THIS year the Pan-African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI) and Friends of FEPACI South Africa (FOFSA) honoured two women in the Media, Dorcas Hove and Linda Mvusi.

In South Africa, August is set aside to celebrate women and the 9th is the official day for these commemorations.

When Dorcas Hove was invited as the keynote speaker representing the Federation of African Media Women in Southern Africa, little did she know that she would be awarded an accolade for the work she has done in the media.

"Dorcas was given the multi-coloured Ndebele Blanket and a Certificate of Recognition because we felt that she had made a major contribution to empowering women in the media and her presentation to FOFSA was just amazing," said Rhoda Mandaza, the co-ordinator of the event, held in Newtown, Johannesburg, on August 15.

Dorcas' paper was entitled "Strategic Investment in Women as Creators and Leaders in Creative Industries: The Case for FAMW-SA".

Linda Mvusi, an architect by profession, has long been connected to the film industry, dating back to the first Frontline Festival in Zimbabwe.

She was also in Zimbabwe for the FEPACI Women in Film (UPAFI) when this meeting was held. Linda's acting debut was as Elsie the maid in the film "A World Apart", which was shot in Zimbabwe.

She was awarded the Best Actress prize at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, an award which she shared with Barbara Hershey who acted in the film as the activist Diana Roth, and Jodhi May as her 13-year-old daughter Molly.

Hove says she was surprised to hear her name being called to receive the award.

"When my name was called, I looked to see whether there was another Dorcas Hove, and when it was repeated, I had to ask if they meant me?"

This is what happens when one is rewarded for something they are passionate about, they sometimes wonder since what they will be doing is part of their lives.

When I told some colleagues in the media about the award, they said Hove deserved it.

Josephine Jenje Mudimbu, a journalist, who was at the inception of FAMWZ, said Hove was instrumental in the formation of the organisation.

She recalled that despite having an infant, Hove took FAMWZ work in her stride, always on time to prepare for meetings. That one-year-old baby, Tamara, is now a practicing lawyer.

Susan Njanji-Matetakufa, a long-time serving journalist and a member of FAMWZ now based in Nigeria, said: "I saw in Dorcas a combatant, ready to fight at every turn for the betterment of women in the media, for the protection and promotion of gender rights in and through the media. As a person, she is a hard worker and gets very passionate about whatever she sets her attention on."

Dorcas Hazel Hove is the regional director of the Johannesburg-based Federation of African Media Women in Southern Africa (FAMW-SA).

FAMW-SA is a coalition of National Media Women's Associations in 10 Southern African countries. Zimbabwe is represented by FAMWZ, the other countries being Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia.

Hove has served on several boards including those of FAMWZ as vice chairperson; Southern African Media Training Trust (NSJ) as chairperson; Zimbabwe Netball Association as secretary-general and the Confederation of Southern African Netball Associations as its development director.

Her passion for the visibility of women's achievements in and through the media has seen her work with media women in South Africa to establish the South African National Media Women's Association.

Hove has been a juror at national and regional awards including the Zimbabwe Communicator of the Year award, which was hosted by the Zimbabwe Institute of Public Relations and the International Association of Women in Radio & Television (IAWRT).

In March 2009, she attended the 53rd United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) session held at the UN headquarters in New York as a Southern African delegate where she held a side event and panel discussion on "The Role of Media in HIV and Aids Management: Perspectives from the Federation of African Media Women in Southern Africa".

When I spoke to Mvusi about the award, she said: "I was not in the film industry for a long time and this (the FEPACI/FOFSA recognition) came as a surprise to me."

She might not have been in the film industry for a long time but it is the impact that she made during her time. Those who were around in the late 80's and the early 90's, the early years of the formation of the film industry in this country and the region, know how women like Mvusi and others who followed in their footsteps worked hard to take the film industry to where it is today.

Mvusi, a South African who was exiled in Zimbabwe, is seen as the missing link in the Zimbabwean film industry. Below is what some filmmakers from Zimbabwe who were at the awards ceremony said.

Stephen Chigorimbo, one of the FEPACI regional secretaries representing the Southern African Region, has fond memories of the time he worked with Mvusi.

"I had the pleasure of working with Linda in the late 80s when she became director of First Frontline Film Festival. She presented excellent leadership at a time when it was difficult to find people who had the ability to manage institutions of an NGO nature where skill was needed. She set up systems which became the basis upon which festivals have since been run in the region".

Chigorimbo added: "Linda is a true leader who plans, organises and manages by example and whose communication skills are difficult to find especially on the sub-continent where there is proliferation of bullying. Linda is a leader of both men and women. She never used her gender as a blackmail tool to force submission or have her own way in spite of real pressure to do so in the face of some really male chauvinistic practitioners."

FEPACI, through Seipati Bulane-Hopa, the secretary-general, decided that the colourful Ndebele blanket is the most appropriate symbol to honour and respect those who had made an immense contribution to the creative industry.

The Ndebele Blanket award and certificate have been previously bestowed on the likes of Harry Belafonte, Dr John Kani, Letta Mbulu, Caiphus Semenya and many others.

Having worked with both Hove and Mvusi, I have no doubt that they deserve the accolades.

They have used their experience to support and encourage other women, driven by sisterly love. I have benefited from their sisterly love and guidance in many ways.

To Dorcas and Linda I say "Congratulations! Makorokoto! Amhlophe! You have travelled the road."

Women, it is party time. Let us celebrate our achievements through Dorcas and Linda.

Joyce Jenje Makwenda is a researcher, archivist, writer and producer.