Major General (ret) Ntsiki Memela-Motumi has swapped roles from the military to join collaborative efforts towards the implementation of the National Strategic Plan to turn the tide against the scourge of Gender Based Violence and Femicide in our beloved country.
Presently, she is providing support to victims of Sexual Offences within the military milieu as sexual harassment , sexual exploitation and abuse are still pertinent issues impinging the realisation of women’s full potential and participation.
The retired Major-General further serves as a mentor to the next generation of female commanders. As a Life Coach, she advocates for human agency and economic emancipation for unemployed wives of lower ranking soldiers .
Her career had spanned over many decades in the military. She started as a courier between Swaziland and South Africa in the late 70s, integrated into the SANDF in 1994 and ended up being the most senior woman within the ranks, from 2006 until 2020. Through out her military career,she has advocated for the pursuit of the SANDF mandate through gender lenses.
As a member of the SADC Personnel Work Group, she also ensured that gender issues became a standing Agenda Item in their annual meetings. This resulted in consensus building on the importance of entrenching gender equality , and the sharing of best practices amongst SADC Armed Forces.
As Chief Defence Transformation Management, she spearheaded the training and deployment of Gender Advisors as part of the SANDF’s Contingent in Peacekeeping Missions . Furthermore , she has also ensured the incorporation of gender perspectives in all Military Development Courses , at the strategic, operational and tactical levels in collaboration with colleagues in civil society organisations, academia, and international institutions such as the UN and DCAF.
Ntsiki’s areas of interest and research has been the resilience of SANDF Soldiers, HIV, Gender Based Violence, Transformation, Leadership Development as well as the Living Conditions for Female Soldiers in Border Safe Guarding and Peacekeeping Missions.
She is the author of the book Spear of Hope – Affirmative action, transformation and reconciliation in the new SANDF, and has also contributed a Chapter in the book, Building Peace from Within: An Examination of Community Based Peace Building and Transitions in Africa. The Major-General has also written short biographies exalting male colleagues who have supported the Gender Equality Agenda in the SANDF, in the Table Coffee Book, titled : 20 Years of Freedom: Recognising Appropriate Solutions by Human Capital in Response to 21st Century Defense Challenges and Opportunities.
Lastly, she has also published various articles in professional journals, magazines and newspapers on progress achieved in ensuring greater women’s participation in the Peace and Security Arena.