In March 2023, 1st for Women announced that it had appointed Anele Mdoda to be its ambassador of fearless. The partnership makes absolute sense – being fearless is a choice and Anele makes this choice every day. She invests in confidence over fear, and is unapologetic about making her voice heard. She does all this with authenticity, powered by passion and perseverance.

“It’s not that I have nothing to fear but rather, knowing that I have the power to change my narrative from one of fear, to one of fearlessness and living a life in which my fears don’t hold me back. It’s about action, despite the fear, and walking with freedom, strength and hope in the face of things unknown,” says Anele.

While walking around the city, taking in the sights and sounds, the songstress suffered a stroke. Lira said that the sensation lasted about 15 minutes. “I had no idea what was happening, so I kept walking and nobody could see that I had a stroke because I was walking normally. I walked into a restaurant but I couldn’t talk - I moved my mouth, but words couldn’t come out. When I realised this, I just broke down. The restaurant staff offered me a seat. I couldn’t communicate. I could not read, write or speak.

I thought about asking them for directions to my hotel, but I couldn’t communicate that. Once I stopped crying and got myself together, I left. It took me approximately 2 hours to find my hotel just a few blocks away.”

As a teenager, Janine joined a football team in KwaThema. There she was spotted by a former technical director of the South African Football Association, who invited Janine to enrol in a high-performance programme in Pretoria. “The boarding-school environment was tough. I was homesick and couldn’t cope. I only stayed there for six months because I needed my family with me,” says Janine.

She kept playing football though, hoping that one day she’d earn her a place in the national side. “Nothing worth having comes easy and I worked hard to make my dream a reality,” says Janine.