Interview with Retha Langa for Women's Month 2024
In continuation of our celebration of South Africa's Women’s Month, Retha, a proud Johannesburg native, shared with us her journey from a childhood shaped by the vibrant energy and diversity of her city, contrasted with Cape Town's beauty and charm.
Raised by a professor mother and an artist father, Retha’s unconventional upbringing instilled in her a unique perspective on gender roles and feminism from a young age.
Despite their own unconventional career choices, Retha's parents initially wanted her to pursue a 'dignified' profession. Accounting, perhaps, or Law. But against all advice Retha pursued a career in journalism, which provided her with empathy, curiosity, and a deep understanding of how South Africa worked and works.
Retha reflects that her background in journalism and history studies ‘burst any bubble’ she might have had growing up, providing her with a broad, unfiltered and realistic view of the country.
Retha's career journey includes roles in journalism, nonprofit and education spaces. She also completed her PhD and Masters’ while working. She’s currently heading strategic communications for a private higher education group in South Africa.
If she could advise her younger self, Retha would emphasise the power of choice, agency, and owning one's story despite external circumstances.
There are things you can’t change, but you can choose how you respond to them.
