In South Africa’s tech scene, BabesGotBytes is redefining opportunities for women and narrowing the gender divide.
South Africa’s tech industry has a glaring gender gap. Women make up only 23% of the workforce, meaning fewer than 56,000 women hold roles in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector out of a total of 236,000 jobs. With technology shaping the future of work, this imbalance and the underrepresentation of women mean fewer diverse perspectives, fewer role models, and fewer chances for young girls to see themselves in tech.
But change is happening. Across the country, initiatives are emerging to bridge this gap, and one organisation leading the charge is BabesGotBytes. Founded in Gugulethu, a township outside Cape Town, this non-profit is on a mission to empower women with digital skills, boost their confidence, and create pathways for them to thrive in the tech world.
A bold mission
BabesGotBytes was founded by three young South African women, Amanda Gxagxa, Lihle Menzeleleli, and Phindiwe Nqanqaru, while they were learning to code at Project CodeX. They observed a consistent and troubling trend at every tech event they attended: a significant underrepresentation of women at hackathons, industry meetups, and job opportunities. This frustrating realisation served as a wake-up call for them.
In their communities, technology is widely perceived as a male-dominated field. So, the trio established BabesGotBytes to challenge and transform that perception. Inspired by their shared concern about the underrepresentation of women in technology, three visionary women decided to take direct action.
About BabesGotBytes
Established in 2019, BabesGotBytes is a movement dedicated to empowering women in the tech sector. Its core mission is to equip women with coding skills, guide them through the complexities of the tech industry, and foster leadership qualities.
Their programmes include coding bootcamps, hackathons and digital literacy workshops-teaching everything from basic computer skills to advanced web development and cybersecurity.
Since its launch, BabesGotBytes has created over 3000 jobs, boasting 6,000+ graduates and impacting over 10,000+ people total, across South Africa. Some of their graduates have gone from having zero tech experience to landing jobs in top companies. Others have brought creative and fresh perspectives into the industry.
One former student, Zikhona, shared that her life has changed ever since she enrolled in the digital literacy program in 2023.
“Joining BabesGotBytes was a turning point in my life, opening up new doors of opportunities I never thought possible. I was not very familiar with technology when I started their digital literacy and coding program, and I was quite anxious about it. However, the program exceeded all my expectations,” Zikhona shares on a LinkedIn post.
The goal is to expand across Africa and create a network of BabesGotBytes hubs where women can learn, collaborate, and lead in tech. They are also looking to partner with leading tech companies to ensure that women trained through their programmes are not only job-ready and have direct pathways into careers.
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