The first time I met Avumile Qongqo — Our 2025 Woman of the Year in Fashion & Beauty and the lead star of the Oscar-nominated The Last Ranger — on the set of her SMag cover shoot, I knew immediately that I had met a true kindred creative spirit.
On a freezing winter’s day at the beginning of July, she hardly said a word to me, but she brought threads of small warmth — a soft, comfy delight. A woman of a few words, she expresses herself without needing to say much.
Almost a week later, on the phone, over my morning cup of coffee (with a toasted peanut-butter and apricot-jam sandwich) we reconnect for a lengthy, passionate conversation focused on her being a master of reinvention. That serene charm and warmth emerge once again and leave my nervous system completely at ease. At the end, Qongqo offers me wise words filled with gems of insight, inspiration, and observation.
“Thank you for having an eye and being intentional about observing the industry and being curious about people,” Qongqo tells me, before we wrap it up almost an hour later. Wry and luminous in my response, I try to use humour to mask my discomfort.
“I’m not necessarily in the spotlight,” Qongqo continues, not falling for my digression. “I like that you can be curious enough to say, ‘What is she about? What does she do?’ And then going as far as to read and understand who she is about. So I do appreciate that your involvement in the industry really isn’t about putting yourself on the pedestal but more about growing the industry, enriching it, and seeing value in things people might easily pass. I like that you have the type of curiosity that has depth and your curiosity then leads to other people having access to information or people they would not have cared about. The fact that you care and are curious is an invitation to my world.”
Extremely touched by her words, I fight back thug tears. “I’m not going to lose my street cred,” goes that little voice at the back of my head. I feel seen, heard, and valued.
It’s been a tough few months. Mid-year fatigue combined with winter blues and personal tragedy left me in a funk. Qongqo restored my flow and our fourth annual Women of the Year issue revealed itself to me.
Qongqo serves as a great reminder that over the past 36 years extraordinary women have shaped me through soft power — kindness, intuition, empathy, and compassion.
She awakened the realisation that, to me, fashion has aways served as a canvas for self-expression, storytelling, and cultural identity. That intersection between manifesting artistic expression, communicating feelings, and conveying impactful stories is what breathes life into SMag, issue after issue.
Beyond telling these stories in an entertaining manner, the power lies in ensuring that through our pages we form strong emotional connections with our readers across Mzansi, in turn enriching, empowering, and inspiring them. The secret to narrating moving, lyrically told, and transcendent stories that capture both the heart and head is embedding them in everyday lives.
This year’s Women of the Year portfolio does exactly that. Qongqo is joined by five sensational women who continue to shape the way we work and live. They are Nthabiseng Mathole (food), Kgomotso Christopher (entertainment), Mary Vilakazi (business), Mahatma Hayat (science), and Charlotte Maserumule (health & education).
This issue is dedicated to the memory of the late Pearl Sebolao, Sowetan’s executive editor — a superwoman who embodied soft power, editorial excellence, and fearless journalism in her leadership.
