I am a pharmacist and have been privileged to serve at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital for the past 26 years. Charlotte Maxeke is a tertiary, teaching and referral hospital, caring for patients referred from clinics and hospitals across the region, many of whom have complex and serious medical conditions.

I currently lead the paediatric pharmacy, where I am responsible for ensuring that children receive the correct medication safely, efficiently and with the appropriate counselling and care. My responsibilities include managing medication procurement and stock, dispensing and counselling patients and their families, and overseeing a team of pharmacists, interns, assistants and learners. As a woman in leadership, I believe my role extends beyond managing a pharmacy.

I am responsible for developing people and maintaining the highest professional standards. I train new staff, mentor young pharmacists and students, and oversee their work to ensure that every patient receives a professional, accurate and compassionate service.

Working in a busy public hospital has taught me that leadership is about remaining calm under pressure, supporting your team and never losing sight of the person behind the prescription. Every medication we dispense represents a patient and a family who are relying on us.

I believe I was nominated in recognition of the 26 years I have dedicated to serving patients at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, and particularly for the specialised pharmacy services I have helped establish and lead. One of the most meaningful achievements of my career was helping to establish the hospital’s antiretroviral (ARV) pharmacy. At the time, this was a new and vital service, and I was involved in building and running the pharmacy and ensuring that patients who depended on these medications could receive them consistently and safely. We served very large numbers of patients, many of whom were seriously ill and came from disadvantaged communities.

Knowing that the work we were doing was helping people access essential, life-saving treatment has been one of the most meaningful parts of my career. I later took responsibility for the paediatric pharmacy, a highly specialised service that I continue to oversee today. Between these roles, I have had the responsibility of managing pharmacy services that serve thousands of patients each month. At times, we see more than 200 patients in a single day. Managing such a high-volume service requires far more than dispensing medication. It requires leadership, organisation, accuracy, efficiency and the ability to remain calm under immense pressure.

Every patient needs to receive the correct medication, at the correct time, while staff, stock, systems and patient demand all have to be managed effectively. For the past 26 years, I have tried to provide every patient who comes through Charlotte Maxeke Hospital with the same level of professionalism, care and respect, regardless of their circumstances.

Many of the patients we serve are among the most vulnerable members of our society. I believe my nomination recognises not only my professional career, but the opportunity I have had to make a meaningful difference to the lives of thousands of patients through my work.

My vision is for a South Africa where every person, regardless of their circumstances, has access to high-quality healthcare and can receive treatment with dignity and respect.

I would like to see our public healthcare system strengthened to a standard that people can have confidence in and be proud of.

I also believe strongly in investing in our young people. Every young South African should have the opportunity to receive an education that recognises their individual strengths and gives them the skills to build a meaningful future. Disadvantaged students should have access to bursaries and opportunities, and young people should be able to find employment in the fields in which they have been trained.

For Johannesburg, my vision is of a city that is safe, clean, well maintained and full of opportunity — a city where young people are working, businesses are thriving and communities can live together in peace and dignity. Ultimately, I hope to see a South Africa where people from all backgrounds can live together in tranquillity, where we care for one another and where every citizen feels proud to call this country home.

One of the most meaningful achievements of my career was helping to establish the antiretroviral (ARV) pharmacy at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, which I subsequently ran for several years. At the beginning of the ARV rollout, I saw patients arriving at the hospital extremely ill, emaciated and often without hope. Many were facing life-threatening illness and had little understanding of what their future might hold. Our role was about far more than dispensing medication. We had to build a system that ensured patients received their treatment consistently, understood how to take it correctly and remained engaged with their care.

Through counselling, monitoring and defaulter tracing, we were able to support patients in remaining on treatment and seeing their health improve. We watched CD4 counts rise, viral loads fall and, most importantly, people regain their health and their hope. For me, this was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.

What had once seemed like a devastating diagnosis could become a manageable chronic condition. The medication gave people a lifeline, but the support and care around that medication helped give them the confidence to keep going. I have also tried to make a difference beyond the pharmacy. I recognised the need for a dedicated play area for children at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital and helped bring the idea to life. With the area sponsored by Metropolitan, I was involved in overseeing the renovation and helping to ensure that the space was transformed into a welcoming play area.

Today, children with serious illnesses have a safe and joyful place to play while their parents wait for their medication. It may seem like a small thing, but for a sick child and an anxious parent, having somewhere welcoming to play can make a difficult day a little easier. I hope my leadership inspires others to understand that making a difference does not always require grand gestures. Sometimes it means building a service that saves lives, mentoring the person coming after you, or simply seeing a need and doing something about it.

After 26 years at Charlotte Maxeke, I remain grateful for the opportunity to serve my community and to make a difference in the lives of the thousands of patients who come through our doors.