BY PIE FEATURES DESK
DAVEYTON / WHITE RIVER, 18 October 2026. Everyone knows how the saying ends: all work and no play makes you dull. The women of the Monoshez Women in Leadership series appear to have read the whole proverb.
On Saturday 10 October, 40 of them filled Mono Café in Daveyton for a day of unapologetically serious business: financial literacy, property ownership, the law and the unfinished work of gender equality. Barely had the notes been filed away when the follow-up arrived, and it came with a packing list. Put on the walking shoes, the series said. Next stop: the bush.
Two stories, then, in one neat arc: a working Saturday that asked hard questions about wealth, and a three-day escape that asks a gentler one: when did you last rest?
CONVENOR: REFILOE SALAMINA MONOPELA
Saturday: Serious Business, Served at the Café
Convened by Refiloe Salamina Monopela, Director of Monoshez Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Women, Wealth & Equality was held under the theme “Equality to Economic Power: Women Building, Owning and Protecting Wealth.” The ambition was plain: move the conversation about women’s empowerment beyond representation towards financial independence, asset ownership and long-term security.
The programme had three pillars. Khayakazi Madlavu, a Nedbank Financial Education Facilitator, led a financial literacy session. Advocate Nthabiseng Sepanya-Mogale, Chairperson of the Commission for Gender Equality, delivered the keynote. A property and wealth panel then brought together investors Khaliphonia Masoane, a speaker with the South African Property Investors Network (SAPIN), and Sharon Sedibeng, a township property investor, alongside Colet Swiegers, an attorney at BSA Law.
Caption: Guest Speaker Advocate Nthabiseng Sepanya-Mogale, Women in Leadership Event
Between them, the speakers covered understanding money, advancing equality, building assets and protecting ownership. The panel’s message was that wealth is not only about acquiring property but about understanding how ownership works and protecting one’s interests. The keynote put the room’s central question plainly: what does equality really mean when women are building businesses, buying property and securing their futures?
The overall outcomes were positive, and the café itself, part of the Monoshez Holdings portfolio, proved a fitting host: a local business opening its doors to networking and knowledge-sharing.
Caption: Khayakazi Madlavu from Nedbank Giving Financial Education Talk
Then Comes the Plot Twist
If Saturday was the lecture, the sequel is the field trip. Monoshez Holdings has announced the Monoshez Women in Leadership Retreat, three days (27 to 29 November 2026) at Monoshez Bush Camp in White River, Mpumalanga. The invitation goes to the women who were in Daveyton and to those who were not.
REST | RECONNECT | RECHARGE | RISE
The reasoning is refreshingly honest. Women are expected to lead, build businesses, support families, serve communities and keep it all running, and the pause button tends to be the first thing to go. Monopela puts it this way: the retreat “creates an intentional space for women to reflect on where they are, consider where they want to go and reconnect with the values that shape their leadership.”
She adds that leadership development does not happen only in boardrooms and formal networking sessions. Sometimes growth begins when you slow down, listen and step into a different environment. Even, one suspects, one with zebras.
The Itinerary: No Agenda Item Left Unfun
Where Saturday had a programme, the retreat has an adventure. Planned experiences include:
- Kruger National Park tour and picnic: South Africa’s natural heritage up close, with a guided picnic in the bush.
- Meditation and yoga: guided time to slow down and restore a sense of balance.
- Guided bush walks: room to explore, reflect and breathe.
- Fireside conversations and sisterhood: the kind of talk that only happens when the flames are going and the phones are away.
- Shared meals and informal networking: wholesome, locally inspired cuisine (vegetarian and non-vegetarian options available), where women meet beyond their job titles.
The women will sleep in safari dome tents set in a peaceful bush environment: simple, comfortable and close to nature, with shared facilities. A welcome gift and retreat materials complete the package.
Sisterhood, Minus the Name Tags
Daveyton put women in a room to learn. The bush offers them time to simply be together. The organisers note that women in different industries often face similar challenges, yet chances to build relationships outside formal work settings can be rare. Whether guests are established business owners, emerging entrepreneurs, professionals, community leaders or women exploring their next chapter, the aim is connection that outlasts the three days: collaboration, mentorship and supportive networks.
In other words, the contacts made over coffee in Daveyton have somewhere to deepen: around a fire, on a bush trail, over a long shared meal.
The Price of a Pause
Monoshez has kept it simple, with two accommodation options. Packages cover three days and two nights, all meals and refreshments, the Kruger tour and picnic, meditation and yoga sessions, guided bush walks, a welcome gift and retreat materials.
| Package | Price per person |
| Shared safari dome tent (2 to 3 women per tent) | R3,850 |
| Private safari dome tent (solo occupancy) | R4,950 |
| Optional return shuttle, OR Tambo International Airport and Bush Camp | R1,200 |
The shuttle runs as a group transfer to camp on 27 November and a return to the airport on 29 November, a welcome convenience for guests from Johannesburg and beyond who would rather not drive. Guests are encouraged to confirm the final itinerary, transport and inclusions when they book.
The catch? Spaces are limited and the reservation deadline is 31 October 2026, less than a fortnight away.
A Final Thought
Put the two events side by side and they are really one idea. Saturday asked how women can build, own and protect wealth. The bush asks who protects the woman doing the building. Financial confidence and personal renewal are not rivals; the first is far easier to sustain with the second.
Because leadership is not only about how much a woman can carry, how many people she can support or how much she can achieve. It is also about knowing when to pause. So after a Saturday of hard questions and sharp minds, the series has a simple instruction: go outside and play. You will return less dull, and better equipped to build.
Monoshez Women in Leadership Retreat: Rest. Reconnect. Recharge. Rise.
| AT A GLANCE: THE RETREAT What: Monoshez Women in Leadership Retreat When: 27 to 29 November 2026 Where: Monoshez Bush Camp, White River, Mpumalanga Shared tent: R3,850 per person Private tent: R4,950 per person Airport shuttle (optional): R1,200 per person Reserve by: 31 October 2026 Bookings: 081 755 5205 | info@monoshezholdings.co.za | monoshezholdings.co.za |
