Our Inspired Women: Shaping Tomorrow's Leaders
Welcome to Eris, a realm where every individual has the opportunity to contribute to limitless potential and vibrant diversity. Within our expansive departments and the trailblazing women who lead our initiatives, we discover the blueprint for our collective future. Women are not just integral to our success—they are a part of the foundational architects of our progress and our future. Each contributes in a unique way to the leaders of tomorrow.
As we celebrate Women's Month, it's important to acknowledge their profound impact on the future. The women of Eris are leaders driving innovation, transformation, and empowerment. Their leadership is remarkable because of its depth and influence. They challenge norms, drive performance, and propel their communities forward.
This month, we spotlight the extraordinary women from our student accommodation residences. They are leading this journey with a palpable commitment to building inspiring futures. For nearly a decade, our residences have been the nexus where young people emerge as tomorrow's leaders. This community is a launchpad for innovation and empowerment.
We spoke with these amazing women about their motivations and accomplishments. Let's meet our INspired leaders:
Bea Booysen brings a wealth of deep institutional knowledge to her role as the Property Manager for Units on Park in Hatfield, delivering daily positive living experiences for residents. Her journey with Eris began back in 1995. She found herself in student accommodation completely by chance, and it quickly became her favourite sector. Her core driver is creating a dynamic environment where young people feel safe, supported, and completely free to focus on their studies. She is immensely proud of being entrusted to manage the portfolio's very first student accommodation development. For Bea, leadership is built strictly on uncompromised integrity, consistency, and a continuous willingness to learn.
Taking a hands-on approach to leadership, Keamogetse Sehume thrives as a Property Manager who oversees daily operations within student residences. Her primary motivation is the opportunity to positively influence student well-being and their overall residential experience during a pivotal stage of their lives. She is exceptionally proud of her track record in successfully managing a diverse property portfolio while consistently improving operational efficiency and tenant satisfaction. Keamogetse views absolute integrity as the non-negotiable principle she never compromises on, seeing trust as the absolute foundation of strong relationships. She actively encourages young professionals to remain patient with their growth, emphasizing that true leadership is demonstrated through daily actions rather than formal titles.
At the very front line of community life, Sinethemba Maseko serves as the vibrant Student Liaison Officer at Units on Park, who delivers frontline management within the res. She is driven by a deep passion for student success and creating a positive student experience. Her proudest career milestone involves leading student engagement initiatives that successfully brought residents together and helped forge a powerful sense of community within the building. Sinethemba stands firmly on the principle of treating everyone with respect, staying accountable, and always doing the right thing. She looks forward to shaping supportive spaces over the next decade where students feel valued and encouraged to succeed.
Wendy Linda brings a robust entrepreneurial energy to the team, managing student living at Units on Birbeck and bringing 9 years of real estate experience to the fore. For Wendy, working in student accommodation has introduced the perfect blend of commercial property and residential real estate—an asset class that falls within a highly fertile market in her region. Driven by the immense possibilities available to young, black females in property, she is exceptionally excited to see the expansion and growth that is to come. Her standout career achievement is building a real estate agency of her own called WENDYLINDAPROPERTIES and earning a 40 Under 40 Africa nomination. Modelling her career after industry trailblazers like Nonhlanhla Mayisela, Wendy firmly believes that powerful leadership requires an unmistakable presence to identify and close operational gaps.
Chelsea Gamble steps into her role with a clear focus on operational excellence, overseeing day-to-day operations as a Property Manager who actively drives Eris’s vision of Precision, Partnership, Innovation, and Performance through consistent daily delivery. Her journey within the student accommodation portfolio is a testament to career growth; she originally joined the industry as a Property Administrator and successfully worked her way up to her current leadership role. Chelsea is deeply motivated by a genuine love for interacting with students and creating safe, comfortable, and supportive environments that foster their personal and academic growth. Standing firm on her professional principles, she remains completely uncompromised on the twin core values of integrity and accountability. Looking ahead, her long-term goal is to continue expanding affordable student housing options that directly support student success and elevate the residential experience.
Combining a deep love for people, daily operations, and property management, Zimkhitha Saliwa believes that property management goes far beyond physical structures. As the Assistant Residence Manager at Units on Cape Station, she ensures rigorous attention to detail, proactive planning, and open communication to keep daily operations seamless and student satisfaction high. Guided by the resilience and integrity of strong female industry leaders, Zimkhitha is anchored in absolute honesty as she works to build safer, more inclusive, and highly efficient communities over the next decade.
Believing that true trailblazers should "hustle in silence and let someone see your glow," Rehana Ebrahim brings a proactive and deeply ethical focus to RISE Student Accommodation as a Property Administrator. Drawn to the sector because it stands as one of the fastest-growing property environments in South Africa, she deftly manages the fast-paced demands of lease administration, financial reconciliations, and tenant accounts. For Rehana, leading with a unique blend of emotional intelligence, empathy, and technical skill is the ultimate key to creating safe, well-managed spaces where students can thrive.
Advancing through the ranks with a well-deserved promotion from Student Liaison Officer to Property Administrator at Units on Park, Nelly Maswanganye knows exactly what it takes to elevate customer service. She thrives on the dynamic, ever-changing challenges that each day brings—from tracking complex financial collections to troubleshooting immediate tenant issues. Driven by honesty and accountability, Nelly firmly believes that property leadership requires reliability, a permanent willingness to learn, and taking total responsibility for your delivery.
Creating safe, supportive, and sustainable student communities where young people can fully focus on their academic goals is what drives Dimpho Mabilane every day. As a Residence Manager, she oversees complex property compliance, maintains exceptional occupancy levels, and seamlessly navigates daily operational challenges through structured planning. Dimpho draws inspiration from authentic, resilient female leaders within the sector, firmly believing that leadership is not just about managing people; it is about listening, understanding challenges, making informed decisions, and leading by example.
Their stories are a testament to the transformative power of our leadership. These women are not just shaping their departments; they are shaping the industry. Their influence extends beyond the organisation, impacting strategic decisions and leading initiatives that drive performance and long-term value.
Our Senior Manager: Student Accommodation, Phophi Baloyi, shares: "Managing student accommodation successfully goes far beyond property metrics; we are fostering a supportive and nurturing environment during a fundamental phase of life. For many residents, this journey marks their very first experience away from home. This division’s true engine is our incredible on-the-ground staff. They are the everyday champions who breathe life into building these supportive, empathetic communities, ensuring our students feel safe, valued, and empowered to become tomorrow’s leaders."
With thousands of beds under management, multi-billion-rand asset portfolios, and a rapidly expanding footprint, this momentum is driven by clear intent and meaningful results across every single division of our business. At the heart of this evolution are women who show up every day with clarity, conviction, and care—driving excellence in our boardrooms, on our development sites, and across our corporate property ecosystem.
They make it happen, not just for the success of our business, but for the diverse clients, tenants, and stakeholders we serve. Their collective impact proves that the property sector is more than just an industry; it is a platform for true structural transformation. While our student accommodation portfolio serves as a shining example of this care and innovation on the ground, it reflects a deep, company-wide culture of leadership that elevates everyone.
To the next generation: this is where strategy meets creativity, where tradition meets innovation, and where leadership is built from the ground up.
The future is not just being built. It's being led. They aren't the exception. They're the blueprint.
