Growing up in Soweto, South Africa, Kefilwe was endlessly curious about how electronic things worked - so curious that, as a child, she constantly tried to fix anything electronic she could get her hands on! In high school, she chose to study Mathematics and Physical Science specifically because they would allow her to study Engineering afterwards.
Kefilwe’s interest deepened when she learned more about her father’s job - he worked in telecommunications, helping connect South Africa to the rest of the world through huge, complex projects. Seeing the scale of what he was part of inspired Kefilwe even further, especially once she noticed how few women worked in this field. Rather than feeling discouraged, this made her even more determined to succeed.
“A dream delayed is not a dream denied.”
Kefilwe studied Electrical Engineering, specialising in an area called “light current” - the technical side of telecommunications and networking. This led to an internship at one of South Africa’s major telecommunications companies, which became the foundation of her career.
Early on, Kefilwe faced a strange experience: after being hired for a highly technical role (her CV didn’t reveal that she was a woman!), she was moved to a different, less technical part of the business once her employer realised she was female. Rather than accepting this, Kefilwe pushed back, and after a year, insisted on returning to the technical role she had originally been hired for. Her persistence paid off, and she has remained in technical roles ever since, eventually becoming a Senior Manager in Network Solutions Architecture at BCX.