Every girl needs a girl who reminds her who she is, what she brings to the table, and why she should never make herself smaller to keep other people comfortable. Sometimes, that girl is your best friend. Sometimes, she is the woman standing at the microphone, speaking to a room full of women as though she knows exactly what they need to hear.
At eGumeni, a women’s wellness gathering held at Happy Valley Hotel, Minister for Information, Communications and Technology Savannah Maziya spoke about women, the power they hold and the importance of making room for themselves in lives often shaped by the needs of others.
As she addressed the women gathered at the event, her message moved beyond the usual calls for empowerment. She encouraged women to know themselves, take their wellbeing seriously, recognise their worth and refuse to let difficult experiences or other people’s opinions determine how they see themselves.
It was the kind of address that made sense coming from a woman who has spent years in executive leadership and now occupies a position in public service. Maziya speaks about women’s advancement with the conviction of someone who believes that personal growth, confidence and opportunity should not be reserved for a select few.
The eGumeni gathering, hosted by Gogo Eswatini and the S’lwane Care Foundation under the theme “Mental Health’s Summon to All the Ladies of the Land!”, brought women together to discuss mental health, relationships, personal development and wellbeing. Maziya was among the speakers, using her address to encourage women to protect their peace, practise gratitude and keep moving through life’s difficult seasons.
Her message was consistent with remarks she has made at other events. At the Innovate HER Indaba in Ezulwini in September, she challenged women to stop allowing batawutsini the fear of what people will say to prevent them from pursuing opportunities, building businesses or making decisions about their futures. She urged women to invest in themselves and think beyond the roles they perform for other people.
That recurring message is a large part of what makes Maziya an interesting public figure to profile. She is the ICT minister, but when she speaks to women, the conversation often turns to the choices they make, the ambitions they postpone, and the confidence they need to pursue the lives they want.
Maziya’s professional background stretches well beyond government. Before becoming Minister of Information, Communications and Technology, she built a career in business and corporate leadership, with experience in broadcasting, mining, infrastructure and energy.
She previously served as chief executive officer of The African Broadcast Network, a London-based broadcaster targeting emerging markets, particularly Africa. She also led Bunengi Investment Group, a company with interests in mining, infrastructure and energy. Her experience includes board positions across several sectors, including mining, engineering, banking, water and broadcasting.
Her education reflects that combination of communications and business. Maziya holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Science and Broadcast Management from Bridgewater University in the United States and a Master of Business Administration specialising in strategy and finance management from De Montfort University in the United Kingdom. She is also an alumna of Columbia University in New York.
These experiences provide context for her approach to leadership. She has worked in industries where strategic decisions, investment, relationships and long-term planning matter, and she now oversees a ministry responsible for an increasingly important part of Eswatini’s development.
For Maziya, empowering women means more than telling them that they are capable. It means encouraging them to act on that belief. At the InnovateHER Indaba, she challenged women to stop defining themselves only through responsibilities such as motherhood and marriage. Those roles may be important, but they do not describe the entirety of a person. Women, she argued, also need to understand who they are as individuals, what they want to achieve, and what they are doing to prepare for their futures.
Her advice to invest in themselves is practical. Women need to develop their knowledge, advance their careers, build businesses and make deliberate decisions about their happiness and personal growth. She has also encouraged them to set goals and assess their progress rather than allowing the expectations of others to dictate their choices.
The message carries particular relevance in a society where fear of judgement can influence decisions about careers, relationships and entrepreneurship. Maziya has urged women not to allow the possibility of criticism to keep them from opportunities they are capable of pursuing.
Her message also places responsibility on women to support one another. Rather than treating another woman’s progress as a threat, she has called for women to celebrate achievements, offer support during difficult periods and create space for one another to grow.
That is the spirit behind the idea of a “girl’s girl”: a woman who recognises the value of other women and does not see their success as a reason to diminish her own. It is a fitting description of the message Maziya has delivered at women-focused gatherings, even as the work of turning encouragement into lasting change remains an ongoing task.
Maziya is associated with the STEM Future Pioneers Mentorship Programme, which aims to encourage girls, particularly those from underserved communities, to explore opportunities in science and technology. She has also supported initiatives focused on increasing girls’ participation in ICT and digital skills development.
In May 2026, Eswatini marked the International Day of Women and Girls in Science alongside Girls in ICT Day through a joint event involving the Ministry of ICT, the Eswatini Communications Commission and the International Telecommunication Union. The gathering brought together young women and girls, including participants from the African Girls Can Code Initiative.
Maziya has used such platforms to encourage girls to imagine themselves not only as users of technology but as people who can develop it, lead in the industry and build businesses around their skills.
Her position allows her to connect that message to policy and programmes. Access to digital tools, skills training and meaningful participation in the digital economy can influence whether young women are able to pursue opportunities in an industry that increasingly affects education, employment and entrepreneurship.
At a time when technology is changing how people work and do business, her emphasis on inclusion is significant. Women cannot be expected to benefit fully from digital transformation if they are excluded from the skills, resources and decisions that shape it.
Maziya’s work on gender equality has also taken her into international discussions. She has represented Eswatini at global forums focused on sustainable development, digital transformation and women’s leadership. Government announcements have identified her with leadership of the Global Council on Sustainable Development Goal 5, which focuses on gender equality.
At these platforms, she has argued that development should be measured by the opportunities it creates and the difference it makes in people’s lives. She has also spoken about the need to ensure that digital transformation reaches women and girls in rural and underserved communities, where affordability, digital literacy, and access can determine who benefits.
Her international engagements place Eswatini’s efforts within a wider conversation about women’s participation in the economy and the role of technology in expanding opportunity. They also reflect the connection between her public advocacy and the responsibilities of her ministry.
Recognition has followed some of this work. In 2025, she received a Global Women Leadership Award at the World Women Leadership Congress and Awards in Mumbai. She was also recognised with a BlueSheroes Award in Eswatini, with the recognition linked to leadership and women’s advancement in ICT and digital innovation.
Awards alone cannot measure the impact of a leader, but they form part of the public record of the work for which she has been recognised.
She suggested that people write down or say three things they are grateful for at the end of each day, arguing that the practice can encourage humility, kindness and empathy. Her message was that even difficult experiences can stretch people and help them grow, provided they do not allow those experiences to make them cruel to others.
It was a personal reflection, but it also connected with the themes she raises when speaking to women: self-awareness, emotional wellbeing, resilience, and the responsibility people have for how they treat others.
At eGumeni, she spoke to women about the power they hold within themselves. In her writing, she has encouraged people to look at their lives with greater appreciation and to make room for kindness, even when circumstances are difficult.
Across these messages, Maziya presents growth as something that requires intention. It involves knowing yourself, preparing for the future, taking care of your wellbeing and recognising that other people are also carrying their own challenges.
Her career has taken her from corporate leadership into public office, while her speeches have repeatedly returned to the importance of women recognising their own value and helping others do the same.
For women listening to her at gatherings such as eGumeni, that message offers an invitation to think beyond the demands of everyday life and consider what they want for themselves. It is a reminder that supporting other people does not have to mean abandoning personal ambitions, and that a woman’s success need not come at the expense of another’s.
The title of 'girl’s girl' is ultimately less about a label than a practice: encouraging women to grow, celebrating their achievements and reminding them that they, too, deserve care, opportunity and room to become who they want to be.
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