGUST ... Women’s Month — and Challenge Month

CELEBRATE ... This year’s campaign — #___Her

CENTURION ... Town where SuperSport Park is located

COMMUNITY ... One of the three #CelebrateHer pillars

FINISHLINE ... Cross this and celebrate yourself

GLENROSE ... Xaba — three-time SPAR Grand Prix winner

GRANDPRIX ... The SPAR Women’s Challenge ___ ___ Series

IRENE ... Homes — Tshwane charity beneficiary

JACARANDA ... FM — Tshwane media partner

JOY ... The yellow pillar — found at every start line

MARTIN ... Bester — Good Morning Angels host

MASAI ... Violet Semenya’s athletics club

PINK ... Strength section colour

PORTIA ... Tabola — teacher, dancer, Strength ambassador

RUNWALK ... Both are welcome — the Challenge is for everyone

SARINA ... Bosman — radio presenter and community ambassador

SPAR Race sponsor — always in all caps

STARTLINE Where the journey begins on Challenge Day

STRENGTH The pink pillar — dig deep, keep going

SUPERSPORT Park — the 2026 Challenge venue

TSHWANE City where the August Challenge is held

UBUNTU Mo’s Crib philosophy — we are who we are through each other

VANES ... -Mari du Toit — former Protea netball player

VIOLET ... Semenya — head coach of Masai Athletics Club

WARRIOR ... Ric — legendary 5km start line host

WOMENMONTH August celebration — the race’s home month

YELLOW Joy section colour

Sudoku

Train your mind the same way you train your body, one step at a time.

Difficulty: Moderate

How to play

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 — each exactly once. The bold numbers are the given clues. Turn the page for the solution.

SOLUTIONS

Fully Alive on

Vanes-Mari du Toit wakes up every morning and makes a choice. Before the diary fills up, before the first call comes in, before the day has any say in who she is going to be — she anoints herself with her oil perfume, she affirms herself, and she steps into the day on her own terms. It sounds simple. It is not. It is the distilled result of a woman who has spent years learning that the life you want does not arrive by chance. It is built, brick by deliberate brick, from the inside out.

That intentionality is the throughline of everything Vanes-Mari does. It is in the projects she says yes to, the boundaries she holds, the love she chose, and the brand she built from a conviction so personal it goes all the way back to scripture. Nothing about her life is accidental. And that, she would tell you, is precisely the point.

Being Intentional with Time

Let’s clear something up first. VanesMari’s move to Langebaan on the West Coast has not been a retreat from her career — it has been a recalibration of where she operates from. The only practical change, she notes with characteristic clarity, is approximately 30 extra minutes of travel time to and

from the airport. Everything else — the sports commentary, the Kyknet commitments, the keynote speaking, her role as Netball Director at Curro Langebaan, the netball clinics she runs twice a week, the fragrance brand, and her sports underwear venture currently in development — is fully, actively in motion.

What the West Coast has given her is not less. It is better. Slower mornings. A more active lifestyle. People who are, in her words, “warm, genuine and happy.” And the person she wakes up next to every day.

The Love She Chose

There is a moment Vanes-Mari describes with a disarming openness that stops you mid-read. She saw Frikkie across a crowded room, and she knew. Not suspected. Not hoped. Knew. “It was such an instantaneous, genuine and divine connection,” she says. “Both of us were initially in disbelief that all these feelings and emotions could be evoked by another person — so much so that we had to believe it was preordained.”

She describes him as the kindest, most selfless and honest man she has ever known. They share the same sense of humour. He is ambitious and driven in a way that aligns naturally with who she is. “I have seriously never been happier in my life,” she says, without qualification. She chose him, and she built a life with him on the West Coast, and she is abundantly clear that it is the best decision she has ever made.

Anointed

The fragrance brand — Affirmation for Women and Authority for Men — is perhaps the most concentrated expression of the way Vanes-Mari thinks about her work. The concept is rooted in the ancient practice of anointing women with oil — an act of blessing, of consecration, of declaring worth. The fragrances are oil-based, crafted in France, and developed in partnership with Black Orange. Intimate, lasting, skinclose. A fragrance that stays.

Affirmation for Women is built on a message she lives before she even leaves her bedroom: that you are blessed, you are enough, and your individuality is not something to soften — it is something to wear. Authority for Men carries a complementary truth: that real confidence is not loud. It is grounded and settled. It knows what it

is and does not need to announce itself. “So women can affirm that they are enough. That is the whole idea.”

Each element of the brand has been chosen with the same deliberateness she brings to everything else. And separately, in her characteristic fashion of never doing only one thing when she could be building something meaningful, a sports underwear range is quietly taking shape as its own venture. As always, she continues to be intentional and authentic.

Everyone Has Their Place in the Sun

When Vanes-Mari talks about the women who will run the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane this August, she does not talk about speed or finishing times. She believes, with quiet conviction, that every woman has her place in the sun — not a spotlight that dims when someone else steps into it, but a light that belongs entirely to each of us. The work, she says, is to stop measuring your light against someone else’s, and to start celebrating the moment another woman finds hers. That

genuine joy in another woman’s success is, for Vanes-Mari, what it truly means to #CelebrateHer.

On Challenge Day, when thousands of women step onto the start line at SuperSport Park, that message will be alive in every stride: not to chase someone else’s finish line, but to show up, on purpose, in the full light of who you are.

Vanes-Mari du Toit does not stumble into joy. She builds it every morning, with oil perfume on her skin and the absolute clarity of a woman who knows exactly what she is here for — and who genuinely, warmly, wants the same for every woman around her.

#CelebrateHer — because she is fully, deliberately, radiantly alive.

Rank these in order of how much of your day they currently get: work/rest/movement/people you love/creative expression/doing nothing. Is this the order you would choose?

Work / Homemaking

Rest

Movement

People you love

Creative expression

Doing nothing

Available online at Takealot, Toybah's official site, Love Your Self (LYS) Cosmetics and Padstal Winkel.

She Didn’t Break She

There are people in this world who seem to carry the sun inside them. Walk into any room with Adré Müller and you will feel it — a warmth that has nothing to do with performance and everything to do with presence. She laughs from the belly. She loves loudly. In a year marked by loss, she has turned grief into grace, building a life that still shines.

Adré is clear: joy is not something she was simply born with. It is something she has had to cultivate, protect, and consciously choose, especially when life has made that choice difficult. “I think joy is something I’ve learned to cultivate over time,” she says. “Life hasn’t always been easy, and I’ve walked through seasons that have deeply shaped who I am. But through those moments, I realised that joy isn’t about a perfect life; it’s about choosing light even when things feel heavy.”

A Woman of Faith and Resilience

At her core, Adré describes herself as a woman of faith. Her relationship with God is not a backdrop to her story; it is the foundation of it. She speaks about the joy of the Lord as her strength; a phrase she returns to again and again, not as a rehearsed line, but as a lived truth that has carried her through seasons of loss and rebuilding.

That faith has been tested. Recently, Adré lost her mother; a loss she describes as one of the most profound

of her life. Her mom was not merely a parent; she was, as Adré puts it, her safe place, her greatest supporter, and the woman who believed in her long before she fully believed in herself. “She had a quiet strength about her. Even through difficult circumstances, she carried herself with grace, resilience, and kindness. Those are the values she instilled in me, and they continue to shape the woman I am today.”

In a gesture both tender and purposeful, Adré named her newly founded studio Stel Blanc Studio after her mother, transforming what was once her mom’s home into a creative space that holds her spirit. “Stepping into that space still feels like stepping into her light,” she says. “In many ways, her presence never really left the room.”

Holding Grief and Joy at the Same Time

Adré does not pretend that grief and joy are easy companions. She is honest about the weight of missing her parents, and equally honest about her choice not to let that weight become the whole of her story. “Grief and joy can feel like opposites, but I’ve come to realise that they can exist in the same space. Learning to hold both at the same time requires a certain kind of bravery. Grief teaches you that love was real and deep, and joy becomes the way you continue honouring that love.”

The moment she made a conscious choice to keep choosing joy was, she recalls, a moment centred on her husband Brett. “I realised that even though I had lost so much, I still had him. My parents loved Brett as if he were their own son. They wanted nothing more than for the two of us to prosper and build a beautiful life together. So, when I choose joy, I often think of them — and of the

life Brett and I continue to build. In many ways, choosing joy is my way of carrying their love forward.”

For any woman walking through her own grief right now, wondering whether joy will ever feel real again, Adré’s message is both gentle and clarifying: “Be gentle with yourself. Grief has no timeline. Joy may not return all at once, but it will come back in small, beautiful moments. And when it does, it’s not a betrayal of your grief, it’s a reflection of the love that shaped you.”

Building from the Ground Up

In the same year that Adré was navigating profound personal loss, she was also rebuilding her professional life from scratch. Around December last year, she and Brett went through a season where, as she puts it simply, they lost almost everything. Rather than retreat, they reinvented themselves.

Together, they launched The Musketeers Mobile Grooming Spa. Adré founded Stel Blanc Studio and after being encouraged to enter for seven years, she finally said yes to the Mrs South Africa journey — arriving as a semi-finalist during one of the most emotionally complex seasons of her life.

“I’ve never known how to settle for failure,” she says. “Entrepreneurship isn’t just about building businesses; it’s about building a life of purpose, resilience, and impact.”

The Mrs South Africa platform, for Adré, is not about competition. It is about stepping into purpose. She speaks about wanting to lead with “the heart of a protector” — to protect her peace, her values, and her voice, and to create space where other women feel seen and encouraged to step into their own purpose. “Sometimes, choosing joy and purpose in the middle of heartbreak is one of the bravest things a woman can do.”

“Entering this journey during such an emotionally complex year probably says one thing about me; that I choose to be brave. It would have been easy to retreat and wait for life to feel easier again, but I’ve learned that life rarely pauses for us to feel fully ready.”

Challenge Day and the Power of Showing Up

This is Adré’s third year as part of the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane and the event holds a particular resonance for her. Last year, she was part of the 10km

warm-up — and standing in that crowd, at a point in her life when she was emotionally broken, she felt something shift.

“Feeling the energy of that crowd, the excitement, the unity, the joy, was such a powerful moment for me. At that time in my life, I was in a very broken place emotionally, and yet in that moment I felt seen, uplifted, and surrounded by strength.”

For Adré, the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane is the physical expression of everything she believes about joy — that it is found not in isolation, but in community; not in perfection, but in showing up. The thousands of women who will gather at SuperSport Park on 1 August 2026 will be doing exactly what she has been doing all year; choosing, deliberately and courageously, to keep moving forward.

Her message to every woman who enters this year’s Challenge is both an invitation and a reminder:

“#CelebrateHer — the woman who keeps choosing joy, even after life has broken her heart, and who carries her faith, her story, and her light forward so that other women know they can too.”

Get motivated with WarriorRic

@thewarriorric

@thewarriorric

@warriorric

The Man Behind the

There is a moment, right before the gun fires at the 5km start of the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane, when something shifts in the air. The nerves settle, the chatter quiets, and then a voice — warm, wide, entirely impossible to resist — cuts through the crowd. Feet start shuffling before the signal even sounds. That voice belongs to Ricardo Gressel. The world knows him as WarriorRic. He has been counting down women at the start of this Challenge for years with everything he has. What most of those women do not know is the story behind the voice.

From Milan to Madiba

Ric grew up in California, earned a degree in International Relations at Stanford University, and spent time modelling in Milan. At 28, he was building a conventional international career — until 1993, when a South African modelling agency came calling. It was an invitation that would change everything, though not in the way he could have anticipated. He had a life waiting for him back home. A marriage to his university sweetheart from his Stanford years. Plans that looked, from the outside, entirely settled. And yet something drew him onto that plane to South Africa in 1994 — and once he arrived, the pull only deepened. He witnessed South Africa’s first democratic elections, attended Nelson Mandela’s inauguration, and found himself surrounded by music, culture, food,

and an authenticity that the international news had entirely missed.

South Africa also gave him something far more personal. It was here that he met Joyce — a dynamic woman of Indian and African heritage, raised on the East Rand — who would eventually become his wife and the anchor of everything that followed. The road between meeting her and building a life together was not a simple one. There was a marriage to be ended, a family to be navigated, and consequences to be faced. The divorce was finalised in 2000. He does not hide from any of it.

The most tender of those consequences is his relationship with his daughter from his first marriage — a work still in progress, one he pursues with the same quiet persistence he brings to everything else. “I am human,” he says simply. “I have made mistakes. But my faith has given me the ability to accept restoration, healing, and forgiveness — and that, more than anything, is what truly gives me the heart of a warrior.”

Thirty-two years on, he calls Atlasville home in the fullest sense. “Adult life really started for me in my thirties, and that’s when I found the love of my life and a heart for this beautiful country,” he says. “I am because we are. That is what I found here.”

Warrior, Not Worrier

The road from Stanford graduate to WarriorRic was not a pivot — it was a convergence. His degree had always been about people and politics. His entrepreneurial instincts had always resisted the corporate path. His faith, deep and ever-present, had taught him that fear was the real enemy, not failure.

“I would rather be a warrior who faces challenges than a worrier who misses opportunities,” he says — drawn from scripture and the lived experience of looking honestly at his own failings and choosing growth over shame. He has led participants through more than 70 Warrior Race obstacle courses, including the infamous morning he injured himself before the first obstacle and kept going, bandaged, until the final batch of the day. “They were counting on me, and I was available to each and every one of them.”

The Joy That Lives in the Crowd

That philosophy is never more alive than at the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane start line. “By the time I take to the platform, I am full,” he says. “Full of a love and compassion that is indescribable. I simply allow the wonder and colour of thousands of women gathered in unison to carry me.” It is, he insists, the women themselves who fill him. “It is rare that mothers, sisters, and wives get the kind of love that SPAR gives them on that day.”

When asked what single feeling he wants every woman to carry into that moment before the gun fires, his answer is immediate: “I want every woman and girl to know that they can. That if they truly believe, they need not wait on anyone to fulfil their dreams.”

Home is Where the Heart Is

Away from the microphone, the joy is quieter. His greatest personal accomplishment, he says without hesitation, is his home — the family he and Joyce have built, the grandchildren, the household he describes as a place of refuge with guardrails of values and a safety net for when anyone falls outside of them.

That bond was not built without cost, and he would be the first to tell you so. What makes WarriorRic’s story worth telling is not that he has lived a

perfect life — it is that he has lived an honest one. He has made peace with his past not by papering over it, but by allowing his faith to do what he believes it is designed to do: restore, heal, and transform.

Ubuntu Economics

For South Africa — the country that gave him a life, a love, and a second chance — he has a vision he calls Ubuntu Economics. “It is making sure that each and every one has enough — by taking only what we need, sharing when we have a surplus, and never wasting those things that give us life.”

This August, he will be back at the start line. Microphone in hand. Full of the same love he always brings. His message for 2026 is both a battle cry and a blessing, aimed at every woman who lines up in her pink and yellow t-shirt, heart pounding, ready to go.

“A celebration of women,” he says, “is a celebration of humanity. I am because of her.”

A Slice of

Get inspired

@CorliBothaKoekedoor2

@chef_corliprinsloo

@chefcorli

There is a smell that can take you somewhere in an instant. For Corli Prinsloo, it is lemon and coconut, warm from the oven — and the memory of her grandmother’s table, gathered on a Sunday for no reason except that the people you loved were there. More than 30 years later, she still makes this tart for her own family. Because joy does not have to be loud. It just has to be shared.

Grandma Corrie’s

Lemon Tart

45 min Prep time: 25 min Cook time: 1 Tart

Makes:

Ingredients - PASTRY

• 190 g SPAR Choice Salted Butter

• 325 g SPAR Cake Wheat Flour

• 45 ml SPAR Castor Sugar

• 2 SPAR egg yolks, beaten with 75 ml cold water

Or: 1 packet Tennis biscuits, crumbled and mixed with 125 g SPAR Choice Salted Butter, pressed into the tart tin.

Ingredients - FILLING

• 4 SPAR eggs, separated

• 1 tin SPAR Sweetened Full Fat Condensed Milk

• 250 ml desiccated coconut

• 100 ml SPAR Lemon Juice

METHOD - Pastry

• Place the butter, flour, and castor sugar together in a food processor.

• Process until everything is well combined — it should look like fine breadcrumbs.

• Add the egg yolk mixture while the food processor is running and mix until a dough forms.

• Remove the dough, cover with cling film, and leave to rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C and spray a 24 cm tart tin well with nonstick cooking spray.

• Roll the dough out on a floured surface and line the tart tin.

• Blind-bake the pastry case for approximately 15 minutes until reasonably done.

METHOD - Filling

• Separate the eggs into two mixing bowls.

• Beat the egg yolks and add the condensed milk, coconut, lemon juice, and pinch of salt. Mix everything together.

• Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into the mixture with a metal spoon.

• Pour the mixture into the pastry case and bake for 20–25 minutes.

• Garnish with pistachio nuts, lemon zest, mint leaves or a few pastry crumbs.

Once it comes out of the oven — golden, fragrant, still slightly warm — this tart is best served the way Corli’s grandmother always served it; at a table with people you love, without any particular hurry. Garnish with a little lemon zest or a few pistachio nuts if you prefer, or keep it simple and let the tart speak for itself. Either way, do not eat it alone. Joy, after all, is almost always better shared.

Some days, strength is the finish line. Other days, it is making it to the start. It is the 05h00 alarm when the bed is warm and the road is cold. The comeback after injury, after loss, after life got in the way. It is the woman who trains through a hard season at work, who laces up three weeks postpartum, who has never run 5km before today and is here anyway. This section is for her — every version of her.

Come Prepared, Finish Strong FAQ’s

There is a quiet power in being prepared. It is the power of a woman who has done the work, done the reading, and shown up knowing exactly what she is walking into. Here is your practical guide to Challenge Day — everything from transport and parking to medical support and the T-shirt — so that your strength on the day is entirely focused on running your best race.

Challenge Day does not ask you to be perfect. It asks you to be present, to be prepared, and to be willing to keep going. You have already done the difficult part by committing. On 1 August 2026, all that remains is to run — and to know that every step forward is a statement of strength. #CelebrateHer

1. Wear Your Support

While wearing your official Challenge T-shirt is not mandatory, we would appreciate it as a symbol of solidarity. No other specific clothing is required unless you are competing for a category prize.

2. Ride Smart

We encourage participants to utilise alternative transportation methods. SuperSport Park is conveniently located just 1km from the Centurion Gautrain Station. For those arriving by car, traffic marshals will be there to direct you to dedicated safe parking. Please only follow the directions of the official parking marshals to stay safe. Follow our WhatsApp Channel for more information on safe, dedicated parking areas.

3. Medical Support On-Site

A marked medical tent staffed by qualified medical personnel will be on the field. Emergency teams will also be stationed at water points and the finish line, with ambulances on standby for any medical situations. The route is 100% wheelchair and pram-friendly. For more information regarding medical assistance on Challenge Day, please contact Christien van der Merwe on 083 458 0337.

4. Men Participating in the Challenge

While men are welcome to join the 5km Challenge, please note that they are not eligible to enter the 10km Challenge or for any prizes on the day. They will, however, receive a goodie bag.

How to Enter & Register

2 Easy Ways to Enter the Challenge!

INSTANT IN-STORE

• Head to your nearest participating SPAR store — find the full list at sparwomenschallenge.co.za and select Tshwane. Pay for your entry in-store and walk out with your race number, a copy of My Tshwane Challenge Magazine, and your Challenge T-shirt (select your size while stocks last).

• From there, it is as simple as scanning the unique QR code printed on your race number — scan it, complete your details, and you are officially registered

• REMEMBER: Registration is what enters you into the lucky draw, so make sure you complete this step!

ONLINE CONVENIENCE

• Go to sparwomenschallenge.co.za, select the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane, and follow the simple online entry steps (an admin fee applies). You can select your T-shirt size at the time of registration, while stocks last.

• Collect your number, My Tshwane Challenge Magazine, and T-shirt at SuperSport Park, Centurion, between 10h00 and 18h00 from 27 July 2026 – 31 July 2026 and from 8h00 to 12h00 on 1 August 2026

IF YOU ENTERED ONLINE, DO NOT COLLECT YOUR Challenge PACK FROM SPAR STORES!

SOPHIA THE VOICE BEHIND THE RACE

Some people show up because they have to. Sophia Matlou shows up because she loves it — and the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane would not be the same without her.

A retired SPAR employee, Sophia returns each year as the calm, caring voice behind the participant experience — answering questions, easing concerns, and guiding runners with patience and warmth. Even on the busiest days, she never misses a call.

More than dedication, it’s a calling. Sophia quietly lives the spirit of #CelebrateHer.

Scan to Register

and other exciting prizes! Join our informational WhatsApp channel. This channel is for updates only, no queries.

Check out our amazing give-aways on page 8!

CONTACT

Race Office Number: 011 203 5303

General Email Enquiry: ladiesracepretoria@spar.co.za

Sophia Matlou: 074 750 7186

AGN Office: 012 327 4931

Companies and running clubs: Email Lindi at lindi@eofe.co.za or on 083 685 1989 to book your space on the field.

Earn Vitality Points

Entering the timed 10km? Look out for details on linking your Discovery Vitality profile when you register — and earn 600 points for conquering the full 10km. We will see you at the

The Bigger the Crew, the Louder the Cheer

The SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane is more than a race — it is a movement, and there is no better way to be part of it than to bring your whole crew along for the ride. Whether you are coordinating bulk entries for your company, school, church group, running club or social circle, Lindi Norval is your goto for making it happen. For bulk entries (minimum 10 to qualify) and invoicing to getting Challenge packs delivered directly to your organisation, Lindi handles the logistics so that all you need to do is show up.

If you would like to take your team experience a step further…

Consider securing a stand on the field at SuperSport Park. For R10 000 or 50 entries, your group claims a 3m x 3m space right in the heart of the action — ideal for creating a branded base, a team meeting point or simply a festive hub for the day. Spaces are limited, so do not leave it too long.

A few things to keep in mind: selling from your stand is not permitted, but you are absolutely welcome to bring snacks for your team — just make sure everything is in plastic containers. SuperSport Park does not permit alcohol, glass, cans or tins on the premises. Braai facilities will be available on-site, so you can bring the vibe — just leave the gas braai at home. Your booking also includes a dedicated, secure parking spot.

Set-up begins on Friday, 31 July, between 08h00 and 17h00. On Challenge Day — Saturday, 1 August — golf cart assistance will be available from 07h00 to 10h00 to help you transport your gear to your stand (subject to availability).

Ready to bring your people together? Contact and arrange with Lindi Norval at 083 685 1989 or lindi@eofe.co.za. Let’s make Challenge Day 2026 a celebration your team will still be talking about long after the finish line.

LINDI Company, Sponsors & Suppliers

Lindi is the heart behind the scenes, quietly ensuring that every partnership comes together seamlessly, every sponsor feels valued, and every supplier delivers with ease. She nurtures the relationships that keep this event thriving and growing year after year. Through her dedication and care, so much of what makes this event special comes to life. Lindi’s impact is felt in every detail.

#CelebrateHer — because the women building connections and creating opportunities are just as inspiring as those taking on the challenge.

Fuel Your

Strength on Challenge Day starts long before the gun goes off. It lives in the preparation — the hydration you’ve planned, the energy you’ve packed, and the kit you’ve chosen to carry you through. These are the must-haves that make sure your body has everything it needs to perform, push through, and arrive at the finish line feeling exactly as strong as you are.

Refresh Your Power

Dry off. Show up. Do it again.

Strength in Every Step

A

Little Sugar, A Lot of Go

SPAR Sweets Loads of Liquorice, Sour Squirms, Jelly Hearts, Wine Gums, Minty Chews

100% Fruit Juice Blend Assorted

Is Not One Thing Strength

Every woman who steps onto the start line at SuperSport Park on 1 August will, in that moment, understand what strength feels like. Not the kind you build in a gym, though that matters too. The kind that comes from having chosen to be there — from having trained on the days you did not want to, from having registered for the Challenge when the couch felt more appealing, from having shown up for yourself when no one else would have noticed if you had not. That is the strength our ambassadors are celebrating. That is the strength we see in you.

Lerato Mokhaneli

#CelebrateHer means celebrating the journey and not only the end result.

It’s about honouring the version of me that started, even when it felt impossible. The version that showed up on the difficult days, pushed through selfdoubt, and kept going when no one was watching.

As someone who has grown through running and movement, #CelebrateHer is about embracing how far I’ve come, from struggling to keep up, to building strength, confidence, and discipline over time.

It’s a reminder that every step counts, every small win matters, and every woman deserves to celebrate herself at every stage of her journey.

Portia Tabola

#CelebrateHer … Strength Redefined

Tamlyn Wessels

#Celebrateher means recognising the strength, sacrifice, and quiet resilience that women give long before anyone notices the win. It’s about seeing the full story of a woman, not only the highlights.

Rozanne McKenzie

#CelebrateHer means celebrating all the facets of who we are. The triumphs, losses, and ups and downs. All of these make up who we are and we should celebrate the small wins. Every day, especially on the tough days.

Chumisa Qawe

#CelebrateHer … For her

Jakkie Cilliers

#CelebrateHer … Force! Women with immense power and influence that cannot be overlooked.

#CelebrateHer … Ambitions

#CelebrateHer … Dreams

Candice Williams

#CelebrateHer by being authentically you

Camelitha

#CelebrateHer … Support her

Devon Williams

#CelebrateHer in everything you do

Ziyanda Ngohlekana

#CelebrateHer … Warrior Woman

Ouma Tema

#CelebrateHer means pausing to recognise the magic women carry so effortlessly – the way they nurture, lead, create, and endure. It’s about giving flowers while they can still smell them and speaking love into spaces where they’ve only known survival.

For every silent battle fought, every dream chased, every crown worn with grace, I #CelebrateHer

ON CHALLENGE DAY, EVERY STEP YOU TAKE IS A STATEMENT. OUR STRENGTH AMBASSADORS WILL BE WATCHING, CHEERING, AND RUNNING RIGHT ALONGSIDE YOU. #CELEBRATEHERSTRENGTH

Behind the Scenes

EGLS Supply Chain Equipment on female leadership, sustainable logistics, and showing up for the women who keep it all moving

very great event runs on more than enthusiasm — it runs on infrastructure. At the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane 2026, that infrastructure arrives in the form of a familiar, but quietly essential partner; GLS Supply Chain Equipment.

Founded in 2007 by Robert and Dale Good, GLS has spent 19 years building smart, data-enabled supply chain solutions for some of South Africa’s biggest retailers — including SPAR. Their speciality? Moving product efficiently, reliably, and sustainably through complex retail environments. So when the goodie bags are handed to thousands of participants on Challenge Day, it is GLS’s purpose-built 68L Tote Bins doing the heavy lifting — quite literally.

“It’s the equipment that keeps the supply chain moving,” says Rozanne Jacobs, Client Services Executive at GLS. In the context of an event that draws thousands of women to SuperSport Park, that kind of behind-the-scenes reliability matters enormously.

What makes GLS more than a logistics company is their ethos. At the heart of their offering is a hands-on, cocreative approach — building solutions tailored to each client’s operational reality, supported by G-Track RFID software and a genuine commitment to measurable sustainability. It is a culture built on partnership, not mere product. That same culture makes the #CelebrateHer alignment feel entirely organic. “For GLS, #CelebrateHer isn’t about grand gestures — it’s about how we show up every day,” says Jacobs. Female leadership is embedded at every level of the business. “Women across our organisation are driving results and shaping our future — not despite the many roles they carry outside of work, but alongside them.”

Partnering with the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane, with its almost 30-year legacy of community upliftment and female empowerment, is, for GLS, less a business decision than a values decision. A company that has watched women grow and lead within its own walls for nearly two decades recognises — without hesitation — a community worth celebrating.

Not Broken

There is a photograph that exists in the mind, even if it was never taken. A young woman in Lesotho, sitting at her aunt’s kitchen table, textbooks open in front of her. She has just returned from the funeral parlour where she chose her mother’s coffin and finalised the arrangements for her burial. The grief is immense, yet the world does not pause, and still Portia Tabola goes back to her desk and writes every exam.

Now 20 years old, she is a preschool teacher at Pure Hope; the very school where her own story began, a student working toward her Early Childhood Development degree, and a dancer training for her Dance Association of South Africa (DASA) instructor qualification. She sees a psychologist to help her through her grief, and she speaks about that openly, without apology.

The girl who loved to move

Portia grew up as an only child, raised by her mother, her granny, and an aunt. Dance had not yet entered her world — until Talitha de Klerk from Rhythm of Hope walked in and changed everything. Ballet came first, and it hurt her. She wanted nothing to do with it. Yet, something kept drawing her back — a pull she would eventually understand as purpose rather than stubbornness.

Pro Arte School for the Performing Arts had long been her dream. When the support came, through GROOTfm’s #JouMenseMyMense initiative, with SPAR and We Buy Cars among those who showed up, Portia was called out of her Afrikaans class with no explanation. The walk to the dance studio felt longer than it was.

“I was overwhelmed — shocked, in tears, and filled with a deep sense of gratitude,” she says now. “They didn’t just support me — they carried me through some of the most defining years of my life. What they gave me was more than financial support — it was dignity, stability, and the space to focus on becoming who I was called to be.”

Five months that changed everything

In October 2024, Portia was sitting her record exams for matric when her mother died. Suddenly. Without warning.

Her mother had been her everything, her safety, her comfort, her home. “The way she loved me shaped the way I see the world,” Portia says. “Losing her didn’t just leave a gap, it changed something deep inside of me.”

By March 2025, Riana Andersen — the woman in whose Menlopark home Portia had lived, who had become a second mother to her, who attended every dance show she could and watched online when she could not — passed away after a serious cancer diagnosis. In five months, Portia had lost both women who were her anchors.

She kept going to work. She kept studying. She did not stop.

“Continuing with my exams wasn’t strength in the way people often think of it,” she says. “It was holding onto the one thing my mom wanted so deeply for me. She was my biggest supporter, my loudest cheerleader. So even in my pain, I kept going, because I knew stopping would mean letting go of something she poured her heart into. That strength wasn’t mine, it was God holding me together, and my mom’s love carrying me through.”

Looking back at that morning, she says: “You’re about to walk through one of the hardest days of your life, but you will get through it. Just take it one step, one breath at a time. You don’t have to be strong. Just keep going.”

Real strength asks for help

Portia is clear-eyed about the version of strength that nearly broke her. She tried to carry everything on her own, to look strong on the outside. That kind of strength, she says, only made things worse.

“I’ve learned that the version of strength society often celebrates isn’t always the truth. Real strength is showing up exactly as you are — in all your broken pieces — and having the courage to say, ‘I need help’. You don’t have to carry it alone. There is so much healing in allowing others to stand with you in it.”

She is working with a psychologist — and speaks about it openly. For Portia, seeking help was not a sign of weakness; it was one of the bravest things she has ever done.

A full-circle beginning

Today, Portia stands in a classroom at Pure Hope — the same school where her own journey as a little girl began — and teaches. She describes it as a full-circle moment, as God redeeming every part of her story.

“To now stand in that same space and pour into children who come from a place so similar to mine, it means everything to me,” she says. She is paying for her Early Childhood Development diploma out of her teaching salary, and working toward her DASA dance instructor qualification, because she believes that independence and purpose are inseparable. “It’s not just about independence; it’s about purpose, about becoming someone who can pour back into others from a place of strength, discipline, and gratitude.”

Dance, through all of it, has been her language — the release when words failed. “Dance didn’t take the pain away,” she says quietly, “but it gave me a way to move through it.”

The woman she is becoming has been through fire, but chose to soften instead of harden. “The future I’m working for is one where I get to love on the children of Africa, to create spaces where they feel seen, safe, and capable of more than their circumstances. It’s not about success in the way the world defines it; it’s about impact, purpose, and becoming everything God has called me to be.”

What she wants you to know

SPAR helped carry Portia to the start line of her matric year. What she has built since — through losses that would have stopped most people — is entirely her own.

“It means everything to me to be in this space,” she says. “SPAR didn’t just help me once, they became part of the foundation of my story. To now stand as that story... it’s something I carry with immense gratitude.”

Here is what Portia wants every young woman to know:

What feels impossible now is not the end of your story; it is only the beginning. Take it one step at a time, one breath at a time. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Your circumstances do not get to decide your future. Keep going. Your story is still unfolding.

What does “real strength” look like in your life right now? Where might you be holding everything on your own — and what would it look like to let someone stand with you in it?

A Calm Force, a Champion, a Woman Worth

Behind every great team is someone who keeps it grounded. For the Fidelity Titans, that person is Anneke Bosch — a calm, composed leader who lets her bat and character do the talking.

Since joining the Sky Blues in 2023, Anneke has grown into one of the team’s most important figures, and the 2025/2026 season was her finest yet. Under her captaincy, the Fidelity Titans finished third on the log in both the T20 and Pro50 competitions — a strong podium showing that reflects the team’s growing ambition and cohesion.

Her Pro50 season was one to savour — none more so than a stunning maiden century of 114 not out at SuperSport Park; an innings that perfectly captured her composure, technical brilliance, and ability to anchor a chase under pressure. Across eight T20 matches, she remained equally reliable, with a top score of 47 not out.

Her season was recognised in the most fitting way at the 2025/2026 Titans Annual Awards, where she was honoured with three prestigious accolades: Player of the Year, Women’s 50 Over Player of the Year, and Players’ Player of the Year — the last of these a reflection of the deep respect her teammates hold for her.

Hailing from East London, Anneke’s journey has taken her from Border, Free State, and North-West to the Titans and the South African national women’s team, where she made her debut in 2016. Away from cricket, she brings the same discipline to her career as a qualified biokineticist.

For the women and girls lining up at the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane, Anneke is exactly the kind of story worth celebrating — a woman who leads quietly, performs brilliantly, and proves that strength and grace always go hand in hand. #CelebrateHer

Your Biggest Competition Is You

Jenny Van Dyk on Coaching, Community and #Celebrateher

She has built five consecutive Telkom Netball League titles in Tshwane, shaped generations of players at Tuks, and now stands at the helm of the SPAR Proteas as Head Coach. Jenny van Dyk is, by any measure, one of the most consequential figures in South African netball. Yet, when she speaks, it is never about herself.

Rooted in Tshwane

For Jenny, Tshwane is not only the city hosting this leg of the SPAR Women’s Challenge and is not merely a venue — it is home. Asked what Tshwane means to her, the answer comes quickly and warmly.

“Tshwane has always been my home. I love everything about Tshwane, especially the people. This is a community that supports and challenges you. A community that loves sport and is really behind their sport heroes. The climate is also fantastic — I absolutely love the afternoon storms and sunny skies.”

It is the kind of rootedness that does not merely shape a person — it shapes a coaching philosophy. The belief that community matters. That belonging matters. That showing up for each other matters.

The Road to the Green Blazer

Jenny waited a long time to wear the Protea blazer. Now leading the national team on a four-year journey to the 2027 Netball World Cup in Australia, she reflects on what that experience has already taught her.

“That the magic you are often looking for is in the things that we are avoiding.

It has taught me to really dig deep and find answers, but also that the answers are out there for those willing to look hard enough. As a team, we have a good understanding of what it takes to become world class, and the team is eager to work towards this. The World Cup in 2027 will be where we get tested on our discipline and determination to achieve.”

It is the kind of wisdom that translates far beyond the netball court — as true for a runner lining up at SuperSport Park as it is for an athlete preparing for a World Cup.

SPAR: Synonymous with Opportunity

SPAR has been a cornerstone sponsor of South African netball for many years, from the SPAR Proteas to the SPAR National Netball Championships. Jenny does not mince her words about what that partnership has meant.

“NSA would not have been where we are today without SPAR — that is how valuable they are to us. They are the reason we get to participate and compete against the best netball countries in the world. SPAR, to me, is synonymous with opportunity.”

For every young girl who has ever dreamed of putting on a green blazer, those words carry enormous weight. Opportunity, made real.

#CelebrateHer

The theme of this year’s SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane is #CelebrateHer — honouring the strength, spirit, and stories of women everywhere. Asked what it means to her personally, Jenny’s answer is as generous as it is powerful.

“I am celebrating every young netball player in South Africa that has a big dream to play for our beautiful country one day — because I know what it takes to succeed, and I know that we are very capable of doing hard things.”

For the thousands of women — elite runners and first-timers alike — who will line up at SuperSport Park for the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane, she has one final, characteristically direct message:

“Your biggest competition is YOU. You know where you have come from and why you are doing this. Focus on your journey and your goals — and make yourself proud.”

In a word: #CelebrateHer.

Showing Up, Standing Up

Why

SPAR’s

commitment to women goes far beyond the finish line

In a country grappling with genderbased violence (GBV) and period poverty, meaningful corporate action often feels like a marketing campaign. Yet for SPAR South Africa, supporting women is not a seasonal effort, it is a sustained commitment woven into the fabric of the business.

Currently at the steer of that calling is Mpudi Maubane, National PR, Communications, and Sponsorships Manager at SPAR South Africa. For Mpudi, the various platforms SPAR activates throughout the year — from road races to sanitary pad drives to anti-GBV campaigns — are not isolated gestures. They are threads in a single, deliberate fabric that the retailer has been weaving for decades.

“As a business rooted in the heart of South African communities, SPAR has a responsibility to stand up for women and girls,” says Mpudi. “Ending period poverty and gender-based violence is about more than intervention — it’s about dignity, safer environments, and equal opportunities. This is not just one of those social responsibility programmes for SPAR — it is central to who we are.”

More Than a Race:

The SPAR Women’s Challenge

It started with a single race in Durban in 1990. More than thirty years later, the SPAR Women’s Challenge has grown into the world’s biggest women’s road

race, stretching across Cape Town, Durban, Tshwane, Gqeberha, Mbombela, and Johannesburg, drawing tens of thousands of women of every age, fitness level, and background to the starting line each year.

The numbers tell only part of the story. For SPAR, the Challenge has always been about more than medals and finish times. It is, at its heart, a celebration of women — a safe, joyful, collective space where they are seen, cheered, and celebrated.

In 2025, as the series marked its 35th anniversary under the theme #Twenty20Thrive, the SPAR Women’s Challenge was a runaway success — with every regional leg selling out, and the Tshwane edition selling out in record time. The numbers were staggering: Tshwane drew 17 000 participants in a celebration of resilience and solidarity that left little doubt about just how deeply South African women have embraced this event as their own.

In 2026, the rallying cry evolved to #CelebrateHer, a theme Mpudi describes as a natural expression of everything SPAR has been building towards.

“The SPAR Women’s Challenge and the SPAR Grand Prix series are examples of our commitment to improving the lot of women,” she says. “By partnering with organisations on the ground and investing in community-driven solutions, we are helping to break down barriers, restore dignity, and create comfortable spaces where women can thrive — and get an opportunity to celebrate themselves.”

The SPAR Grand Prix Series: Investing in Excellence

Nested within the SPAR Women’s Challenge is the SPAR Grand Prix series — an elite racing circuit that in 2026 celebrates its 18th year and boasts a record prize purse of R1 967 500. What began in 2008 as a platform for South Africa’s top women distance runners has grown into a continental competition, welcoming international athletes from across Africa since 2019 and raising the standard of women’s road running on the continent in the process.

The 2026 SPAR Grand Prix series runs across Cape Town, Durban, Tshwane, Gqeberha, and Johannesburg as part of the SPAR Women’s Challenge. The series is a powerful symbol of what investment

in women looks like in practice. Prize money matters. Recognition matters. Elite women athletes competing on a well-resourced, well-publicised stage matters — not only for the champions, but for every young girl watching from the roadside.

“The SPAR Women’s Challenge and the SPAR Grand Prix series are powerful symbols of female empowerment, health promotion, and the fight against inequalities,” she explains. “By participating, women are not just investing in their well-being, but also contributing to a brighter future for all women in South Africa.”

Athletics South Africa Acting President John Mathane has acknowledged the significance of SPAR’s sustained investment, noting that SPAR has supported, promoted, and empowered hundreds of thousands of women through the SPAR Women’s Challenge over the years, and that the organisation is fully aligned with SPAR’s commitments to end GBV and period poverty.

End Period Poverty: Restoring Dignity

One of the most tangible expressions of SPAR Cares is the End Period Poverty (EPP) campaign — a sustained drive to eradicate period poverty across South Africa by 2030. At each leg of the SPAR Women’s Challenge, sanitary pad donation drives mobilise participants to give back to girls whose education is interrupted every month simply because they cannot afford menstrual hygiene products.

The impact is measurable and moving. At the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane alone, the donation drive ensured that 4 000 girls could stay in school for another month — a statistic that reframes what a road race can mean.

“Empowerment starts with dignity,” says Mpudi. “By tackling challenges like period poverty and supporting GBV prevention programmes, we are making bold strides towards a future where every girl has the opportunity to thrive.”

End GBV: Taking A Stand Where It Counts

South Africa’s GBV crisis is not background noise for SPAR — it is a frontline commitment. Through the SPAR End GBV initiative, the brand uses its platforms, community partnerships, and

race proceeds to support organisations working to protect women and create safer environments.

At the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane, proceeds were distributed to multiple charities, including organisations focused on GBV prevention, early childhood development, and educational support — all part of the My SPAR My Community campaign, through which over R350 000 was channelled to uplift women across the Pretoria region in a single event cycle.

Through

our community partnerships and sustained investments, we are committed to creating environments where women are supported, protected, and empowered to reach their full potential, says Mpudi.

SPAR Cares: A Brand That Shows Up

What distinguishes SPAR’s approach is consistency. This is not a brand that arrives with fanfare during Women’s Month and disappears in September. Through the SPAR Women’s Challenge, the SPAR Grand Prix series, community donations, anti-GBV advocacy, and the EPP campaign, SPAR shows up — year after year, city after city, issue after issue.

“These efforts reflect SPAR’s core values of care, inclusivity, and meaningful community impact,” says Mpudi.

In a country where women still face extraordinary barriers — economic, physical, social — that consistency is itself a form of care. In 2026, as thousands of women cross finish lines in cities across South Africa under the banner of #CelebrateHer, SPAR’s message is clear: we see you, we stand with you, and we will keep showing up. Real support is not once-off, it is ongoing, visible, and unwavering.

Redefining

What does it mean to be ‘strong’? In celebrating women and the journeys we walk, often unseen, often unspoken, I’ve come to question what it truly means to be ‘strong’. Perhaps we feel it is when we carry everyone’s burden around us, or perhaps it means that we can merely carry on carrying on, without ever breaking down… But what if strong means to truly feel, to hurt, be sad, be angry, and to, after breaking completely, forgive.

By: Maryke Swarts

As women, yes, we do carry a lot. If you are a mother, you have no other option but to care for your children. To pray for them. To worry for them. To wish for them. As a partner, we set the atmosphere of the home, unknowingly carrying the heaviness of the day, and somehow turning it into lightness and love. As a daughter, we often become the glue of the family, being the go-to for mending, negotiating and bringing back peace. We have an unseen, natural strength that reflects itself in kindness, love and most of all, forgiveness.

Inevitable speed bumps in life

As a woman, I’ve come to realise that resilience is not about how much we can carry and how long we can endure. It develops over time, from those moments of silence, where you really have to reflect intentionally and delve deeply into your soul to find peace when things seem to be falling apart around you. Those moments come, sometimes more often than we wish. It’s not to blame, not to shame or become the silent victim of our circumstances, but to find that part within us that no longer serves us. That part of us that perhaps becomes angry for no reason, or the part of us that feels envious or sometimes not good enough. To go

within, and to choose to let it go. That’s where resilience creeps in; to choose love instead of anger, to choose peace instead of complaining. Don’t get me wrong, strength is also in the ability to stand up for our worth and speak up. To speak our truth. However, personally, I have experienced becoming stronger and stronger as I delve deeper and deeper to confront that part of myself that stole my peace, and to let it go.

The truth about purpose

Something that I’ve realised in the journeys with my clients is that purpose is not something ‘out there’ that you need to go and find. Purpose is something that you already are. You just don’t realise it because it comes so naturally.

Before I started my practice as a mindset coach, I didn’t know what my purpose was. Until one day, I realised that it came naturally to me to ‘coach’ my colleagues into finding their passion and taking a leap to follow it. Once you realise what your true purpose is, everything else becomes ‘lighter’. Another confirmation of my purpose was when I started my business. I had a sticker on my car door, ‘Life Purpose Coaching’, and a petrol attendant asked me what I did. I tried to explain to him to the best of my ability and he summarised it in one perfect sentence: “Ah, you help people become conscious”. Wow, he nailed it in one sentence.

If you are reading this, I want to urge you to take the time to truly reflect; what is it that really makes you tick? Is it to make people laugh? Is it to uplift others? Is it to help animals? Or perhaps preserve nature?

When you know what your role is in the bigger picture, everything else becomes slightly easier to deal with. It’s in those moments when life knocks me down that I remind myself why I am here. We are easily caught up in our relationships, family drama, or work stress. What is truly important is why you are here. You are here for a reason. You have a difference to make. Otherwise, you would not be here. So do everything in your ability to search within and bring to light your true nature.

Why mindset has to do with everything

In my opinion, mindset is everything. Your experience of life is shaped by the

lens through which you observe life, and, yes, we observe and experience life. If you want to read a life-changing book, read The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer.

As you might know, our ‘mindset’ is a culmination of our whole life’s experiences forming our perceptions, values, and beliefs about the world. Your lens might be tainted by traumas that you’ve been through or you might be someone who chooses to see the glass half full. Nonetheless, how we see things is what matters. As Wayne Dyer said, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

What I would like to bring to you today is that we are not the victims of our minds. It often feels that our mind has a life of its own, but the great thing about minds is that they can change. Is it going to take work? Yes, absolutely. If you feel that your thoughts and feelings are stealing your joy, do whatever it takes to take back control. You deserve to be happy, to have peace, and to feel valued. Our mind is our greatest resource, but if we don’t take control of it, it can be our greatest downfall. There is so much I can say about mindset that I can write an entire book about it, but from one woman to another, you have the ability to save the world. By developing your inner strength, becoming who you truly are, and letting go of the mindset that was shaped by your past, you can influence an entire room, heal with your words, and inspire change with your presence.

Not by becoming someone else, but by being who you truly are.

Maryke Swarts is a mindset and neuro-coach, as well as the founder of Life Purpose Coaching. With a background in behavioural sciences, psychology, and transformation coaching, she helps individuals reconnect with their purpose; overcome internal limitations; and create meaningful, lasting change. Her work is rooted in deep personal transformation, guiding people to become more conscious, selfaware, and aligned with who they truly are.

Maryke Swarts Life Purpose Coaching www.lifepurposecoaching.co.za

List three moments this year where you kept going when you could have stopped. Next to each one, write only one word for how it made you feel.

1. 2.

3.

For This

The Isuzu Bulls Daisies — the women’s rugby team of the Blue Bulls — know this strength well. They carry it in their bodies, in their stories, and in the way they show up for each other, week after week, in a sport that is only now beginning to fully recognise what they are worth. As women’s rugby in South Africa edges towards professionalisation, these four players stand at a thrilling and demanding crossroads; pioneers in every sense of the word.

What the Body Carries

Ask any of the Isuzu Bulls Daisies what physical strength means to them, and the answers go far beyond the gym floor. For prop Jakkie Cilliers, strength

There is a particular kind of strength that doesn’t announce itself loudly. It shows up quietly — in a training session after a sleepless night, in the choice to keep going when the body is screaming to stop, in the decision to put on a jersey and run out onto a field when your heart is shattered. It is the kind of strength that can’t be measured in a gym or on a scoreboard. It lives somewhere deeper.

isn’t about how much you can bench press. “It is about how well you can take contact, make tackles, drive someone back, win that contact battle, and drive through in contact,” she explains. “Week in and week out you need to go through contact days where you tackle and take hits, get those high-speed runs, burn the lungs. You need to be well conditioned to repeat it over and over, so that your body is ready for game day.”

Chumisa Qawe adds another dimension: “Physical strength to me is not just power, but resilience and discipline — being able to push through fatigue, stay focused, and perform under pressure. It’s about staying durable, managing pain, and showing up ready to compete every

time.” Camelitha is equally matter-of-fact about the reality; stiffness, bruises, and pain are part of the package. The price of competing at the highest level is paid in the body, again and again.

Ziyanda Ngohlekana frames it plainly: “Females’ rugby is improving each and every year, and every team gets stronger, so if you can’t take the hits in training sessions, it’s gonna be tough for you on game days.” This is a sport that demands everything, and these women give it willingly.

The Harder Battle

It is in the stories of mental strength that the true character of the Daisies emerges. Jakkie speaks openly about

Photography Location: Loftus Versfeld, on-field & in the tunnel. Isuzu Bulls Daisies players featured: Camelitha, Jakkie Cilliers, Chumisa Qawe, Ziyanda Ngohlekana

the moment she worked harder than she ever had, only to miss out on World Cup selection. “I needed to show up and be the best version I could be for the team,” she reflects. “I reminded myself that there are players at home who really dreamed of being part of the squad, and I was sitting at the World Cup.” She turned pain into perspective — and perspective into purpose.

Chumisa faced something even more devastating. “The toughest moment for me was losing my mom and my best friend in the same year,” she says quietly. “I wasn’t mentally strong, but I still had to show up and play. I pushed through by focusing on the team and taking it one moment at a time. That experience really taught me resilience.”

Ziyanda carries a similar weight. She lost both her parents, and for a time, almost walked away from rugby entirely. “But the team being there for me and supporting me through everything made me realise how much I appreciate and love where I am today with my rugby career.” When the world falls away, the team becomes the anchor.

Blazing the Trail

Every one of these women knows that they are playing for more than themselves. Women’s rugby in South Africa is in the early stages of becoming professional — a milestone that is both exciting and long overdue. “The generation before me started with nothing,” says Jakkie, “and I can be part of the generation building rugby’s legacy and foundation for the next generation, where they can follow in our footsteps and have it easier in so many different ways.”

Camelitha is direct about what she wants to see change: “The new generation shouldn’t have to worry about their future — to make enough money and get the same treatment as the guys”. Chumisa echoes this: “I want to see more support, funding, and real professional opportunities for young female players.” Ziyanda puts it simply — she would love to see every women’s rugby team in South Africa professionalised.

#CelebrateHer

In a sport often defined by individual accolades, the Isuzu Bulls Daisies are refreshingly team-first. They celebrate each other in high fives and honest words, in singing together after a playerof-the-match award, in the quiet daily

act of making each other better. Zintle is mentioned more than once as someone who lifts those around her — hardworking, talented, present. Sizophila earns admiration for giving 100% effort, every single time.

Chumisa puts her own relationship with self-celebration beautifully: “Honouring myself means giving my all on and off the field, staying true to who I am, and allowing myself to be proud of my journey without downplaying it”. For Jakkie, it’s the quiet satisfaction of ticking off a goal, big or small, and thanking God for the opportunity. For Camelitha, it’s buying herself a fresh pair of sneakers — because to feel good, you have to look good.

To You, at the Start Line

If you are reading this with an entry number pinned to your vest or folded in your pocket, the Isuzu Bulls Daisies have a message for you — one that sounds a lot like the voice you use to talk yourself through a hard kilometre.

“Be proud of yourself for showing up,” says Chumisa. “Every step you take, no matter how big or small, is a victory.”

Jakkie’s words ring out like a pre-match speech: “Never give up — the mind is so much stronger than the heart. When you think you have reached your limit, trust me, you haven’t gotten close to it. You are a woman, and nobody can take that away from you. Celebrate yourself.”

From Ziyanda: “Finding your strength through the challenges of life is great. Let that be your drive and motivation to succeed.”

The Isuzu Bulls Daisies train at Loftus. They tackle and get tackled. They grieve, and they get back up. They are building something for the women who come after them, and, on this road, so are you.

What would you do differently in your life if you genuinely believed you were strong enough? What has that belief been costing you?

Two Kinds of

There is the strength you can see — the kind that wins contact battles and drives through defenders at Loftus Versfeld on a Saturday afternoon, with thousands of people cheering. Then there is the strength you don’t see; the kind that drives itself to a hospital alone at 5h00, that uproots its life to follow someone else’s dream, that holds a household together while half the year is spent waiting for a partner to come home. Devon and Candice Williams carry both kinds. Together, they make up one of South African rugby’s most compelling stories — not merely a love story, but a portrait of what it actually takes to build something meaningful in the highpressure, high-sacrifice world of professional sport.

Photography Location: Loftus Versfeld, on-field & in the tunnel.

Featured: Devon Williams, Vodacom Bulls. Candice Williams, Mrs Universe South Africa 2025 & Co-CEO, Rahab Beauty Foundation

The Body’s Weekly Battle

For Devon Williams, Vodacom Bulls fullback, the week starts with recovery — physio, ice, and preparation. Tuesdays and Thursdays bring highspeed running and contact work, often more demanding than game day. Wednesdays offer brief respite, while Fridays focus on alignment and readiness.

“Recovery is crucial,” Devon explains. “The season is long and demanding.” It’s a precise cycle of breaking down and rebuilding, with no room for shortcuts.

The Mental Weight

Beyond the physical toll lies the mental challenge. “It’s not always easy, especially when you’re not selected or injured,” he says. “It may look like glitz and glam, but it takes a toll.”

When pressure builds, Devon turns to his family. “They are my reset button. I do what I do for them.”

The Woman Who Kept Him Going

At one point, Devon nearly walked away from rugby. It was Candice who encouraged him to continue, guiding him to the Pumas — a step that led to the Bulls.

“She’s my biggest supporter,” he says. “Through everything, she stays by my side.”

Their life in Pretoria, away from family in Cape Town, has required sacrifice — much of it carried by Candice.

A Life That Starts at 5h00

Candice’s days begin before sunrise — prayer, family responsibilities, gym, and a full workday as a brand ambassador, followed by evening commitments. Weekends are equally demanding, yet she remains a constant presence at Devon’s games.

The Strength That Can’t Be Measured

Seven years ago, the couple began an IVF journey marked by the loss of six children. Candice carried much of that grief privately.

One moment stands out: driving herself to hospital while Devon was away. “I had no choice but to dig deeper than ever before,” she says.

In that depth, she found faith. “My strength comes from knowing I don’t face anything alone.”

Her Own Name, Her Own Crown

Early in their marriage, Candice was often introduced simply as “Devon’s wife.” That changed when she reclaimed her identity through modelling and pageantry.

In 2025, she was crowned Mrs Universe South Africa and now serves as co-CEO of the Rahab Beauty Foundation, supporting abused women and children.

“I am not only a wife,” she says. “I am a woman with purpose.”

To You, at the Start Line

Their story reminds us that strength is not the absence of struggle — it is the decision to keep going.

Candice’s message: “Trust the process and stay faithful. Always finish what you started.”

Devon’s: “I do what I do for them.”

On Challenge Day, that sentiment belongs to you too.

on Both Sides

Corli was 13 when she made pumpkin fritters for the first time — a Grade 8 practical exam, entirely on her own, and terrified. She made them anyway. She passed. And she learned something she has carried ever since; strength is not the absence of fear. It is deciding to try regardless. Her mother’s saying did the rest: Keep riding the bicycle. Even when you slow down. You always get back on.

Pumpkin Fritters

Pumpkin fritters with a lovely caramel sauce can be a winner as a healthier dessert option — something everyone will be asking for again!

• Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk and egg mixture.

• Mix well with a wooden spoon to remove the lumps, then stir in the butternut.

Makes:

Prep time: 15 min Cook time: 12 fritters

20 min

Ingredients

• 200 ml SPAR Cake Wheat Flour

• 5 ml SPAR Refined Salt

• 3 ml SPAR Baking Powder

• 1 SPAR egg

• 60 ml SPAR Full Cream Milk

• 250 ml cooked, mashed butternut

• SPAR Canola Oil for shallow frying

• Cinnamon sugar, to serve

Method

• Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl.

• Beat the egg and milk in a separate bowl.

• Heat the oil until very hot and drop a few spoonfuls of the batter into the pan.

• Fry the fritters until golden brown on both sides and remove onto kitchen paper to drain.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve immediately — warm, golden, and entirely worth the effort. Simple as they are, these fritters carry something extra; the proof that the simplest acts of courage, taken early enough, shape everything that comes after. Keep riding the bicycle. When you reach the finish line on 1 August, know that every training run, every early morning, every moment you showed up when it was difficult — it all brought you here.

No woman runs alone. Behind every finish line is a group chat, a training partner, a friend who said come on, just try it, a colleague who booked the entry before you could talk yourself out of it. Community is what makes the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane feel less like a race and more like a reunion — thousands of women moving through the same streets, holding each other up without even knowing it.

Write a message to someone in your community who deserves to be celebrated right now but probably has not heard it lately. You do not have to send it — but you could.

FAQ’s

Getting Here, Getting In, Getting Together

The SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane has always been about more than a start and a finish line — it is about the community of women who gather in between. Whether you are entering as part of a running club, booking a corporate stand or coming along for the first time with your best friend by your side, here is everything you need to know to make your day as connected and seamless as possible.

However you are arriving — solo, with a team, or as part of a corporate group — you are walking into a community of thousands of women who chose to show up. That is no small thing. On 1 August 2026, SuperSport Park belongs to all of you. See you there. #CelebrateHer

1. Easy Entry and Registration

There are two convenient ways to secure your spot and get your Challenge pack! You can purchase your entry at participating SPAR stores near you or online at sparwomenstshwane.co.za.

2. Important for Online Entries

If you entered online, you will be able to collect your Challenge pack from SuperSport Park during the week leading up to the Challenge.

3. Registration is Key

Once you have your entry pack purchased in-store, remember to complete your registration. You can do this by scanning the unique QR code on your Challenge race number, which is included in your entry pack. For detailed instructions on how to register, please refer to page 30.

4. Not for Selling

The selling of products or services by participants is not permitted. All official marketing and vendor opportunities are managed through the SPAR Women’s Challenge LOC. If your company is interested in booking a stand, please get in touch with Lindi Norval on 083 685 1989 or at Lindi@eofe.co.za for pricing and bookings. See page 31 for more info.

5. Results Online

The 10km race results will be available on the day of the race and will be posted on www.raceresults.co.za. Please note that the 5km event is not timed, so results will not be published.

HLONI Tog Bag Area & Assistant to Challenge Organiser

Hloni is Retha’s right hand, left hand, and probably both feet too. She manages the tog bag area — that all-important safe haven where participants can drop their belongings and run free, knowing everything will be right where they left it. And when that’s done, she turns around to assist with whatever the Challenge needs next.

Ready, Set,

No one runs alone on Challenge Day. The women beside you are your community — and the best communities come prepared. From the first sip of water to the last drop of sunscreen, these musthaves are here to make sure that you and the women around you have everything you need to move, connect, and celebrate together.

Why Queue When You Can Click?

There was a time when grocery shopping meant battling for parking, navigating crowded aisles, and inevitably choosing the slowest queue. We accepted it as part of life—like loadshedding schedules and mismatched socks.

But now, there’s a smarter way.

Enter SPAR2U

Your trusted neighbourhood SPAR, now delivered straight to your door.

Whether you’ve forgotten the milk, need to pull together a last-minute dinner, or simply can’t face another trip to the store, SPAR2U has you covered. Fresh produce, pantry staples, and those little extras you always end up buying anyway—all just a few taps away.

The best part? It’s still your local SPAR doing the shopping. The same quality, the same care, the same familiar store—just without the queues, the parking, or the “what did I come here for again?” moments.

So next time you’re reaching for your car keys, pause for a second. There’s an easier option.

SPAR2U: shopping made simple, delivered with a smile.

A LETTER FROM THE CITY OF TSHWANE

From

Tshwane, With Pride: Celebrating Every Woman

To every woman who laces up, shows up and steps forward — this city sees you, celebrates you, and stands proudly beside you.

The City of Tshwane is honoured to stand alongside SPAR as a partner of the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane — one of the most beloved and meaningful events on our city’s calendar. Year after year, the streets of Tshwane fill with thousands of women of every age, background and ability, united by a single, powerful decision: to show up. That decision — and the community it creates — reflects everything we believe this city is and can be.

Tshwane is more than a place. It is a people. It is a spirit of resilience, solidarity and shared purpose that runs through every neighbourhood, every household and every generation. When we see women taking to our streets in their thousands to run, walk, celebrate and support one another, we see our city at its very best.

This year’s theme, #CelebrateHer, resonates deeply with the work we do every day. The City of Tshwane is committed to building a city where every woman and girl is safe, seen and empowered — where the barriers of inequality, poverty and gender-based violence are dismantled not through words alone, but through sustained, deliberate action. The SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane is a powerful expression of that same commitment. It raises awareness, mobilises

Dr. Nasiphi Moya

Executive Mayor, City of Tshwane

communities, and reminds us all that the fight for women’s dignity and opportunity is not a once-a-year conversation — it is an everyday responsibility.

We are especially proud to support the SPAR End Period Poverty campaign and the End GBV initiative that form the heartbeat of this event. The knowledge that girls in our city miss school simply because they cannot afford sanitary products is not something we can accept. It is something we must change — together. Events like this one remind our communities that small acts of solidarity — a donated pack of pads, a raised voice, a cheering crowd — have the power to ripple outward and create lasting change.

To the thousands of women who will cross the start line at this year’s SPAR

Councillor Palesa Modise

Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Community and Social Development Services, City of Tshwane

Women’s Challenge Tshwane: you are the reason this city is extraordinary. Your courage, your strength and your joy are what make Tshwane worth celebrating. We are honoured that you call this city home, and we are honoured to run alongside you — in spirit, in partnership, and in purpose.

#CelebrateHer. Always.

What’s

in the Box?

When it comes to the behindthe-scenes magic that makes the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane such a well-oiled event, West Rand Box plays a quiet but essential role. As a proud sponsor and supply chain partner, this Gautengbased corrugated packaging manufacturer provides the printed corrugated boxes used to package and distribute the event’s Challenge T-shirts and magazines — keeping every item secure, professionally presented, and ready to deliver a seamless experience to participants.

Withover 30 years of industry experience, West Rand Box specialises in custom box manufacturing, board production, die-cut solutions, and flexographic printing of up to four colours. Their product range spans RSC cartons, die-cut boxes, trays, and single- and double-wall packaging, serving both agricultural and corporate markets. What sets them apart is their fully inhouse manufacturing model, which gives them tight control over quality, consistency, and turnaround times — qualities that matter enormously when thousands of Challenge packs need to be ready on time.

At the heart of West Rand Box’s involvement in this event are Luzanne Opperman and Lenanje Grove — two friends who turned a shared vision into a thriving business partnership. Together, they represent

West Rand Box as independent spokespersons, and their connection to the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane runs deep, spanning more than five years of personal involvement.

“It’s about empowerment through action — showing up, supporting one another, and creating opportunities for growth,” says Luzanne Opperman.

Lenanje Grove adds: “Women are the cornerstones of our communities — uplifting, leading, and inspiring those around them every day. We don’t just celebrate women, we invest in their journey.”

Through their work and their partnership with this Challenge, West Rand Box is proof that great packaging isn’t just about the box — it’s about what it stands for.

The People Who Hold Us

Community isn’t always loud or obvious. It lives in quiet moments — a voice on the radio, a coach up before sunrise, two sisters turning waste into something beautiful. These ambassadors build community not because they belong to it, but because they choose to create it. In the City of Tshwane, that spirit is everywhere — and on Challenge Day, it fills SuperSport Park. Come and feel it.

Michelle

#CelebrateHer for starting where she is, for using what she has, and never giving up.

Vuvu Zongo

To #CelebrateHer is to honour the strength and resilience of women walking life’s road together. The journey becomes lighter when travelled in a pack, united by vision and purpose. As we build each other, we pause to take stock, bearing witness to the adversities we’ve overcome — from workplace pressures that try to pull us down, to rising again from life’s challenges. Women are remarkable in their ability to restart, to keep walking, and to transform setbacks into new beginnings. To #CelebrateHer is to acknowledge this unstoppable spirit, uplift one another, and embrace the shared victories along the way.

Annelie Bouwer

#CelebrateHer means the heartfelt celebration of the women in my life and around the world — for who they are and everything they do every single day. It’s not just about big achievements, but about honouring their quiet strength, love, resilience, and gentleness. It reminds me to say thank you, to truly see them, appreciate them, and celebrate them — not only on Women’s Day, but every day. It’s a call to let women’s light shine, to listen to their stories, and to stand together so that they can grow, lead, and flourish.

Mo

#CelebrateHer … Rise

Janey

#CelebrateHer is about celebrating the woman who somehow carries everything and still manages to smile while doing it. She’s the glue that holds the family together; she juggles work, kids, and a marriage, all while a grocery list is running through her head. She fights battles quietly so she doesn’t burden anyone, yet still gets up and shows up. Women are stronger than we give ourselves credit for… and honestly, the fact that we manage all of this and still remember where everyone’s socks are deserves a celebration on its own!

Waney

#CelebrateHer for me is simple –women are superheroes. When I see what women do every morning, I get exhausted from merely observing them. There’s hair, makeup, outfits, kids, work, school bags, lunches… Meanwhile, my morning routine is brushing my teeth and, if I’m feeling extra, putting a little tinted moisturiser on my face. Yet somehow women manage to carry the weight of work, family and life – and still show up looking incredible.

YOU ARE NOT RUNNING ALONE. YOU NEVER WERE. #CELEBRATEHERCOMMUNITY

Martin Bester

#CelebrateHer … By uplifting her!

Glenrose Xaba

#CelebrateHer is so special to me because it honours the incredible good women bring into our lives — their strength, their love, and their beauty.

Violet Semenya & Masai Athletics Club

#CelebrateHer … Strength #CelebrateHer … Resilience

Sarina Bosman

#CelebrateHer is about honouring the resilience of women—especially the way they constantly find balance between life’s many roles and expectations, often without recognition. It’s a moment to remind her that who she is, beyond everything she does, truly matters.

On Air, At Home,

Always Her

There’s a quiet that settles after the school run — and it’s then that Sarina Bosman steps into the studio and opens the mic. Her show runs 09h00–12h00, by design. It lets her be present for early mornings and afternoons, for the chaos and cuddles framing a school day, while her work lives in the calm middle — shaped around the life she’s built, not the other way around, each day, by choice.

Whather listeners hear is a voice that feels unhurried, warm, and entirely present. What they do not see is the woman who has already done the hard, joyful work of motherhood before she has said a single word on air — and who, the moment that on-air light dims at noon, is ready to do it all again.

Life in the Bosman household Home, for Sarina and her husband Carel, is a place built around warmth, humour, and grace. Their two boys are still little — one a natural adventurer who wants to climb everything in sight; the other softer in temperament but equally mischievous when the mood strikes — and together they fill the house with noise, laughter, and a great deal of love.

“If our home had a feeling, it would probably be warmth,” she says. “The kind of space where people can breathe, laugh loudly, and feel completely themselves. The smell? Probably laundry detergent — it’s the smell of life happening.”

Carel is her anchor in all of it — steady, playful, and entirely invested in their family life. “We often tell each other how much we love doing life together,” she reflects. “He’s the quiet strength behind so much of what makes our family work.”

What motherhood has taught her

Before her boys arrived, Sarina was driven by work and creativity. Motherhood did not erase that woman; it deepened her.

“They expanded my capacity for love, patience, and perspective,” she says. “Suddenly the most important work I do happens in the mundane and messy moments of raising kind, secure little humans. Motherhood softened me, grounded me, and constantly reminds me that success isn’t only measured in achievements; it’s also measured in the home you build and the people you nurture.”

“I want them to grow up watching me treat people with respect, work hard, and show up for others with compassion and integrity,” she says

Step into Sarina’s world

simply. “If they see me handle challenges with grace, keep going when things are tough, and still choose joy and gratitude — that’s a lesson far more powerful than anything I could simply tell them.”

The radio, the listeners, and the invisible thread

Sarina was 11 years old when she decided she wanted to be a radio presenter — her reasoning, she laughs, entirely practical: she loved music and figured that radio presenters had the chance to listen to it all day.

“Radio leaves space for imagination and emotion in a way that visual media often doesn’t,” she explains. “At its best, it feels like a friend sitting next to you; someone who can make you laugh, make you think, or simply remind you that you’re not alone.” Motherhood has deepened that instinct. She listens differently now — and finds herself wanting the show to carry the same warmth as her home.

“Listeners have reached out during incredibly vulnerable moments, telling me that something I said made them feel seen, or helped them through a hard day,” she says. “Those messages remind me to be careful with my words, but also to be real and honest, because you never quite know who is listening or how much they might need exactly what you’re saying in that moment.”

The honest truth about doing it all

Sarina does not pretend it is effortless. The most difficult part, she admits, is the constant tension between two worlds she loves equally — days when she feels she is not giving enough at work, and days when the guilt settles quietly in the background whispering she is not giving enough at home.

On those days, what pulls her back is perspective. A hug from one of her boys. A moment on the floor playing with them. The reminder that they do not need a perfect mother; they need a present one.

“Some days will be messy, some days will be wonderful, and both are part of a full life,” she says. “Tomorrow is always another chance to show up again.” What makes her proudest is when her boys still run to her with open arms at the end of the day — the clearest reminder that despite the full schedule, they know they are her greatest priority.

On community and why it matters more than ever

For Sarina, community is no longer a concept — it is the moms who check in without being asked, the family who steps in when life becomes too much, the listeners who share their stories.

“Community isn’t just about connection — it’s about showing up, again and again, in small, meaningful ways,” she says. “And it’s exactly the kind of world I hope my boys grow up in.”

Her message for Challenge Day

For the thousands of women lining up at SuperSport Park on 1 August 2026 — many of them mothers who have carved an hour from a life that belongs mostly to everyone else — she has a simple message.

“Don’t underestimate how important those few hours are,” she says. “Taking time for yourself is not selfish; it’s necessary. A woman who takes care of herself shows up stronger, softer, and more fully for the people she loves. So, run your race, in your own time, for your own reasons.”

And if her own boys were watching her cross the finish line? She knows exactly what she would want them to see. Not speed. Not medals. Just their mum, moving through the world with joy. Proof that discipline and happiness can live side-by-side. Proof that a life fully lived is worth every step.

YOUR RACE DAY HOME AWAY FROM HOME KLEINKAAP BOUTIQUE HOTEL

You’ve crossed the finish line. Now imagine doing it just minutes from one of Centurion’s most beautiful and celebrated destinations. Welcome to Kleinkaap Boutique Hotel — the perfect way to #CelebrateHer before, during and long after race day.

At the heart of Kleinkaap is its owner, Reine Malan — a woman who has spent decades turning hospitality into an art form. What began in 1999 as a family home on a stunning Cape Dutch-inspired estate became, in 2006, one of Tshwane’s most beloved boutique destinations. A matriculant of Afrikaanse Höer Meisieskool Pretoria and a longstanding pillar of the Centurion community, Reine built Kleinkaap on a simple but powerful belief: create moments that matter. Every guest who walks through its doors feels exactly that.

STAY, CELEBRATE, INDULGE

Kleinkaap offers 34 luxury en-suite suites with king or twin beds, Nespresso stations, complimentary Wi-Fi, full English breakfast, room service, and the kind of thoughtful touches — like freshly picked herb bouquets from their

Kanaan organic garden — that remind you someone genuinely cares. Set within tranquil gardens and elegant Cape Dutch architecture, it is the ideal base for out-oftown participants looking to make a full weekend of the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane. Use promotion code SPAR26 when booking to unlock a special race weekend offer crafted just for you.

Use promotion code SPAR26 for your exclusive race weekend offer

FROM THE GARDEN TO YOUR TABLE

The on-site restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with seasonal menus crafted from fresh produce grown in Kleinkaap’s own organic garden. Whether you’re fuelling up the morning of the race or celebrating your finish with a well-deserved meal, the kitchen caters to all — with vegan, vegetarian, halaalfriendly and gluten-free options available.

MORE THAN A HOTEL

Kleinkaap is a full lifestyle and events destination — renowned for weddings, conferences, private celebrations, luxury picnics, live entertainment and bespoke experiences, all set within gorgeous gardens and warm, personalised hospitality. If you’re looking to extend your #CelebrateHer moment into something truly unforgettable, look no further.

Keep an eye on the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane social media platforms for exclusive Kleinkaap specials — or enquire directly with the team at Kleinkaap using code SPAR26 to make your race weekend one to remember.

www.kleinkaap.co.za

Kleinkaap Boutique Hotel

@kleinkaaphotel

info@kleinkaap.co.za

info@kleinkaap.co.za

Quote code SPAR26 for your exclusive race weekend offer.

The Woman Who Builds

Violet Semenya is coach, mentor, and community builder — and the quiet force behind South Africa’s most dominant women’s road runner.

She describes herself simply: a village girl who takes life as it comes. A mother, sister, mentor, aunt. Spend any time in the world Violet Semenya has built and ‘simple’ is entirely the wrong word.

As head coach of Masai Athletics Club in Tshwane, Violet has quietly carved out one of the most compelling stories in South African women’s sport. Known to the world as the wife of Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya, she has refused to be defined by that association — choosing instead to let her work speak, and it speaks loudly.

Her most visible achievement is Glenrose Xaba, the current SPAR Grand Prix champion — a title Glenrose has claimed three times. Behind that hat-trick is Violet: up before sunrise, analysing form, believing when belief is difficult.

“When you focus on what you are meant to do — on building something tangible and real — your identity naturally emerges.”

Her Own Path

Violet’s love for athletics began young, but her calling was never the podium. “I was watching the race, analysing the form, feeling the joy of someone else’s victory as if it were my own,” she says. “I love the process of it.”

Life alongside Caster has meant navigating a public gaze that can reduce people to a single story. Violet has navigated it with intention. “Caster and I are a team, but we are also two separate people with our own paths. Building my own identity wasn’t about separating from her. It was about fully committing to my own passion.” That passion became the Masai Athletics Club.

Building Masai

Masai was born from a simple conviction: that talented women were out there who merely needed an opportunity. “They needed someone to believe in them, to give them structure, and to tell them they belonged.”

The women who train at Masai come from townships and different walks of life. Some arrive looking for a way out. Others come seeking purpose. “When they are at Masai, those differences disappear,” says Violet. “The club becomes their sanctuary.” The culture she has built is one of ‘we’: “We win together. We struggle together. Your teammate’s success is not your failure — it’s proof that it’s possible.”

“Strength is the decision to get up

every single day and do the work. Even when no one is watching.”

Coaching Glenrose

When Violet first worked with Glenrose, she saw something beyond raw talent: a quiet, steely determination. “She was never satisfied with being good. She absorbed everything like a sponge and was willing to do the work that no one sees.”

Three SPAR Grand Prix titles later, watching Glenrose cross a finish line still moves her deeply. “It’s not just pride — it’s a deep, overwhelming sense of fulfilment. I see every early morning run, every moment of doubt we pushed through. I feel a burst of joy for her, because I know what it cost.”

Glenrose is not alone in the Masai ranks. Violet is excited for the world to discover Karabo More — “she has a fearlessness that is rare” — and Karabo Mailula in the longer distances. “They are proof that the future of South African women’s athletics is bright.”

What Carries Her Through

Coaching is a continuous act of giving. Violet finds her replenishment in her athletes’ victories, and at home, where Caster “understands this life completely”. When things go wrong, she returns to her why. “I look at them and I know I cannot give up, because they are counting on me.”

Living alongside Caster’s journey has been its own education. “Watching her navigate a world that tried to define her, limit her, question her — and seeing her stand tall, proud, and unbroken — that is the definition of strength. It taught me that resilience isn’t about being tough. It’s about standing firm in who you are.”

Her Message

To every woman lining up at the SPAR Women’s Challeng Tshwane — racing to win or simply to finish — her message is direct:

“You are already a champion. The moment you decided to show up for yourself, you won. The race you are running is your own. Be proud of every single step. Feel the power of the women around you.”

For the women of Masai, those words are not merely motivation. They are a way of life — built one early morning, one belief, one stride at a time.

Write a letter to a younger woman in your life — a daughter, a niece, a student, a version of yourself at 20. What do you most want her to know about what she is capable of?

Every weekday morning, Martin Bester’s voice carries across Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West. For many, he is the familiar presence that eases the start of the day. For others — those whose lives have been changed through his Jacaranda Good Morning Angels segment — he represents something far more powerful: proof that one person choosing to care can change a life entirely.

One Voice, One Act

I t is a responsibility he holds with humility. “It’s not about me,” he says. “My life is ‘perfect’ compared to the people we try to help.” That perspective shapes everything he does, both on air and beyond it.

The World When the Microphone Goes Off

Away from Jacaranda FM, Martin’s life is quieter but equally meaningful. He spends time with his animals — dogs,

cats and fish — works on his music, and manages business interests. Yet it is the simple act of coming home that grounds him most.

“I can’t wait to see their happy faces,” he says of his dogs. They travel with him to the Karoo and the coast, offering a kind of uncomplicated connection that balances the intensity of public life.

There is a clear thread between how he speaks about his animals and how he approaches people: with warmth, care and a deep appreciation for showing up without expectation. It is this authenticity that defines his role within his broader community.

What Community Really Means

For Martin, community is not measured in audience size or reach. Instead, it is deeply personal. “We’re all part of several communities, but the most important one is the one that makes you feel valuable — not just to yourself, but to others.”

His own circle is small and intentional: close friends, his father and his band. These relationships restore him when public demands take their toll. Music also plays a vital role — whether he is listening, creating or performing — offering both expression and renewal. Community, in this sense, is not about scale. It is about belonging, contribution and mutual upliftment.

Jacaranda Good Morning Angels: Where the Idea Took Root

The Jacaranda Good Morning Angels segment began simply, rooted in collaboration and a belief Martin has long held: that one voice, used with purpose, can interrupt hardship.

“It is important to be the voice for the voiceless,” he explains. “All it takes is one person’s voice to stop abuse.”

Over time, this belief has translated into real impact. He recalls stories like Lordwick, a recycler who is now a mall manager, and Johannes, a flower seller whose story resonated across thousands of listeners. These are not abstract success stories, but real lives reshaped through collective action.

Beyond the show, Martin remains involved in causes aligned with this ethos. His work with RX Radio at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital stands out as particularly inspiring, while his passion for animal welfare reflects a

deeply personal commitment. “I want to help all of them,” he says simply.

When the Community Shows Up for You

Despite his role as a giver, Martin speaks candidly about moments when he has needed support himself.

“Every time someone defends you against trolls or unfair criticism, it makes a difference,” he says. These small acts reinforce the strength of the community he has helped build — a reminder that connection is reciprocal.

Home also plays a critical role in his sense of wellbeing. “I feel relief when I drive into my neighbourhood,” he admits. That feeling of belonging is not incidental; it is essential.

A Message for the Start Line

For the thousands of women gathering at SuperSport Park in Centurion on 1 August 2026, Martin’s message is simple:

“Look around you. You are not alone.”

When asked to define community in a single sentence, he responds without hesitation:

“Find your community — one or more that makes you feel valued, valuable, and celebrated.”

It is a philosophy that echoes the heart of Jacaranda Good Morning Angels: community is not passive. It is something you build, nurture and choose — through everyday acts of kindness and the courage to stand up for others.

When completing the hashtag

#CelebrateHer, Martin offers a fitting conclusion:

#CelebrateHer — by uplifting her.

On Challenge Day, as thousands of women take to the streets of Tshwane, that message will come to life — visible in every step, and present in the spirit of the community he has helped shape.

We Are Who We Are Through Each Other

There is a little girl in Mabopane, turning strips of plastic bag into something beautiful — not because she imagined it would change her life, but because making things from what others discard was simply who she was. That little girl is Morongwe Mokone. More than three decades later, that instinct has become the heartbeat of one of South Africa’s most remarkable entrepreneurial stories.

Follow The Craft

@Mo’s Crib

@mos.crib

@moscrib

Moand her sister Michelle grew up in Mabopane in a close-knit family of six. Life was not always easy, but it was rich in something more enduring than comfort. “We were raised with strong values, love, and a deep sense of resilience,” Mo says. The corporate careers came first — Mo in human resources, Michelle with a Master’s degree in International Trade Law from the University of Bern. Mo’s Crib began as a side hustle. Then the customers kept calling, and what had felt like a hobby began to feel like something else entirely.

Two People Choosing

The decision to leave their corporate jobs and back Mo’s Crib fully came in 2020. In a pandemic, it was arguably audacious. Cash flow stopped overnight. Their baskets were classified as nonessential. They found themselves with roughly R1 000 left — and at one point, could not afford the apartment walls around them. “There was no one big speech or perfect moment,” Michelle says. “It was just two people choosing, every day, to get up again.”

What followed was not retreat; it was a pivot. They began producing masks, supplying corporates including Sasol and Discovery Health, generating over half a million rand in sales within months. The PVC pipe collection came next — born from listening to customers speak about sustainability and discovering that PVC is among the least recycled plastics in the world. “There was a moment where it really clicked,” Mo explains, “that

something considered waste could be transformed into something beautiful and functional for the home.” Today, those products sit on shelves at Target and Crate & Barrel in the United States.

A Community Built from the Ground Up

Mo’s Crib employs over 280 people — artisans from South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, and Rwanda — providing not only fair wages but housing, meals, transport, healthcare, and financial literacy education. Among them is Franz, who came to them selling work on the street and is now able to send his daughter to university. Over 90% of the team are women. “When women lead and support other women,” Michelle observes, “the impact becomes generational.” At the heart of it all is Ubuntu. “My team — I am nothing without them,” Mo says. “They are the hands, the energy, and the heartbeat of Mo’s Crib.”

Start Where You Are

Mo and Michelle did not wait for the perfect conditions or the right plan. They started anyway, adapted, failed, and got up. Their message to every woman picking up this magazine is the same one their mother left them with: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Trust that what you carry is enough. And do not count yourself out before the world even has a chance to see what you are capable of.”

The World Just Noticed

Mo Mokone wins Sustainable Fashion Pitch at ChangeNOW — as the only Black and only African founder on the global stage

On 1 April 2026, Mo Mokone walked onto a stage in Paris as one of only 130 startups selected to pitch to global investors at the ChangeNOW Summit. She walked off it as the Sustainable Fashion Pitch Winner — chosen from over 800 applicants for Mo’s Crib’s solution to PVC waste, one of the least recycled plastics in the world. To date, Mo’s Crib has saved over 10 000 tonnes from environmental waste.

“I stood on that stage as the only Black and only African founder, amongst Earthshot Prize winners, L’Oréal, and companies that have raised billions. Mo’s Crib was amongst them.”

The win is more than a moment. It is proof that craft, community, and circular thinking built in Pretoria can compete — and win — on the world’s largest stages.

With Purpose

Some partnerships are transactional, while others are transformational. The relationship between Irene Homes and the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane is firmly, beautifully, the latter — and it sits at the very heart of what community means.

For more than a decade, Irene Homes has been a quiet but indispensable part of the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane journey — one that many experience without always knowing the hands and hearts behind it. Every year, the residents and beneficiaries of Irene Homes gather at their skills centre to carefully, methodically, and proudly pack the goodie bags that runners receive on Challenge Day. It is painstaking, purposeful work, and they

do it with pride and joy.

Irene Homes is a registered nonprofit organisation that provides residential and day care support, as well as skills training, to women who are intellectually disabled — with the ultimate goal of improved selfawareness, growth, and meaningful participation in society. Founded over a century ago, the organisation began as a house in the Pretoria CBD before relocating to its current premises in Irene in 1909. Today, it stands as one of Pretoria’s most enduring pillars of care and inclusion — a neighbour that SPAR North Rand is proud to call a partner.

Irene Homes offers residential accommodation to 88 women who are intellectually disabled, living in six homes designed to reflect a warm and supportive environment. Beyond residential care, the organisation runs a registered Protective Workshop and two Therapeutic Workshops, where carefully structured programmes ensure that all beneficiaries are involved in purposeful activities according to their abilities

— empowering them to develop skills, build confidence, and reach their full potential.

For SPAR North Rand, supporting Irene Homes is not a token gesture — it is a deliberate investment in the communities it serves. As a longstanding beneficiary of the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane, Irene Homes receives financial support that directly sustains its programmes and residents, but the partnership extends far beyond funding. By entrusting Irene Homes with meaningful responsibilities, SPAR creates opportunities for dignity, purpose, and belonging.

In 2026, that contribution took on a beautifully creative form. Residents hand-crocheted delicate flowers for the press launch, as well as crowns crafted for in-store displays — each piece reflecting care, creativity, and pride. These crocheted creations are more than decorative elements; they are tangible expressions of inclusion, skill, and shared purpose.

This is what the SPAR Women’s

Challenge Tshwane community pillar looks like in action — SPAR North Rand reaching into its neighbourhood, uplifting an organisation that uplifts its own people, and creating a meaningful chain of impact. Every packed bag. Every crocheted flower. Every handcrafted crown. All of it carries the same message; you belong, you matter, and together we #CelebrateHer.

CONTACT IRENE HOMES

Address: 2 Albert Road, Irene, Centurion, 0062, Gauteng Tel: +27 12 667 1035

Email: info@irenehomes.co.za

Website: www.irenehomes.co.za NPO: 003 928 NPO

There Is Always Space for

Nobody who has ever eaten at a full table remembers whether the pastry was perfectly golden. What they remember is the feeling — voices overlapping, laughter coming easier, the quiet sense that they are welcome here. Corli has built a whole career on that belief. This recipe carries it honestly; simple ingredients, made with intention. Because the people gathering around your table deserve to feel that the effort was worth it. It always is.

Quick Chicken Pie

• Fry the onion, bacon, and mushrooms together in a large frying pan.

• Add the chicken pieces and fry together for 1 minute.

Serves

40 min Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 6 people

Ingredients

• 1 rotisserie chicken

• 250 ml SPAR Long Life Cream

• 1 large onion

• 125 g (½ packet) brown mushrooms

• 250 g SPAR Streaky Bacon Beechwood Smoked, chopped

• 1 roll (400 g) SPAR Puff Pastry, thawed

• Melted SPAR Choice Salted Butter or SPAR Full Cream Milk to glaze

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200 °C.

• Debone the chicken and break into large pieces; set aside until needed.

• Pour the cream over the chicken mixture, stir well, and spoon into an ovenproof dish.

• Roll the pastry out slightly thinner, cut to the size of your dish, and place on top.

• Brush with a little melted butter or milk and bake for 15–20 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with a fresh salad alongside — something bright and simple that lets the pie take centre stage. Then sit down with whoever is at your table and stay a little longer than you planned to. The dishes can wait.

That is the thing about community; it rarely arrives on schedule, and it always overstays its welcome in the best possible way.

First Ladies

of the Road

Redefining the Road

Vhutshilo, Tshamano, and Caroline on patience, purpose, and proving nothing — because there’s nothing left to prove

The why

At its core, this story exists to challenge a long-held perception, that the logistics industry, and the roads that come with it, is not a place for women. It highlights individuals who are already doing the job, safely and successfully, not to separate them, but to normalise their presence. In a country where safety remains a real concern, the intention is not to ignore that reality, but to show that strength, focus, patience, and resilience are what truly define capability. By sharing these stories, Aramex South Africa aims to create space and encourage more women to step into the industry, while reinforcing a culture where all drivers are respected, supported, and able to grow beyond merely the role they hold today.

In an industry long seen as demanding and unforgiving, the presence of women behind the wheel is still too often treated as an exception rather than the norm. At Aramex South Africa, that perception is quietly, steadily changing—not through slogans or statements, but through the everyday professionalism of drivers who simply do the job, safely and successfully. Drivers like Caroline, Tshamano, and Vhutshilo are not asking for special recognition. They are showing, through experience and consistency, that capability is defined by mindset and skill, not gender.

Caroline

Consistency as a form of strength

Some forms of strength aren’t loud or visible — they’re built through repetition, discipline, and reliability. Caroline Makonyama’s journey reflects that kind of strength. Over years on the road, she has developed a way of working rooted in preparation and patience, qualities that matter most when conditions are unpredictable.

Tshamano

Independence shaped by experience

For Tshamano Ramanyimi, the road represents autonomy. Known by her peers as “the first lady,” she brings practical confidence to her role, shaped by experience rather than expectation. Driving is one part of a broader sense of independence, alongside running a business of her own and defining success on her own terms.

Vhutshilo

Composure under pressure

In environments where unpredictability is constant, composure becomes a defining skill. Vhutshilo Mathegu operates with calm focus, even in challenging conditions, supporting operations with clarity and steadiness. Her presence reflects an understanding that control on the road often comes from restraint as much as action.

Vhutshilo

Caroline Tshamano

All the Way to the Classroom Lil‑Lets,

SPAR, and the Fight to End Period Poverty

At the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane, the opportunity to make a difference arrives before the starting gun even fires — and all it takes is picking up a pack of pads.

Period poverty remains one of South Africa’s most urgent silent crises. An estimated seven million women and girls cannot access basic menstrual hygiene products, forcing around 30% of school-going girls to miss class every single month. Not because they choose to. Because they have no choice.

That is the reality SPAR and Lil-Lets are determined to change. On Challenge Day, participants can purchase Lil-Lets Essential Pads at the event — a simple act that directly helps keep girls in school, restores dignity, and contributes to SPAR’s commitment to ending period poverty in South Africa by 2030.

To thank you for standing with the movement, every purchase also gives you the chance to win a Garmin watch.

Show up. Run. Buy a pack. Change a life. This is what it means to #CelebrateHer.

What would you tell a young girl that you would change about your first period? How would you have liked things to be different?

THANK YOU FOR PURCHASING A SPAR WOMEN’S CHALLENGE TSHWANE RACE NUMBER.

IN-STORE entrants must register for either the 10km or 5km Challenge.

ONLINE ENTRIES ARE AUTOMATICALLY REGISTERED.

To register scan the unique QR code on your SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane race number and complete your details. This QR code is linked to your unique race number.

Scan Your Own QR Code on Your Race Number WIN! WIN! WIN! Check out our amazing give-aways on page 8! Hyundai Exter Registration is essential to qualify for the WIN A lucky draw and other exciting prizes!