Jabu and Gugu: It’s difficult finding women in film to take up crew positions
[bctt tweet=”Jabu & Gugu from @TheFoxyFiveTV team clue us in on feminism and self-care” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] We all know the challenge of getting African parents to understand what you’re doing when you’re not in a typical 9-5. Now, imagine if you were making a webseries? The Foxy Five is a hot web series that brings lessons from intersectional feminism in post-Apartheid South Africa through five characters. It draws creative inspiration from Blaxploitation cinema and based goddess, Pam Grier. SLA is excited to see gorgeous women bringing magic to our screens. We were doubly excited to speak with two women from the Foxy Five team. Jabu Nadia Newman is creator, writer and director while Gugu Radebe is the show’s producer. With them, we uncovered the joys of being part of a production team that is all-women and why South African women are at the forefront of change. We also got Jabu and Gugu to share what should be inside a self-care toolbox. Why use a 70s edge to tell the story of intersectional feminism in post-Apartheid South Africa? Jabu: I used a 70’s edge to create a cinematic world for the characters. I knew that a lot of what was going to be in the narrative would be real experiences but wanted to stay clear of, like a documentary style. I wanted the world that The Foxy Five live be influenced by The Black Panthers, Blaxploitation cinema, all of Pam Grier’s bad ass womxn characters and 70’s fashion. Fashion is a huge inspiration for me and I want all by work to be connected by a particular style or era. What has been surprisingly easy about making your production team solely women? What has been difficult? Jabu: The most amazing thing about working with womxn is the ideas that we come up with. Because we’re all relatively going through similar experience, we always seem to read each other’s minds and understand each other’s viewpoint and vision. It has been a blessing to have these womxn trust my vision and understand what I’m —and we’re all— trying to do. I don’t think many men would have supported me when I first started The Foxy Five. The most difficult aspect of working with womxn, is finding womxn in film to take up crew positions. Like finding a womxn sound recordist and engineer proved to be very tough. Oh, and getting time in everyone’s schedule to just meet and shoot is fucking hard. Like wow, black womxn are doing the most so we’re always busy. [bctt tweet=”The most difficult aspect is finding womxn in film to take up crew positions – @JabulileNewman” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Gugu: It has been surprisingly ‘easy’ in the sense that we are all womxn that know each other from different spaces and circles however when the call to begin the project came, coming together was effortless. Creating a kind of sisterhood came naturally to us. With that mentality alone, it made it easier to come across different womxn that would want to be part of the project. What has been particularly difficult is finding a predominantly black womxn team to fulfil production specific roles, however after a lot of researching we were able to find more womxn to fulfil the core roles in the production team. In your interview with OkayAfrica, you mentioned that South African women can add much more to the rest of the world regarding feminism. Can you share what issues South African women deal with today and how they navigate them? Jabu: Right now, South African womxn are leading the revolution and are at the forefront of bringing change. Plus, these womxn are also having to make sure that the movement is intersectional and call out all the misogynistic and patriarchal bullshit that is evident in the movement. (South) African womxn also draw so much power and strength from their ancestors and pre-colonial history that when it comes to decolonizing feminism we need to be playing a huge role. What particular challenges have you faced as South Africans making a web series? Jabu: The biggest challenges as with any independent film-making is funding. And then next is probably getting our parents to understand exactly what we’re doing. Gugu: What has been particularly difficult is sourcing funding. Considering that this web series medium is fairly new, not enough funders cater for this specific medium here in South Africa. As intersectional feminists it’s hard to portray these five archetypal characters- or any others- without projecting our own individual thinking around topics that are raised. [bctt tweet=”Not enough funders cater for the web series medium in South Africa” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What can we expect from The Foxy Five in the next six months? Jabu: Firstly you can expect the last 3 episodes of this season and then only bigger and better things for next year! Gugu: We will be releasing our last three episodes soon and we’re still to unpack many layers of intersectional feminism all the way up to the finale. In the interim we’ll be hosting fundraising parties come November in Cape Town CBD, keep your eyes on our Facebook Page for more information. What do you think young black South African women need in their self-care toolbox? Jabu: Coconut water to quench the thirst —because the thirst is real Long hot baths for our aching muscles Vaseline for our lips Flowers for our rooms Shea Butter for the skin “Girl Without A Sound” by Buhle Ngaba for lonely nights Pap Culture for the laughs And of course The Foxy Five for healing and feeling loved Gugu: Water Good music A book to write thoughts Mom on Speed dial Coconut oil We want to know what amazing things young women are doing in your communities. Tell us about them here.
Makhosazana Ndlovu: No matter what happens, stay true to yourself
[bctt tweet=”Makhosazana Ndlovu is a woman slowly making her way through the media industry” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Makhosazana Ndlovu is a woman defined by her values. Her strong value system ensures that she sees through whatever decision she makes. This has helped her move forward in the media where she is slowly growing as a content creator and producer. When she is not working at Hillbrow Radio Makhosazana also works at a NGO which gives young people skills they need to navigate their lives and careers as they grow up. Read on to see how this young South African woman is doing her own thing and making strides in her career. Tell us about your work as a producer. How has it contributed to your life? My journey as a producer has been a whirlwind of emotions. But I believe that through this job I have grown a lot both as a person and as a content producer. One of the exciting things about content production is that I get the chance to use my creative juices. And of course, my line of thought gets to be articulated by other people. How did you start in the media world and what challenges have you faced? I started early this year and I was motivated by my passion for journalism. I had just finished my tertiary education and luckily there is a radio station (Hillbrow Radio) near my neighbourhood. I work at Hillbrow radio on a part time basis and I must admit that it is creating a leeway for me in media. With my job, I am honing my skills as far as content production, news reading and presenting is concerned. I am also starting to appreciate and understand the celebrity culture more. You’re also involved in women empowerment campaigns, why do you think women need to be empowered First, I am involved with women empowerment campaigns because women empowerment is one of the causes that I am passionate about. I think women need to be empowered because we still live in a society where women are marginalized and objectified. I feel like elements of socialization still play a role in how women are treated or treat themselves. Therefore, my vision is to see a society where women make their own decisions independently without influences of socialization or patriarchy. [bctt tweet=”My journey as a producer has been a whirlwind of emotions” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Tell us about the NGO you work with. Currently, I work at an NGO that aims to develop the youth from cradle to career. The experience has been absolutely amazing and I have learnt a lot as I have grown both professionally and in general. The feeling of helping young people makes me sleep peacefully at night and puts my heart at peace. What do you feel most proud of? I am proud of most of the decisions I have made in my life. I am also proud of having completed my degree in record time. Then again, I am also proud of the #womenforwomen campaign that I put together with a colleague of mine. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why? I would go to China, just to see the Great Wall of China. [bctt tweet=”Helping young people makes me sleep peacefully at night and puts my heart at peace” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What words of advice would you give other young women? No matter what happens, stay true to yourself and stand for what you believe. Hey South African #MotherlandMoguls, the SheHive will be in Johannesburg from November 3-6. Find out more here.
Linda Mabhena-Olagunju: Entrepreneurs must learn to take calculated risks
[bctt tweet=”If you really want to venture into business you have to risk looking stupid.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] At SLA, we are always super excited to interview young African women that are trailblazers, game changers, leaders and positive role models for other African women. Linda Mabhena-Olagunju has all of the above qualities and more. Linda holds two law degrees: an LL.B. from the University of Cape Town and an LL.M. from the University of Aberdeen. She is the Managing Director at DLO Energy Resources, a renewable energy investment and advisory company based in Johannesburg. She is also the founder of the Renewables and Energy Forum in South Africa. Linda has received a number of awards. She received the 2015 Forbes Women Africa Best Emerging Entrepreneur Award. She also recently received the 2016 Elle Boss entrepreneurial award and the 2016 All Africa Business Leadership Award (Young Business Leader of the Year – Southern Africa). Congratulations Linda! Linda shares with SLA contributor Abisola, her challenges in the renewable energy sector, her entrepreneurial journey and her advice for young African female entrepreneurs. Did your legal education and training prepare you for entrepreneurship? I have always said being a lawyer gives you an overview of how a transaction works so that you get to understand the business model of a particular sector industry. Legal practice, not just my law degrees, prepared me to an extent for business. However, lawyers also tend to be risk averse, as our job entails avoiding risk. My legal training made me more afraid to take risks but after a while in the entrepreneurial space I learnt to take calculated risk. For a lawyer, that means risks that have gone through two sets of thorough due diligence. What would you attribute your current success to? Maximized opportunities or sheer good luck? Hard work, coupled with God opening the doors that needed to be opened and placing me in places and situations I had never imagined. I also attribute it to a strong support system. I stress a lot and my parents have been great pillars of support during these periods. My father, especially, who believed in my vision when I had basically no support. My husband also has this innate sense of calm and wisdom. His counsel has been the difference between me quitting at times and staying in the race. [bctt tweet=”Linda Mahbena-Olagunju recently received the 2016 Elle Boss entrepreneurial award ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What three things can help African women achieve their professional or entrepreneurial goals? Self – belief. God/Higher power belief. A real support structure, whether it be family or friends. What peculiar challenges do you face in the renewable energy sector, especially as you seek to expand to other African countries? A major challenge is regulatory clarity. Most countries in Africa need power but they do not create an enabling environment, at times, to encourage investment. Renewable energy projects are funded largely by banks and anyone that has ever borrowed money from a bank knows that lenders are averse to risk especially government risk and regulatory risk. [bctt tweet=”My husband’s counsel has been the difference between me quitting and staying in the race” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] The other challenge which is particular to Southern Africa, is falling tariffs. We have seen tariffs fall rapidly due to competitive price bidding. This is great for consumers, but may be a challenge for new investors that have to raise funds to finance projects. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self? You may be going through tough times now, but God has an amazing life planned for you. What final piece of advice do you have for aspiring female entrepreneurs? Take the first step. It may seem like a stupid idea but if you really want to venture into business you have to risk looking stupid. Hey South African #MotherlandMoguls, the SheHive will be landing in Johannesburg from November 3-6. Find out more here.
Refilwe Kumalo: The South African content junkie
[bctt tweet=”We have so much to learn from each other but we lack the time to.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Have you ever wondered what it takes to produce the content of your favorite television programme? Refilwe Kumalo is from South Africa and she is a content junkie who produces television shows that keep you both informed and entertained. Content is information and experiences which are directed to audiences or users. Refilwe’s purpose is to create content that will be consumed so knowledge can be transferred. She has to spark conversations that can inspire people to be better. She works hard at producing content that is entertaining and leaves one wanting more. Refilwe wants to be able to create memorable content that will leave a mark in society. What are you most passionate about? People… I believe that everyone has something to offer the world. Everyone has something good and remarkable to offer. My work has made me realize how important it is to treat every single person delicately. I studied Anthropology as a major for this very reason, which is to be able to study human norms and values in our society. We have so much to learn from each other but we lack the time to. People’s perspectives need to be documented so stories could be told and generations to come can learn from them. As vast and different South Africa is as a nation, it has many facets and molds. Every child, household, taxi driver, miner, men-in-service, artist has a story to tell. Who is your biggest inspiration? Funny enough a lot of people inspire me every day of my life. The ordinary person who wakes up every day to fulfill their dreams inspires me. There are many individuals in our country doing remarkable things in different fields. I’m inspired by people who work hard and who dream big. For me it’s not about how much money you make but how you change people’s lives through the work you do. It’s about creating jobs which will put food on the table and take children to school. [bctt tweet=”The ordinary person who wakes up every day to fulfill their dreams inspires me” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] A few people who inspire me are Khanyi Dhlomo, Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, Basetsana Kumalo, Dr. Precious Motsepe, Folorunsho Alakija, Isabel Dos Santos, Victoria Beckham, Oprah Winfrey, Mamokgethi Phakeng, Nunu Ntshingila, Thuli Madonsela and Serena Williams. These women are game changers and I follow their work. What is the most interesting television show you have worked on? Every show I’ve worked on in my ‘short’ career has been interesting and has taught me what I know today about television. From Diski Divas, which is a reality show about South African soccer wives to Mzansi Insider, which I am currently in production of. Right now, I have enough experience to conceptualise an entire episode on my own. It’s a process but one which I’ve grown to appreciate. I’ve been privileged enough to work with great producers who allow my voice to be heard. It is rewarding to see my work and ideas play out on the screen and also see viewer responses. What makes a great television show? These days television content is measured by how much it’s talked about on social media and if it trends. Well unfortunately, Twitter trends won’t get show ratings. What makes a great TV show is the experience and message it leaves the viewer with. A great show’s content is what keeps audiences tuned in and it will result in high ratings. A lot of elements go into putting together a great TV show and in my opinion, the team behind the show plays an important role. [bctt tweet=”What makes a great TV show is the experience and message it leaves the viewer with.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Being in television production I am privileged to see a show from its conception. Therefore, there are many aspects to a great TV show. From the team which is pre- and post-production, the content which is the topics on the show and what message they drive which will of course, give you high ratings. Where do you see yourself in media ? Definitely in conceptualizing futuristic content. Content which will engage the youth to think better and be better people. Where will African media be in the next five years ? Firstly, we need to treat media as informative tool not just for entertainment. I see media in Africa being driven by young people in the next five years. The biggest voices we have today are the young people who use smartphones and social media to drive content. It’s amazing to see a lot big stories today being broken with the use of media platforms. [bctt tweet=”I see media in Africa being driven by young people in the next five years.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] In the same breath, all media platforms have to be monitored by stakeholders so that it can be used in the right manner and be preserved. What is the last thing I watched on TV and why? Botched! Hahaha I’m a sucker for reality TV. As I said, I believe that people need to tell their own stories which will in turn teach people lessons. Botched is an interesting yet daunting show that exposes you to body image alterations which people have done to themselves. With the rise of body image issues in Africa like skin lighting and back door plastic surgery, it is an informative show. We need to create content which seeks to engage these issues which our society faces and depict the long term results of altering or modifying our bodies in any form. If you were a mobile app, which app would you be? I would be Twitter, mainly because it drives a lot of content and allows users to be news makers. The simplicity of it is what makes it the number one go to for us content researchers. One is able to follow trending topics all over the world by
Sandra Lopez: Value extends far beyond money
Group travel is in at the moment and X-Plaw Travel is one group-based travel company aimed at taking young South Africans outside their borders. Sandra Lopez is the Founder and Managing Director of the Pretoria-based company, A firm believer in the power of “Africa by Africans”, through X-Plaw Sandra focuses on African destinations first for tourism and travel. Although it took a while to discover her passion, when she found it Sandra would work 9 hours after her day job building X-Plaw. As Sandra grew up in an organisation for orphaned and abandoned children, she’s also passionate about giving back through her travel initiatives. Read on to find out how Sandra’s grooming a generation of travel-hungry South Africans. How do you think X-Plaw Travel will disrupt the African travel industry? By bringing great affordable quality valued tours and experiences to our customers. This is and has always been our mandate. I believe that value is something which extends far beyond the monetary. It includes but is not limited to the type of service you give to your customers, how much you engage with them, how much you allow them to feel part of what you are building and how much you allow them to connect with the people they meet on these journeys. Education is also a key factor for us, most of our travellers have not travelled outside of their home towns or outside of South Africa. For them to experience going out of the country for the first time with us, is an experience that even we get to appreciate with them. In most instances, they return from these tours richer in knowledge having learnt something totally new about a different country and its people. Why do you think young people should explore Africa more? I am a firm believer of “Africa by Africans”, we are the only ones who have the power to change how our continent is perceived by the outside world. We are the only ones who can tell our stories better. I feel that in many ways, Africa is being misrepresented by the global media. Half the time, this forces people to forget the beauty that surrounds us, sometimes even by ourselves. Travelling thus gives us an opportunity to understand ourselves better as a people, our roots, our cultures, our heritage. It also paints a picture which allows us to understand vividly that we are all connected as Africans and as a human race in some way or the other. Only when we are fully comfortable and confident with who we are, will it become much easier for us to invite other young people from other countries to experience this diversity with us. How have you combined giving back initiatives with your travel company? Giving back has always been at the fore of what we do as a company. It is actually something that is very personal to me. All our tours have give back initiatives tied to them. On a 5-6 day tour for example, one day is dedicated to enriching the lives of the less fortunate. In countries where we are not able to actively engage in these initiatives due to certain constraints, we pledge the funds to local projects in South Africa. We have also just launched the “One Traveller, One Child” initiative. Where for every traveller who tours with us, we will send a disadvantaged kid on a weekend camp educating them about nature, travelling and most importantly about themselves. Hopefully in a few years, we would be able to look back and realise that we have groomed a generation rich with an appetite for travelling. What did you have in place before you quit your engineering job to focus on X-Plaw? A lot of things actually. An idea, passion, a sketchy plan and a few Bible verses, but mostly I had will power & determination. Nothing beats the will to want to succeed and see something grow from an idea into something tangible. Every day after my 9-5 job, I would get home to read, research and work on X-Plaw for an additional 9 hours. This went on for a full year until I decided that I was ready to let go of one. In what ways has your childhood shaped your passion today? As a kid I was an all-rounder and an overachiever, which meant that with most academic subjects or activities I participated in, I excelled. This actually made it quite hard for me to discover what I truly was passionate about. I grew up in an organisation called the S.O.S Children’s in Ennerdale, south of Johannesburg. It’s an organisation for orphaned and abandoned children. As ironic as it sounds, we were raised to believe in ourselves and to always extend a helping hand to others less fortunate. We were extremely fortunate growing up at the village. After school we were kept busy with sports and extra mural activities. During school holiday we were fortunate enough to travel or go out camping. This, in many ways is how my love for travelling started. However, I only truly discovered my passion for it much later in life. In your opinion, what is needed to successfully travel in a group? An open and curious mind. Travelling with an open mind gives you perspective, you see the world through different eyes, you appreciate things more. In some instances, you get to understand how little others have. You also learn to be patient, as time almost no longer defines your schedules. You get to slow down and enjoy the moments. Stay curious, by doing so you learn to expect the unexpected. And most of all, you learn something new every day. Hey South African #MotherlandMoguls, the SheHive will be in Johannesburg from November 3-6. Find out more here.
Lessons we can learn from Lynette Ntuli’s success
Many women in Africa and the world are making great strides in their respective industries. It’s also common that when you have someone you look up to, it’s usually someone in the field that you are in. Whether you’re in tech, construction, or engineering. We tend to overlook other women in other industries because we have that perception that our role models should be within an industry we’re familiar with. This doesn’t have to be the case. As a woman in the tech industry, my admiration for Lynette’s work ethic and passion was welcomed. I was introduced to Lynette Ntuli when I was previously at an incubator and accelerator and looking into which successful women we would approach to be a speaker at a conference. I’ve followed her journey since then. Lynette is in property, asset management and infrastructure development. She is the CEO of Innate Investment Solutions based in Durban, South Africa. She also has a passion for youth development and leadership and is also the Founding Director and Chairman of IgniteSA.com. She’s definitely a force to be reckoned with! Here are a few lessons we can learn from Lynette’s success and how she keeps making a difference: Be consistent For the past 11 years, Lynette has been a powerhouse in the making. One thing about her is that she does not stop achieving her dreams. From being the first black woman at the age of 24, to become the General Manager of one of Durban’s regional shopping centers to being the Co-Founder and CEO of a property, asset management and infrastructure solutions company. Tip: Lynette keeps consistent by focusing on not losing momentum. She believes that in anything you do, you will probably fall. Try and do things over again until you get it right. What is important is to keep your head high through all the trials. Help others grow In your pursuit of greatness and achieving your professional, personal and entrepreneurial goals, it is important to pay it forward. Some people make paying it forward their daily bread, and their passion. For others, you gain years of experience and want to share what you know. Sharing this knowledge will lead to making an impact in someone else’s life, whether the impact is big or small. At the age of 25, Lynette and 3 of her friends wanted to continue empowering others. This is where IgniteSA.com, a youth-oriented digital media and programme platform, grew. They had already grown their skills, and networks and wanted to share them with young South Africans from all sorts of backgrounds. From there onwards, they built an ecosystem in education, skills development and entrepreneurship. This initiative was to help change the future of South African youth. Work hard One may not work tirelessly, chase their goals and dreams, be successful and not have worked hard for it. Great work ethic and hard-work is what will get you where you want to be. This is evident in Lynette’s success and how she continuously pushes herself. Tip: When what you do on a day-to-day basis is your passion, it definitely is a bonus. It makes the hard work seem effortless so keep pushing #MotherlandMoguls! Stay true to yourself It’s important to also stay true to yourself when looking into grow into your career or business. This is one lesson that all women should keep in mind when on the road to success. Yes, we can look up to many people in our industries and in other industries. But staying true to who you are, and what YOU want to achieve will be key in continuing in your journey to success.
Lona Mnguni: Motivation is like happiness, it shows on the outside
Some women look unemployment in the face without fear. When Lona Mnguni found herself unemployed after leaving her service consultancy job, she came up with Gracenet Logistics. Gracenet is a social entrepreneurship venture that aims to improve livelihoods in rural areas and townships in South Africa through logistics and distribution. When Lona shared her story with SLA, we learned that she has high strengths in empathy and motivation. Lona lets us know her tips on keeping herself and her small team motivated. She also reminded us of the importance of leading from a place of understanding. Tell us about the inspiration that led you to start Gracenet Logistics? Starting Gracenet Logistics was a case of making lemonade out of lemons while simultaneously creating an impact in rural areas. I grew up in a rural town and during school holidays, we would visit “home” in our rurals. I’ve always wanted to improve life for those who live in rural areas in one way or another. The opportunity presented itself at a time where I found myself unemployed. The only experience and qualifications I had were in banking, logistics and customer service. What better way to create the impact I wanted, create employment and also do something about my own unemployment than to create something that will combine my interests? Gracenet brings together my love for rural areas and the lack of access to resources because of a delay in logistics to them. As well as procedures and customer satisfaction measures that would ensure that timelines are in place and communicated to the end user. Why did you decide to leave your job as a service consultant? I wanted more, I had worked in my job for two years and found that in that time it was going to take me ages to move on to the next level. I wanted growth, and to develop as an individual. When I resigned, I had not resigned with the intention to start Gracenet. I resigned to join another organization in a position just above the one I was in. However, things backfired and the position was not available anymore by the time I had finished serving notice. Why do you think little attention is paid to deliveries in rural areas and townships? I would say it’s the roads. Also, the task that it is to actually deviate from a route that is on the main road to then get onto a gravel road. Most big companies have set routes and this would mean that there would be a delay in their delivery times. What was the situation that lead to resources such as school books and medication sitting for days on end in warehouses? What prevented them from being distributed? Delivering to rural areas, more so to public institutions, is not as easy as putting the address in the GPS and driving there. This is because the address might not be there or may be inaccurate. Sometimes, even when the drivers get to the area that they are delivering to, they still need to ask for directions. With school books for example, before leaving we would have to call the school to find out where they are located. All of this takes effort and I’m sure that the reason most of these resources are not distributed is because no one is willing to put in the extra time and effort to make it work. How do you effectively manage a small team? I recently did an emotional management session with my mentor. In a quiz, my two highest scoring strengths were empathy and motivation. This was comforting because it was confirmation of my ability to keep my team motivated and always lead from a place of understanding instead of being a dictator. Having scored high on motivation, can you share six ways you motivate yourself and your team? Keeping myself motivated, is the important part. Motivation is like happiness, it shows on the outside. When you are motivated, it rubs off. I keep myself motivated by; Looking after my spiritual health, Consistently practicing mental toughness Celebrating small victories and Reading and watching things things that motivate me (such as my SLA newsletters). Keeping a small team inspired can be challenging. At times, everyone will slack off or feel entitled as we all play multiple roles since the business is still at start-up phase. We have regular conversations about the current position of the staff in the business and the position of the business as a whole. I also constantly remind my staff of the company’s vision, and that we are in a growth process together. Hey South African #MotherlandMoguls, the SheHive will be landing in Johannesburg from November 3-6. Find out more here.
Pearl Lebusho: I don’t want young people to make the same mistake I did
[bctt tweet=”I had only one pair of jeans to wear to college and that motivated me to work extra hard” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Pearl Lebusho may have left university twice yet she devotes her time to ensuring girls stay in school. Coming from a rural community, Pearl knows first hand how schools can leave girls poorly informed on what to expect at university. Driven by her passion to help young women from disadvantaged backgrounds, Pearl started the Miss Free State Schools Pageant. Miss FS Schools Pageant is a learning and social reformation programme that inspires and encourages young girls in South Africa’s Free State province through beauty pageants. This builds a community of models and supports girls who see modelling as a career. When Pearl isn’t busy with the pageant, she helps girls attend the Matric dance (aka prom night) by providing dresses. She speaks candidly about dropping out from university and growing her social ventures. You have mentioned that you don’t have a university degree but have pushed others to getting theirs. Tell us about it I dropped out of university twice. The first time was in 2003. I enrolled for a qualification in Information Technology (B. Com IT ) at the University of the Free State. I was accepted. However, I had no clue of what that course entailed as I was from a previously disadvantaged school where we did not have career guidance or development. The qualification was not what I expected. To start with, I had no background of accounting and computer from school. I failed my major course and NSFAS took their loan back. My mother could not afford my fees as she was going through a divorce then. What did you do next? I had to be enrolled to a college the next year. My granny had to pay for my studies out of her little pension money. I had only one pair of jeans to wear to college and that motivated me to work extra hard. That year, I got the best student of the year award. I further completed my certificate in web design in 2004 and NQF Level 5 system support engineer in 2007, both in IT. I was forced to work and study to make it possible. My granny encouraged me to finish the qualification even though I was no longer interested. Then bang, it was the best idea because it got me a job. But you were not happy with your 9-5, why was this so? It was not enough that I was in a job. I was not happy, not only because I did not enjoy the work but because my heart was crying for the young people who were coming from the same background as mine. I was scared that they would make the same mistake I made. In 2008, I started my school visits where I would speak to Matric students in schools and send them bursary applications. That was not enough as it was not resolving the core of the problem —why young people find themselves in wrong or unfulfilling careers. I continued to assist others with career advice but as I was not qualified to do so, I knew I had to get trained. [bctt tweet=”My heart was crying for the young people who were coming from the same background as mine” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Now, I am an accredited career guidance practitioner and have assisted thousands of students through my foundation, It’s Possible. I am now looking into having a Degree and PhD in Psychology and be a registered with the Council of Psychologists in SA. What has held you back from returning to university? First, time management. In 2010 for the second time, I enrolled at the University of the Free State and I was accepted in the faculty of Humanities to study a degree in Psychology. I was also a newly-wed wife and a new mother of a 1 year old boy. With little money to afford a helper and stuck in a demanding job, I dropped out again. This time because I did not calculate my risks and plan my time. I made a loan to finance my studies and all that cash was flushed in the toilet when I did not finish my studies again. However, I managed to finish and obtain the accreditation certificate in career development. Another issue is finances. I have now three children that I need to pay school fees for and three younger siblings who are at university that I am also expected to support. I am currently trusting God for my breakthrough so that next year, I can have financial assistance to fund my studies. The reason why I say I do not have a degree and do not mention my other college qualification, is because I want to see myself one day with my degree in Psychology. I want to be registered as a professional councillor so that I can fully advice young people about their careers and on the importance of choosing the right qualification. Also, I want to own a walk-in centre where kids will have access to such information. I see myself referred to as Dr. Lebusho in the near future. [bctt tweet=”The reason why I say I do not have a degree, is because I want to get my degree in Psychology one day” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Tell us about the Matric dance, how do you ensure the project goes smoothly? Where do you collect dresses from? The Matric dance is a project that I started in my Matric year. I had a friend who was a top performer in our class. As she was from a disadvantaged family, she could not afford to attend the Matric dance. She did not have clothes to attend the dance with so I approached her and asked if she would not mind me lending her my evening dress. She agreed and I did exactly that, we bought her a cream relaxer and her sister did her hair.
Juanita Abrahams: Set yourself apart & stay true to yourself
Blogging has taken the world by storm, whether it’s done as a hobby or as a job, some are creating careers out of it! When fashion bloggers first hit our screens on E! Entertainment, it gave some of us a little insight into what fashion bloggers actually do. We now know a bit of how they work with various clients and create an income through doing something they love. So, still on my quest to explore various fashion-related careers, I got chatting with Juanita Abrahams, the Creative Director of Juan Leo. Juanita is a BCom Accounting student, who is currently completing her under grad, in pursuit of the esteemed CA (SA) designation. She is also a SAICA articled clerk and trainee accountant. Please tell us a little more about yourself I am also a SAICA articled clerk and trainee accountant, currently completing my third year of articles in pursuit of the esteemed CA (SA) designation. From an early age, my hobbies included; design, art, photography and dance —and I dabbled in all of these for many years and often still do. So let’s fast-forward to 2016, where that interest in design, art and photography has fully formed into what we know as Juan Leo Lifestyle, your blog, please tell us a little more about it I’ve always loved fashion and design, and became quite involved in creative arts from an early age so the next befitting step after being exposed to so many opportunities within the industry and similar industries was to start a blog, which looked much easier at first. We started out as “Faith, Fashion & Living Fabulously” which encompassed everything I believed in and loved. But my real goal was to build a different type of fashion community —one which isn’t focused solely on looking or feeling good, but one that focuses on others as well. And naturally, the brand progressed and we underwent some rebranding of sorts and landed up as Juan Leo Lifestyle. It hasn’t lost the meaning or purpose of the brand —focusing on faith and fashion with a greater purpose. It basically refers to not competing, but offering something more to the world and distinguishing ourselves from everyone else. I must say, that’s rather unique, combining fashion and faith, so how do you marry the two? Through networking and building relationships with businesses, companies and local entrepreneurs. It’s about ensuring the cycle of giving back never stops. Although, we do focus on fashion and lifestyle aspects, we retain being a platform for a purpose and our current focus is on being a support to local designers, entrepreneurs and start-up businesses, and not just in Cape Town. We’ve identified gaps in the market and I think it’s quite obvious that many individuals have the dream and the talent, but lack knowledge in terms of social media and marketing themselves and that’s why they struggle or they become stagnant in the growth of their business. And that’s where we come in. I think that’s quite important, considering I’ve come across many companies that position themselves as ‘being there for the small businesses’ but when it comes to working with them, they shy away. How do you help small business? We’ve also recently started Pedro by Juan Leo —a menswear fashion and styling division aimed at the modern man. I have wanted to branch out for a while and we’ve finally found the perfect team for this. This allows us to reach even more start-up companies and brands, and also impact a greater audience. So on one end, you’re driving traffic to smaller brands and business, how does the other end work? How does a blogger create income through blogging? I would say I wouldn’t know because this isn’t our first priority but bloggers do charge per post, or per Instagram photograph posted and this is dependent on your followings. This is by means of sponsored posts primarily. Many bloggers with a huge influence can be seen being hired for commercials/advertising, campaigns with big retailers and the likes —there’s opportunity everywhere if done right. I’m sure bloggers get paid for every little thing under the sun that you haven’t even imagined yet —from public appearances to promoting garments at an event and online and everywhere in between and I’m not too sure how I feel about it. I believe you should stand by your brand and quality requires payment. Juan Leo’s main income would be from; Brand photography Content creation Fashion photography for other bloggers (and it’s my favourite! Passion drives everything) Would you say that blogging is a viable career choice? Career? Perhaps. Viable —I’m not sure. Blogging itself can become a full-time job if you’re prepared to make a few huge sacrifices in the beginning and are also prepared to stand your ground when it comes to payment. Your following and content quality play a huge role in securing work —real work. I’ve watched many bloggers or creatives evolve and boom straight to the top without realizing it. Once you reach a certain point, managing a full time job and a blog is quite time-consuming and if blogging is your passion, it will eventually pay the bills while you’re having fun and doing what you love. Would I do it? Yes and no. ‘Yes’, because I love it, and ‘no’, because there’s more to blogging than just looking good and showing off a lifestyle. I’ll blog and do everything else that isn’t shown online —that makes me happy. Bloggers move through ranks in my opinion (and if no one has noticed). It starts off as a blogger, and evolves into everything from a digital or fashion influencer to a brand ambassador, social media marketers and eventually lands positions on radio or TV. It’s amazing how the ripple effect just takes over. With such opportunities that can come from being a blogger, I can imagine that there would be an influx of new bloggers —and with so many, there would surely be some common traits
Gabby Malope: I have a life toolbox for every challenge
From regaining the ability to walk after an accident left her in a wheelchair to training subsistence farmers in agriculture, Gabby Malope has a lot of life and business experience under her belt. When she spoke with SLA contributor Makalela, Gabby spared no details on how she found her way to becoming a facilitator, her foray into counselling and how she believes she’s walking the footsteps of her role model. Tell us about yourself. I am very bubbly by nature, I love traveling a lot and meeting new people. As a child, I never got opportunities to express myself so growing up, I couldn’t wait to experience life’s challenges and battles. I was always protected by my twin brother. His passing away left me broken and very sensitive. In 2007, we were both involved in a car accident that took his life and left me disabled. My life took a downturn due to the accident. I was declared unfit to work or function in any corporate environment. People always told me I should stay in faith and that I will be all right. I never took them serious until in 2010 when a huge miracle happened. One night, I was sleeping and woke up to go to the bathroom. When I stepped out of bed, I fell to the ground. I was so happy, I screamed with joy because I could walk again. I shouted so loud, neighbours came running in thinking something terrible happened. That was the day I found my favour with God. Since then, I live my life like tomorrow will never come, each day is a gift for me. How did you get into being a facilitator and what has been your experience running a business? In 2006, I was working for an NGO called Siyaphila Youth Support Services. It was led by young people under the leadership of Mrs. Nondumiso Phaahla. The main focus was dealing with HIV and poverty alleviation projects. My strength was with peer education, I just loved talking to my peers because I knew the peer pressure we were facing at that time. Even after the accident, I still went to work while on a wheelchair. That was until 2012 when I was invited to come do some motivational speaking in one of the City of Tshwane Events. Someone after speaking asked me if I had ever thought of being a facilitator because he saw that in me. One day, I decided to register a company that will help me be eligible to offer my facilitation skills. Then I realized that I needed to get trained to be a better facilitator so I shopped around for companies that offer that. I found one, then I enrolled. Shortly after finishing the training, a lady called me to ask if I could speak isiZulu. She was looking for people who can train 500 people in KwaZuluNatal in isiZulu languages. The phone call changed my life for good. Ever since, I have been a training specialist in farming while managing the farm I produce crops from. As for my experience, I had to get equipped to be able to deliver quality work. So I took agriculture courses to be prepared for any challenges. I currently run a training academy of agriculture in Vastfontein in pyramid Hammanskraal. I always have to be on top of the production because if you take your eyes off, you lose a lot. The farm has to produce more and more every year and the training centre has to grow every year. So far, the journey has been quite exciting. Why did you decide to go into counselling ? It was after the ordeals that I went through. When people hear my testimony, they often ask me how I managed to pull through. Mostly, these people were ladies who were troubled by their daughters who were in my age group. They needed answers and I would always counsel them before going to my peers. That grew even more when I joined the Hatfield Christian church to study at the Life Training School (LTS). A few of the courses that I did helped me to grow in the field of couselling. This was combined with the training I got from the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) and the Department of Health. How do you determine which products to grow on your farm? The market and consumer always guides us on what to produce more than anything. We produce cash crops because as a farm, we must produce what will be able to carry daily running costs of the farm. The farm workers also need to be able to earn a living. We produce big crops such as green peppers, cabbages, onions, chillies, beetroot and potatoes, which takes more time that spinach. The response to market makes it easy for us to farm a lot of produce. Other crops are seasonal and that makes it hard to produce them every season. We also donate some of our products to the care homes and orphanages. That’s more like our corporate social responsibility within our area. What is your greatest strength? I have a toolbox of my life for every challenge. I have a tool that fixes any specific challenge. Also, I grow from the challenges that I come across so I never run. When the beast is in my yard, I stand and carry my cross. Who would you say is your role model? My uncle Mula Peter Malope. He worked for few years then, he took his savings and bought a combie. Ever since, he has been running his business. He has even opened a shop. He never worked but made his dreams come true. To this day, he is still running the taxi business. Most of us in the family no longer have mothers and fathers. Our parents were never there so he had to care for our livelihood. My uncle stood by his words when he said we will never be