July 2022 Edition

3. Sipho Alphi Mkhwanazi, speaking about his digital game and how he turned his jokes to professional work.

6. 4Gy Footwear founder speaking of the winning mentality and how his brand goal is to fight unemployment in Mzansi.

9. We chat to Vuyisanani Mavengana, an upcoming phenomenal jeweller trying to penetrate a white and male dominated industry.

13. A very long time in the game streetwear brand that has been silently growing in Gauteng showcases their denim products, Kalushi.

6. Get to know the owner of Naturally Nirvana and the challenges she faced when she was trying to get her business of the ground.

19. We bring you Tourism, Modeling and financial literature content to empower and expose you to the work happening around the country and more...

Alphi, real name Sipho Mkhwanazi, is a brand communications specialist and MC - who took our Mzansi social media by storm through his entertaining clips that are sometimes tackling real everyday issues that are relevant to most South Africans, and that has made it possible for him to penetrate both the private and the public gig world as an MC and respected entertainer. “My love for public speaking and MCing has been there from a really young age. Engaging with people and putting smiles on their faces has been something I’ve always loved doing. My mother insisted on ensuring that I participate on school extracurricular activities like public speaking, debating and even acting. That’s where I realized this is something I’m really good at and enjoy quite a lot”, he added.

What challenges did you face when you began to see and start selling yourself as a brand and how did you get through those challenges? “Being a “brand” has come with quite a few challenges along the way. I had to quickly come to the realization that my social media platforms and posts are no longer just for fun, but they need to be treated with utmost respect because of the reputation we ’ re trying to uphold. Moreover, one has to be so smart and strategic about how they position themselves because that enables you to get the right exposure and work with the most relevant brands".

Sipho Alphi Mkhwanazi

"I often find that capacity is also such an issue as everyone wants a piece of you. So, it’s important to be wise about what work you can take so that you manage your resources accordingly but also maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle. I’m so fortunate to be approached by people who really love the work that I do and constantly want to see me move forward. Brand Alphi has grown tremendously in the past few months. It’s been an exciting journey and I’m really certain that things will grow even bigger from here”.

What has been your highlight moment or two, since you started with your journey? “One of my biggest highlights at this point has been securing my own TV SHOW on OneGospel called Let There Be Laughter! From someone who hasn’t done TV presenting before, I was so excited to be requested to be the presenter of the show. It’s such a fun show and I hope everyone gets to enjoy it. Also, MCing the The Exclusive All White event was an amazing highlight as it had one of the largest audiences since I started my MCing career " . You recently posted a feature with HUSH SA? How did that come about and can the public expect any formal song from you with them – maybe now or in future? “My collaboration with HUSH was such an impromptu thing that happened in the spur of the moment. We were booked at the same function and because we ’ re all church boys, we hit it off so quickly and ended up playing around with a few songs. I really do like singing but not for commercial purposes. A lot of people have been requesting me to drop a single but I think I really want to stick to the MCing and brand work for now. Should an opportunity present itself though, I don't think -

it would be such a bad idea”, he giggled.

One of the things Aphi does is to constantly write articles and tips for other content creators or people who aspire to do the work he does. We asked him to advise young people on the streets who would like to follow his footsteps and this is what he shared, “BE YOURSELF! Authenticity is such a strong currency in our world of work, and people gravitate to it so much. What’s also nice is that authenticity will sustain you as it’s generally not hard to be you and create work that screams YOU”.

Lastly, what do you think about collaborations? “Personally, I believe that collaboration is key. But what I have noticed is that people are afraid to collaborate because they think it’ll dim their light. There’s so much strength in numbers and we ’ re able to achieve so much more when we work together. People should always remember that”.

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Tell us about your footwear brand: “4Gy is a Mzansi brand that honours ubuntu, winners, movers and the G’s from all walks of life. We intend to make a contribution to youth employment and generate possibilities. It is a Mzansi footwear brand

winning”.

“The winning culture inspired the champion’s brand sneakers. It also encourages people to persevere in the face of adversity in order to make their dreams a reality and to keep note of the necessity to forgive oneself in order to begin winning in life”.

How do you think South Africans can own back the township economy? “Our economy needs more small businesses, which employs more people as they rapidly grow and drive significant change. Furthermore, making our people economically active and eradicating extreme poverty. We need to be spending and buying more local products and services”.

Tshoarelo Glen Machabaphala, the founder and current Chief Executive Officer of 4Gy footwear is an Engineering and Business school graduate who was born in Limpopo. Referring to himself as a child of God, Tshoarelo comes from a poor background just like most of us coming from disadvantaged backgrounds and poverty-stricken families.

that represents hope and spirit of

When did you commence with your sneaker business and what inspired you to start? “The footwear was started in March 2020, Rejection from corporate was just what I needed to reroute and fulfil my destiny. God is still in charge. My parents wanted me to work for a large, wellknown corporation, especially after so many years of study.

For me, working would imply I would only be able to add a specific number of people based on my pay. They later realised the goal was larger than just a job”.

What are your business highlights so far? “The amount of work required and the passion to do what you love and believe in – it's a high for me ” ..

Who or which company you would be interested to collaborate with in future and why that person/company? “We definitely believe in collaboration and creating opportunity for our people. We are still monitoring a person/company of interest. But for now, we are focusing on growing the brand to create more employment and bring significant and sustainable change”.

When not working on your brand, what do you do to keep sane? “Honestly, I’m always working or at least thinking of new ways of doing things and creating sustainable change”.

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Founder of Sanani Jewellers - a growing jewellery company based in Johannesburg is Vuyisanani Mavengana, an Eastern Cape born who grew up in different parts of the Eastern Cape such as Engcobo, Umtata, Queenstown, Hofmeyr, East London and Alice. Currently, Vuyisanani is a Johannesburg resident for over 10 years. Her move to Johannesburg was to study Jewellery Design and Manufacturing at the University of Johannesburg. Shortly after she graduated she worked for Brown’s at their Sandton stores and at their head office as part of their sales support and bespoke design team”.

We wanted to hear who is her favourite Mzansi brand and this is what she said, “ my favourite Mzansi brand is MaXhosa. I am in absolute awe of how Laduma has influenced African inspired luxury. You cannot mistake a MaXhosa piece because he’s created such a rich brand identity and one that South Africans can relate to and identify, with which is in essence what Sanani Jewellers is trying to do”.

Township economy: any thoughts on how South Africans can own it back again? “How I think we can own back the township economy is by making it easier for entrepreneurs to occupy retail spaces in and around townships.

A large percentage of consumers use multiple channels during their purchase journey; They use their mobile phones or laptops to search for products online and on social media, to first gain knowledge about how much things are and how to use them, and eventually go to a brick-and-mortar store to make the purchase. Because If you notice, a lot of these brick-and-mortar stores we end up purchasing from, don’t belong to South Africans and there’s a lot of the social media businesses that belong to us and we ’ re only serving as “inspiration”. I believe that by focusing on providing a seamless shopping experience for customers by taking part in Omni-channel retail and having brick-and-mortar stores of our own in the places we live in, we can gain back not just the township economy, but our country’s”.

Back to your business, when did you commence with SANANI JEWELLERS and what motivated you to start? “I started Sanani Jewellers back in 2020. Because I had studied jewellery and have been working in the jewellery industry, but I did not find myself represented in the space I was in. So, I wanted to see myself as a modern African child in fine jewellery. My African cultures inspire jewellery made in sterling silver, gold, platinum and precious gemstones. I wanted to design everyday jewellery as a celebration of African cultures, modern designs but also respectfully representing our rich heritage”.

What challenges you faced when you were getting SANANI JEWELLERS off the ground? “I chose a career in an industry which is white dominated, male dominated and over 40 (year olds) and I am the complete opposite of that. First, I’m black, female and under 30 and the trust factor is greatly affected. Another challenge is the fact that this kind of business needs a significant amount of capital to start and better compete in the industry”.

Your products are named using different tribes of Mzansi, what’s the thinking around that? “Like I mentioned, Sanani Jewellers draws inspiration from South African tribes (cultures) and creates modern, simplistic, and easily recognizable motifs and names the collections after a tribe which inspired it”.

What are your business highlights so far? “Being part of the Rand Refinery Silver Mentorship program which opened up the industry and also opened a store in Monti Casino which houses all the local jewellers that participated in the program ” .

Lastly, when not busy with SANANI JEWELLERS, what do you do to keep sane? “I’m a new mom of a now 3 month-old boy. If I’m not spending time with my family, I am busy on my sewing machine. This is something I have also considered going into in the future, now you know why Laduma is my inspiration”, she giggled.

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Naturally Nirvana Naturally Nirvana Hair & Skin care products

Born and bred in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape. Nicole Louw is one of the strong and phenomenal young woman who has started her own haircare brand named naturally Nirvana. Nicole grew up in one of the notorious side of the town named the Northern Areas in Gqeberha, where gang violence is rife up until this day.

When did you start with Nirvana Naturals and what made you choose to go for this product? And what makes your hair and skin care products stand out? “Naturally Nirvana was birthed in April 2021, but it has been on my mind for years. I think Covid was a wake-up call for me as I saw a need in the market to make eco-friendly haircare products, and I’m currently expanding into skincare as well. What makes my products stands out is the fact that I used plantbased ingredients sourced from my own garden”.

In starting, what were your challenges and how did you overcome them? “I faced so many challenges at the beginning, one of these challenges was using a friend who did the big chop to demonstrate how effective my products are, by doing ‘before and after’ pictures results, which she did but later on posted online as if someone else’s products made her hair healthy and long. How I handled this challenge was by setting up a standard NDA (non-disclosure agreement). Now I know as a business owner it’s important to protect yourself and your product”.

In your own experience, why do you think it is important for one to take care of their skin? And do your products accommodate males?

“A healthy skin comes from within and from using the correct products, therefore it’s important to know your skin type. This also goes for hair as well, knowing your hair type is important too. And yes, both my skincare and haircare products are unisex as they tackle issues that are faced by both genders”.

What are your highlights as a business owner thus far? And what’s your next step in building the business? “My highlights are definitely being chosen earlier this year to be part of the Madiba Bay Mentorship program, I learned so much from my mentor Tham-Tham Uduojie and I used that knowledge as a ‘Seed Mentor at NMU’, and to be part of the Seed mentor program was also a high for me. And my other biggest highlights include winning R50 000 from Converse #CreateNext - where I pitched my eco-friendly business ideas, and being chosen to represent my university at regionals for The EDHE Pitch competition”.

When not working on Nirvana Naturals, what do you do to keep sane?

“I love and enjoy taking walks, doing yoga because it calms me and keeps me sane ” .

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1. Who is Thembinkosi Sibayeni, please give us a brief background: “I was born and raised in an informal settlement known as Chris Hani village, in P.E New Brighton and that is where I still reside. I was born in 1993, grew up in a township with no electricity and never owned a cellphone until I matriculated in 2010.

2. Growing up what has been your main motivation? “At a very young age, going to church gave me hope. Late in my teenage years, seeing my younger siblings and my family as a whole struggling because of poverty has been my main drive (motivation) not to give up and strive towards success.

3. Do you have a role model in the finest and health sphere and if yes who is it and why? “Yes I do, it is Dr.Sebi. He cured various diseases with herbs and a change of diet. I would like to do the same because I believe that Health is Wealth.

4. What could be the main challenges that you think the youth is facing today? “There’s a few I can think of, which are lack of employment, low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, insecure, abuse, lack of mentorship and guidance, and all these are the basic challenges that can totally change young people’s lives to be the greatest if they can be supported enough to conquer the mentioned”.

5. What did you learn in the process of Mr Body Beautiful Competition? “I have learned values that has made me who I am today. Embracing myself and where I come from has been my thing but the competition has given me the emphasis in being me more. Also, we grew up with less role models in some environment due to different challenges but now I know to be a leader wherever I’m at, to influence those who come after us positively”. Lastly, the competition taught me about the importance of keeping healthy both physical and mentally”.

6. Winning the title, what does it mean to you? “To me this means I have been granted an opportunity to make a difference in my community, to give hope to the young, be an inspiration and a role model to look up to”.

7. Lastly, word of advice to the youth of South Africa coming from a similar background as you? All I can is one should not be ashamed of where they come from, use your harsh background as your motivation and know that it is a blessing in disguise

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SUNRISE

Born in Cecilia Makhiwane Clinic in East London Mdantsane township - one of the biggest townships in Mzansi, and currently residing in Humewood, Gqeberha. Mawethu Webster Platyi is the founder of both Sunrise Mobile Carwash, together with Mawethu Tours and Safaris. “When introducing self, I always say mention that my late father was a very lazy man – he giggled, as I’m the only child to my parents, no brother no sister. I am a proud professional tourist guide by trade and a father. I'm a go-getter, I don't quit, I fail and start again”, he added. “Coming to Mzansi brands, I'm not a person that wears or loves too many brands, so far I have two local brands that I love and support. One is called Hustler King run by family brothers and its base in Plettenberg bay. The second one is called Mdantsane it is also run by guys from “ikasi lam” eMdantsane”.

The township economy: do you think locals can own it back?

“When it comes to the township economy one of the few ways to bring it back to South Africans ownership is to make sure safety is in place and how do you do that!!? You call up on all retired tourist guides to work together with the retired army soldiers, and the department of tourism to secure the safety of tourists when being taken on tours in our townships. Also, channels can be made and be available only if people can work together, without safety South Africans will never own back the township economy where investors would be interested to invest in township businesses”.

VEHICLE & WINDOW WASHING SERVICES

When did you commence with this business and what motivated you to start? “Sunrise Mobile Carwash was established on May 2020. It started as a result of the main pandemic challenge which was lockdown. As a person who works in the tourism industry I was immediately affected, with no income to sustain me. Friends and colleagues started going home as finances were the issue, but because my parents passed on long before lockdown, I had no reason to go back home. I then saw an opportunity to wash cars so I can afford rent and essentials. This car wash idea was further motivated by the fact that I didn't qualify for UIF or R350 social grant, so I really needed to make an income. I started to offer the mobile car wash business in the Summerstrand and Humewood area and all my friends were very supportive and motivating me to do it. So, I started advertising on Facebook as social media was the only option to share whatever one offers and within my first post bookings started to come in. And yes, the residents of Summerstrand also motivated me a lot, hence the mobile carwash is still running even today”.

Challenges you faced when you started? “Honestly speaking I didn't have any challenges opening the Sunrise Mobile car wash because I was honest to people around me. To start up I got a bike as a loan from a friend and got car wash shampoo and a few rags from my boss, at one of the tour companies that I freelanced for. Additionally, ‘Go Green’ came on board and helped with car wash cleaning material, so instead of challenges mine was easily off the ground through support from people in my circle”.

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A simple guide to improve your relationship with money

Money helps us do so many things in life such as travelling or buying things for your friends and family, even healthcare but if you don't know how to spend it wisely, or even handle having money at all, then it becomes a source of stress really quickly and consistently. That's why learning about money is so important — because what you believe about it affects what you do with it and how you do it.

In this article we will learn about our relationship with money: why we have one and what are some ways we can improve our relationship with it?

Where do your beliefs about money come from?

Your beliefs and values come from what you ' ve been exposed to as you grow up. This includes your environment, random events, knowledge and past experiences.

A common mistake people make is thinking their beliefs are stable, permanent, or always the same. The opposite is true! Our beliefs are something we choose and we have the power to change them. Changing our beliefs can make our reality take a turn for the better. If you change your beliefs about money, you'll likely feel differently about it. This can then either motivate or demotivate you to act differently with regard to your finances.

This means that it's important for us as humans, who are constantly changing beings, to be aware of our own thoughts and feelings about money so that we can make conscious decisions based on our values rather than automatically reacting from our subconscious programming around scarcity or abundance.

Does your current relationship with money align with the way you want to live?

If you answered no, it’s time to start getting clear on your relationship with money. Here are a few ways to get started:

1. Start by recognizing if your current feelings and beliefs about money are true or not. If they are not, start to think about what you want to believe and feel. What do you want your relationship with money to be? What is the ideal relationship that is most aligned with who you want to be?

2. Once you ’ ve gotten clear on who you want to be and what your ideal relationship is, start to put more effort into aligning your feelings and thoughts about money with that identity.

3. Consider doing this by working with a coach, therapist, or friend to help you get clear on your relationship and self with money. Take some time to reflect on the positive financial decisions you ’ ve made in your life so far. What are the qualities of the person that led you to those decisions? What has been your process for making them? Can you remember a time when you made a decision that was in alignment with your values and principles?

Once you have an identity and feelings about money aligned, you can begin to learn about money and how it works in order to meet your personal financial goals. However, understanding your relationship with money is always a good place to start when getting clear on where you want to go with the subject.

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PULE M PULE M

Musician

At the age of 17 Pule M, real name Iven Pule Mollo started his music career with a musical kwaito group that was named P.S.B (which stood for Pule, Sello and Bonkosi). This phenomenal Kwaito star grew up in Soshanguve where he did his lower to high school studies.

When he recalls his journey, he took us back to a MR Prince talent show he entered and won the first price, after performing a song titled “Song For Mama”, composed and written by him - “That was my first ever performance, I will never forget that day, It was the greatest day of my life”, he added. The young man continued writing more song ’ s and performing for friends and family while entering various competitions around Gauteng province.

In 2006 Pule M was called to join another kwaito group called JOVECO. He recorded an album titled “SGANDAVU MEKONKO chapter 1. From that album Track 1 titled “MABALANKWE” hit the charts in SOSHANGUVE community radio station and Ikwekwezi fm. Which he feels that also was the greatest achievement of his life as a growing musician.

Pule M is now back with a new single named ‘UDOKOTELA WO THANDO’, taken from his album named the title of his single. In this new single he decided to tackle one of the main challenges in Mzansi, a topic that needs to be discussed daily and find solutions on how GBV can stop.

We reached out to him to hear what he has to say about his new single and this is what he said, “Gender Based Violence is one of the most important sensitive topics that most men, women and children go through. Many men can relate to the fact of being abused but they are afraid of coming out”. What else do you do other than music? “I am also a GBV activist, mine is to empower men by speaking with them on the issues regarding this violence, I want to fight this with them because they are also victims just like any other person. I believe It’s high time we raise this issue and men need to play their part as well".

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Prodby:Kefilwe

A Nelson Mandela Bay businesswoman and socialist has created one of the most necessitated products for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds. Shaan Keegan is the founder of Sisterhood SA, a company that focuses on the girl child's health and their well-being. The company has designed a very thoughtful and hygienic reusable sanitary kit which consists of 1 x waterproof wings, 2 x heavy flow pads, 1 x light flow pad, 1 x underwear, 1 x 200g sea salt, 1 x 200g bicarbonate of soda, 1 x empty sachet for soiled pad. This amazing kit is the first of its kind worldwide and also caters for sizing as to accommodate young girls starting as young as at 10 years of age. Inside the package there is also information about how to use the product and a resource to raise awareness about diseases and hormonal afflictions that often affects young women.

Looking at how young women from disadvantaged backgrounds have been excluded and not catered for, one can fully agree that these Sisterhood sanitary kits are very essential in Africa, since it is affordable, reusable and made in Africa. The founder's thinking is also around job creation as the product is manufactured locally, and with great partnerships from the public and private sector the city can see itself opening a multi-million-dollar factory that can daily produce these sanitary packages, to be distributed to the needy not only in the Nelson Mandela Bay but in Africa at large. Speaking to Shaan about what plans, and conversations are they having as a team to further and grow this brilliant idea she said, "currently, we are in good continuous talks with different -

stakeholders from the Nelson Mandela Bay and out of the city, the aim is to get enough funds to manufacture as many as possible, employ the unemployed while touring schools to educate young girls more about the product".

This amazing initiative was founded because of the health issues the founder faced as an adolescent, which are mostly what young girls go through without the knowledge of the diseases they catch as due to environmental problems, disposable products they use and other causes. At times, due to lack of sanitary towels some adolescents are found using normal socks to take care of themselves as the normal price of the product in retail stores can be expensive for most girls and other households. Thus far, those who have seen the product believe it is a game changer and a breakdown of a generational curse cycle, where an affordable sanitary towel was a far-fetched dream. But if condoms are free, we also believe the government can start considering partnering with Sisterhood, to create jobs and health awareness about issues young girls face every day.

With the assistance of Jendamark Sisterhood had started distributing their first sanitary kits at some of the schools in New Brighton & Walmer, Gqeberha, and the teachers were not only happy with the packages but the educational content that comes with these makes it stand out. Shaan Keegan and her team are now working overtime to make sure the next distribution will be big enough to reach schools in rural areas too.

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