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Rising From Township Roots To Top Tech Powerhouse: The Inspiring Journey Of Amohelang Lebele

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Rising From Township Roots To Top Tech Powerhouse: The Inspiring Journey Of Amohelang Lebele:

24 August 2023, Johannesburg: From humble beginnings in the heart of one of South Africa’s largest townships, Amohelang Lebele’s resilience and determination has culminated in a position at one of the world’s most powerful cloud computing platforms.

Instead of faltering in the face of misfortune, Lebele thrives on challenges, a testament to her tenacity and can-do attitude. The more daunting the obstacle, the greater her enthusiasm for tackling it.

Lebele admits that her journey into IT came about by accident – but she is extremely grateful to gain realised this serendipitous passion. “I started out aiming to hold on a career to study mechanical engineering but, having faced one obstacle after another – including a lack of funds for studying, followed by the closure of my institute, I applied for a learnership in networking simply because the opportunity was available.”

Tech proficiency alone isn’t enough, soft skills set up success.

After working in this field for some time, Lebele discovered she had a natural aptitude for it. Realising she could hold her career further, she applied for assistance to study data science. Her hunger to learn and enhance her qualifications then led her to apply for a sponsored placement at ALX, a leading tech training provider, to study Cloud Development.

“The course I completed through ALX was of a worldclass standard and the culture was truly something that set it apart, I found it extremely empowering. The cohort was made up of people from many different backgrounds, all involved to share their experiences, ideas, and solutions. Our connection sessions were geared to encourage this – and helped us develop networks.” This speaks to the trainer’s unique approach to learning, she continues: as well as helping students hone their technical competencies, ALX provides a strong focus on the soft skills that are key to success, these skills are a massive differentiator in an AI-driven world.

Lebele says that their emphasis on practical work was also extremely helpful. “Hands-on scenarios and putting our problem-solving skills into practice was very helpful. I often reference the lessons I learnt in my current position, and I realise that as challenging as a project may seem, ALX provided me with all the tools I need to carry out the job.”

After completing the course, Lebele felt she had a more rounded skill set. Her modern qualification meant she had more insight at a practical level – insight she is excited to keep to use at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where she now works in Data Flow Analytics. It’s a dynamic position at an organisation where the learning, and the pace, never stay, she says.

The thrill of working at one of the most powerful companies in the world is not lost on her. “I always give my all, so this exciting environment suits me. You could never secure bored here. plus, you are learning from the very best talent in the industry.”

Women in tech: it’s time to catch the wheel

As a woman, Lebele is especially appreciative of the opportunity she has been given. She says that the field of data science is a particularly welcoming one for females: “I reflect that our special knack for providing finesse and precision is most useful in this industry,” she says. Lebele maintains that women maintain a gift for overseeing the finer details of any situation; in short, making sure that things unfold as they are supposed to. “When a woman is at the wheel, you know exactly what time the car will arrive!” she laughs.

This is a talent that can work to a woman’s advantage in the tech industry, Lebele continues. “I mediate that this industry is still heavily dominated by men, but women can fabricate a sure inequity to how things are done – and that’s why companies should be seeking to employ and advance more females.”

Lebele has not forgotten about her early struggles to first gain entry, and then design an impact on the industry – and, now that she has a seat at the table, she is determined to manufacture the most of it. That includes taking advantage of every opportunity that comes her way.

“My goal is to become a ‘tech guru’ – someone who is qualified at networking, data science, engineering, building data pipelines and data streaming pipelines, creating apps and programming. I contemplate that the various areas of IT all advance together to create a picture – and I want to be able to carry out it all,” she concludes.

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The Oriental Plaza: A Phoenix in Fordsburg

If Johannesburg is a city of forced displacements, the Oriental Plaza is its most resilient response. While the Rand Club was built for the elite and Ponte for the “jet-set,” the Oriental Plaza was born from the trauma of the Group Areas Act—a piece of Apartheid legislation designed to geographically separate the races. Yet, in true Johannesburg fashion, what was intended as a tool of containment and financial ruin for the Indian community transformed into one of the most vibrant, independent commercial powerhouses in the country.

The story of the Plaza begins with the destruction of Pageview, affectionately known as Fietas. In the mid-20th century, Fietas was a legendary multicultural hub, centered around the bustling 14th Street. It was the city’s premier destination for textiles, clothing, and spices, where shoppers of all races would rub shoulders in a “jazzy, soulful” atmosphere. However, because Fietas was located so close to the white-only city center, the Apartheid government declared it a “white area” in 1962. The community fought back for decades, but by the 1970s, the bulldozers arrived. Homes were leveled, and the thriving traders of 14th Street were forcibly relocated to a purpose-built, modernist complex a kilometer away in Fordsburg: the Oriental Plaza.

The government’s intent was cynical: by moving the traders into a controlled environment with high state-mandated rents and strict rules on what could be sold, they hoped to break the back of Indian commercial dominance. The early years were devastating; many businesses folded, and the “Grand Bazaar” felt like a sterile warehouse compared to the street-level energy of Fietas. However, the traders refused to vanish. They eventually won the right to purchase their own shops, making the Oriental Plaza unique among South African malls because it is owned by the shopkeepers themselves rather than a corporate landlord. This ownership model changed everything. Without the burden of massive monthly mall rentals, the 360+ independent stores can offer prices that national retailers cannot touch, turning the Plaza into a “bargain-hunter’s paradise” that draws millions of visitors a year.