Ford SA's Dorah Mmekwa wins Woman of Excellence award

Dorah Mmekwa

Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the Motoring Women of the Year Awards (Mwoty) took place virtually on 27 November 2020. This annual prize-giving ceremony serves to acknowledge women and their diligent approach towards the success of the motoring realm in South Africa. Mwoty is a non-profit organisation (NPO) that hosts the annual national awards ceremony, which is sponsored by Nedbank and produced by Women-Torque, an online motoring magazine.

“Mwoty recognises women who have devoted their careers and lives to the industry despite it being traditionally male-dominated,” explains Desh Bechan, the creative director at Women-Torque. “Our goal is to encourage, reassure, appreciate and positively advance and develop women in South Africa.”

Women in the automotive industry are disrupting the status quo. In the past, the motoring stable was seen as a man’s world but women like Mmekwa are certainly proving that stereotype wrong. Women have become instrumental to the growth of this industry and are making significant strides within the motoring fraternity.

Mmekwa’s 11-year long career with Ford began in 2009 when she joined the company’s graduate trainee programme within the Industrial Engineering field. The yearning for more responsibility and challenging roles saw her climb up the corporate ladder, from the trainee programme to an hourly employee as Process and Industrial Engineering technician in 2010. Her leadership qualities earned her the opportunity to lead a group of quality inspectors on the Trim, Chassis and Final (TCF) line in 2011.

Voting process

The voting process was conducted via Facebook, where she received a tremendous number of votes and supportive commentary from the public. Over 350 encouraging comments were posted by the public holding her in high regard as a role model.

“We are exceptionally proud of Dorah not only for receiving this coveted award but for her career development in general and her rapid ascension into leadership level. I would like to thank Dorah for her contribution to Ford over the last 11 years and look forward to seeing her continue to make her presence felt in the industry for many years to come,” comments Ockert Berry, VP operations at Ford Motor Company FMCSA.