Mrs Zanele Mbeki (First Lady of South Africa and leader of South African Women in Dialogue), an except from a magazine article on SAWID: According to Mrs Mbeki, it was the VUKA! Workshops facilitated by Mike Boon that really got women talking, the fact that stories were told with very little note-taking and no television cameras allowed a safe space for the participants to open up and let the unburdening process begin. The Vuka! Philosophy is based around removing individuals from their comfort zones and to encourage authentic break-through and transformation through shared experiences.

 

When Mrs Zanele Mbeki, was establishing South African Women in Dialogue (SAWID) in 2002, Mike was co-opted as a national facilitator. This was the beginning of an ongoing relationship between Vulindlela™ and SAWID, and Mike has since been declared an "honorary woman and fellow SAWIDIAN" by the members!!
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Richard Branson (Chairman of the Virgin group of companies), with Mike Boon during their involvement in the launch of Virgin Atlantic in South Africa in 1996.
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Brand Pretorius, Executive Director McCarthy Holdings,
“It has had a profound impact at a personal level and then obviously from a business point of view, it is very meaningful. Firstly, at the business level I always thought that I had a wide perspective and deep insight into what I like to call the real SA, but my knowledge was quite superficial now in retrospect. Having been through the Vuka experience has added immeasurably to my knowledge and grasp of what this country is all about. As you say, it has been one of the most enriching experiences I have ever been through.”
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Given Mkhari Group, CEO MSG Africa Investment Holdings,
“I consider myself highly privileged to have been though it, and I think it is only right that as many people as possible go through it. The reason being is that the process is so liberating. While the set is primarily the external world, the workplace and how we interact as society, it is amazing what it does to you internally as a person. It’s so liberating!”
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Wendy Lucas-Bull (former CEO of FNB Retail), "VUKA is a personal journey of seeing and feeling things very differently. This translates into a team dynamic journey as well because the way in which the team members interact, before and after VUKA, is completely different. There is a new deep level of authenticity."
Good News South Africa had the following to say about the effect of VUKA in First National Bank: "The impact on service, on staff morale and customer service has been massive. Add to this the unbelievable growth in profitability and it can easily be concluded that the methodology used in the VUKA Experience will increasingly become relevant as organisations, on a global basis, are faced with the challenges of moving from institutional trust to cultural trust."
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Mandla Ndlovu (Management Development Manager Unilever Africa, Middle East and Turkey), "I envy and salute what you are doing for South Africa. I always suspected that South Africa was and still is a divided nation. It was evident from the VUKA workshop that the pain and bitterness still runs very deep. Your transformation process brings hope and healing to our country. I’m sure that from it a new and very strong nation and organisation will emerge."
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Ronnie Kasrils (former Deputy Defence Minister), "Much appreciation, Mike. You are an outstanding example of a true South African and human being."
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