It must come from within you. You must believe in yourself.Hawa Asmal < Back Hawa Asmal Senior Executive: Group Human Resources Manager & Finance - Kingsgate Clothing Group (KCG) Hawa Asmal commenced work in 1988 with the company, which was known as AM Moolla (Pty) Limited at the time (now Kingsgate Clothing Group). The Group is one of the largest private, family-owned, and well-renowned clothing manufacturers and wholesalers that started out in 1955, with its head-office premises based in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Hawa joined the Group human resources department with her initial focus on education and training. She worked her way up to the position of Group human resources manager for the company and its associate companies, a position which she holds to this day. Hawa continues to be responsible for the Group’s education and training and is involved with the various sector education and training authorities. These roles blend with her qualifications in commerce, finance, and law. Describing herself as a very committed person, in addition to her work at Kingsgate Clothing Group, Hawa also is responsible for the administration of her own family-owned companies. Hawa emphasised, “My dad was a very influential person. Although he did not attend formal school, he was self-educated, industrious, progressive, ambitious, and successful.” Being the eldest son, he took care of his family of eight brothers and four sisters after the death of his father. He established a successful wholesale and manufacturing business. Consequently, Hawa’s principles of hard work were developed through the inspiration she received from her late father. “He was very strong in his principles, well-disciplined and a very good role model. A lack of a formal education did not deter him from pursuing his goals and dreams and allowing me to do the same.” In addition, Hawa’s mother played a pivotal and supportive role that provided a strong foundation for her. One of the biggest challenges that Hawa experienced along her journey was to be able to pursue an education. At that time, the highest grade in the family for females was grade eight. Hawa said that she had to ‘break the barriers’ and influence her parents. Due to the good results she achieved in school, her parents recognised her potential and allowed her to continue to grade ten. On completion, she had another hurdle to overcome and that was to complete matric. Fortunately, as her parents had accepted that she was determined in her quest for education, Hawa was able to complete matric. The bigger challenge was going to university. Although Hawa had the opportunity to study overseas, Johannesburg or Cape Town, as a female, she was unable to study away from home as her parents were overprotective. She commented, “I was very determined to study. I wanted to be independent to be able to fend for myself. I had to pave the way for my younger siblings.” Consequently, being allowed to study at university was trailblazing, as subsequently most of the female members in her family were allowed to study and become very good professionals. Although Hawa wanted to study in the science field she settled on completing a BCom (statistics) degree. She said, “I thought that’s OK. I’ve got my education and I’m going to be a housewife and raise my children.” Hawa said that although her father encouraged her to complete her articles, she had to face another challenge – finding a suitable position. She wanted to join one of the big five auditing companies, but it was not possible. “Number one, I was a black female and number two, I was pregnant. But fortunately, I managed to get articles with a small firm of auditors. I pursued further studies and with dedication and perseverance I progressed to become the audit manager of this firm, which subsequently amalgamated with a larger company.” After her second child was born, Hawa took an eight- month break and with great enthusiasm joined AM Molla Clothing. She commented, “One has to highlight the support and opportunities given to me by my company to complete my law degree, attaining my chartered secretary fellowship and the conveyancing qualification together with attending legal school. My work involved travel and this enriched me and broadened my horizons.” However, Hawa said that she was supported by her mother and sisters with babysitting. She also has a very understanding and supportive husband. Hawa commented, ‘You cannot be a successful career woman if your husband doesn’t support you in your initiatives.” Commenting on her future goals, Hawa said, “As I have been working for many years, my main goal is to continue to be able to encourage the younger generation to have a goal and to achieve their dreams.” For Hawa, there is no end to learning. She would like to complete her master’s degree in tax law. Her main aim has always been to encourage her children and fellow colleagues to educate themselves and importantly to be independent. She said, “One should not be complacent with one’s position. We must not be entrenched in pride and selfishness. The true measure of success lies not in personal achievements alone, but in the positive impact we have on the lives of others. Leave a legacy of kindness and generosity. With success comes humility, integrity, sincerity, commitment, and dedication which have been fundamental to achieving my goals.” Her advice to younger people is that everything you do must come from the heart. “It must come from within you. You must believe in yourself and that you’re going to make this world a better place.” “Most important is our conduct and attitude and gratitude towards others. We must embrace each other and celebrate our differences. Whatever success we achieve comes with a responsibility and we have to be accountable in everything we do.” Commenting on the KZN Top Business initiative Hawa said, “I’m very delighted to be part of this forum. I am hopeful that my input on my life’s journey as a woman in business can encourage and motivate other leaders to achieve.”awa Asmal commenced work in 1988 with the company, which was known as AM Moolla (Pty) Limited at the time (now Kingsgate Clothing Group). The Group is one of the largest private, family-owned, and well-renowned clothing manufacturers and wholesalers that started out in 1955, with its head-office premises based in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Hawa joined the Group human resources department with her initial focus on education and training. She worked her way up to the position of Group human resources manager for the company and its associate companies, a position which she holds to this day. Hawa continues to be responsible for the Group’s education and training and is involved with the various sector education and training authorities. These roles blend with her qualifications in commerce, finance, and law. Describing herself as a very committed person, in addition to her work at Kingsgate Clothing Group, Hawa also is responsible for the administration of her own family-owned companies. Hawa emphasised, “My dad was a very influential person. Although he did not attend formal school, he was self-educated, industrious, progressive, ambitious, and successful.” Being the eldest son, he took care of his family of eight brothers and four sisters after the death of his father. He established a successful wholesale and manufacturing business. Consequently, Hawa’s principles of hard work were developed through the inspiration she received from her late father. “He was very strong in his principles, well-disciplined and a very good role model. A lack of a formal education did not deter him from pursuing his goals and dreams and allowing me to do the same.” In addition, Hawa’s mother played a pivotal and supportive role that provided a strong foundation for her. an One of the biggest challenges that Hawa experienced along her journey was to be able to pursue an education. At that time, the highest grade in the family for females was grade eight. Hawa said that she had to ‘break the barriers’ and influence her parents. Due to the good results she achieved in school, her parents recognised her potential and allowed her to continue to grade ten. On completion, she had another hurdle to overcome and that was to complete matric. Fortunately, as her parents had accepted that she was determined in her quest for education, Hawa was able to complete matric. The bigger challenge was going to university. Although Hawa had the opportunity to study overseas, Johannesburg or Cape Town, as a female, she was unable to study away from home as her parents were overprotective. She commented, “I was very determined to study. I wanted to be independent to be able to fend for myself. I had to pave the way for my younger siblings.” Consequently, being allowed to study at university was trailblazing, as subsequently most of the female members in her family were allowed to study and become very good professionals. Although Hawa wanted to study in the science field she settled on completing a BCom (statistics) degree. She said, “I thought that’s OK. I’ve got my education and I’m going to be a housewife and raise my children.” Hawa said that although her father encouraged her to complete her articles, she had to face another challenge – finding a suitable position. She wanted to join one of the big five auditing companies, but it was not possible. “Number one, I was a black female and number two, I was pregnant. But fortunately, I managed to get articles with a small firm of auditors. I pursued further studies and with dedication and perseverance I progressed to become the audit manager of this firm, which subsequently amalgamated with a larger company.” After her second child was born, Hawa took an eight- month break and with great enthusiasm joined AM Molla Clothing. She commented, “One has to highlight the support and opportunities given to me by my company to complete my law degree, attaining my chartered secretary fellowship and the conveyancing qualification together with attending legal school. My work involved travel and this enriched me and broadened my horizons.” However, Hawa said that she was supported by her mother and sisters with babysitting. She also has a very understanding and supportive husband. Hawa commented, ‘You cannot be a successful career woman if your husband doesn’t support you in your initiatives.” Commenting on her future goals, Hawa said, “As I have been working for many years, my main goal is to continue to be able to encourage the younger generation to have a goal and to achieve their dreams.” For Hawa, there is no end to learning. She would like to complete her master’s degree in tax law. Her main aim has always been to encourage her children and fellow colleagues to educate themselves and importantly to be independent. She said, “One should not be complacent with one’s position. We must not be entrenched in pride and selfishness. The true measure of success lies not in personal achievements alone, but in the positive impact we have on the lives of others. Leave a legacy of kindness and generosity. With success comes humility, integrity, sincerity, commitment, and dedication which have been fundamental to achieving my goals.” Her advice to younger people is that everything you do must come from the heart. “It must come from within you. You must believe in yourself and that you’re going to make this world a better place.” “Most important is our conduct and attitude and gratitude towards others. We must embrace each other and celebrate our differences. Whatever success we achieve comes with a responsibility and we have to be accountable in everything we do.” Commenting on the KZN Top Business initiative Hawa said, “I’m very delighted to be part of this forum. I am hopeful that my input on my life’s journey as a woman in business can encourage and motivate other leaders to achieve.”

You’ve got to be focused and you’ve got to know what your aims and goals are. But it’s only going to happen if you’re not scared of hard work . Jackie Cameron < Back Jackie Cameron Founder-Principal Jackie Cameron School of Food & Wine jackie Cameron is an award-winning chef and the founder-principal of Jackie Cameron School of Food & Wine. Her love for food began around the kitchen table at her parents’ home, where she said, “everything happened”. Her early career included being the head chef at Hartford House, and her game plan was to stay there for one year, however, she ended up working there for nearly 12 years. “I went to Christina Martin School of Food and Wine. Apart from learning about food, I loved her business mind, and I realised that education was where I wanted to go. It was about year two at Hartford House that I started thinking about transforming my parents’ home, in Hilton, into Jackie Cameron School of Food & Wine.” Jackie added with a laugh, “I think that I know how to cook, but my calling has always been teaching.” She went on to say that much of her motivation came from her parents. “It’s my upbringing, I never, ever want to disappoint my parents, they’ve kind of devoted their entire lives to my sister and me. They even lived on a building site for 10 years.” Her three-year-old daughter is now also an important source of motivation, as Jackie says, she is watching every step she takes. In addition, Jackie says motivation has to come from within – we have to have self-motivation. “As a family, we’re always excited to go to work. I have never worked a day in my life because I’m passionate and I love my work to the point of being obsessive.” Commenting on her many achievements over the years, Jackie says that waking up in the morning and making a beautiful plate of food is fulfilling and obviously brings pleasure to the people sitting in the restaurant. However, for her waking up and seeing the growth, development and upliftment of her staff was hugely gratifying. That’s what got her excited about the potential of opening her own training facility. Jackie added, “It’s lovely getting awards, and I have had many of them, but for me now, being at my school is more rewarding. It’s about my students winning the awards. I find I can celebrate that so much more easily.” Once qualified, Jackie’s students are 100% guaranteed of finding a job placement. She explains, “I can find them work and they can pick and choose where in the world they want to go or where in the country they want to cook, which is really special. My students are going out into the world, winning phenomenal things, and doing extremely well, which makes me very excited.” curves Jackie’s journey has not been without challenges; however, she says that she is able to get over anything negative extremely quickly. She commented that she sees every challenge as a learning curve. One of the challenges Jackie has experienced has been learning to manage difficult students. She explains that she enjoys managing each student completely differently to get the maximum out of each individual. She added that she believes in leading by example. “There’s no way that my students would do what they do with smiles on their faces, and with as much energy and excitement, if I didn’t also wash the dishes.” Another challenge that Jackie experienced when she opened her school, was handling the perception – due to her “blonde hair, makeup and earrings” that she always has on – that she was providing a finishing school. “Some parents thought if they sent their daughter to my school, it was going to be a quick copy and paste, and their daughter was going to be a Jackie Cameron. That was never going to happen.” People soon realised that Jackie was offering an internationally accredited chef’s course. She has trained students of all ages, from all areas of South Africa, as well as internationally, in diverse areas of cooking. As she says, the training that she offers is, “intense, fantastic, fabulous, and real”. She adds, “There are no grey areas with me. I’m very old school. If you are five minutes late, you are late, that’s how kitchens work. I never want the money that is being put into education to get wasted.” Jackie’s future goals are to train more people. “I feel by educating and training you’re not just making a difference to that one person; you’re making a difference to the entire family that surrounds that person. More money needs to be put into education because it does change lives.” In guiding her students, Jackie comments that the ages 20 to 30 are the most important time of your career life. “You’ve got to put your head down and give it your all. Every day chefs go to work, wanting to be better, quicker, faster than the person on each side of them. You’ve got to be focused and you’ve got to know what your aims and goals are. But it’s only going to happen if you’re not scared of hard work.” Jackie is grateful to her husband, Ben, and their baby girl Jasmine. She explains, “If they weren’t in my life, I think I would work every minute of every day. It’s fantastic to get balance, to have them and to spend family time with them.” In her spare time Jackie does a lot of cooking. “I bake in my free time,” she says, as her blue eyes light up. “It’s not because I’m a chef, but how I was brought up. If we were craving something sweet, we didn’t go the cupboard – we made it ourselves.” Jackie concluded that she gets inspired by having conversations with people who are doing well and wants to learn from them. She is excited to be part of KZN Top Business Women 2023.

The Nic Carroll 2021 Collection Louisa Garland Managing Director, Imperial Armour Embrace change as an opportunity to learn, to improve, to make a difference in others’ lives as well as in your own and to grow Louisa Garland

You know what you want. Don’t give up on your goals.Monica Jorgensen < Back Monica Jorgensen Owner of the Mozambik Morningside Monica Jorgenson is the owner of the Mozambik Morningside in Durban, which opened on 5 August 2022. Monica was raised in a small district in Greenwood Park, Durban, where she spent many Saturday mornings at the Morning Market, shopping with her grandmother. She would tag along learning how to select fresh vegetables while breathing in the smells of fresh coriander and mint leaves. This she says is where her love for preparing great food began. Establishing a restaurant, Monica explained, has always been her biggest dream. “I’ve been in hospitality, which has always been in my blood, for 25 years in South Africa and in the United Kingdom. My heart’s desire was to open my own restaurant. I chose to be part of the Mozambik Group because it is such a great franchise. I love what the brand stands for; I love the food, and I love the Portuguese culture. So, it was just right up my alley.” Monica comes from a previously disadvantaged back- ground and from a very young age she had great responsibility. However, she believes that through hard work and dedication anything can be achieved. “I matriculated in the year 1992 in Durban. My desire was to study hospitality, unfortunately due to financial constraints I was unable to further my studies. I did not let the financial situation get me down. I knew I needed to work to help take care of my family. My sister was still in high school, and my baby brother was just born. My mum was retrenched from her job and was unemployed, and my father was diagnosed with colon cancer.” Monica worked in many places and excelled at every job, but she yearned for more. One afternoon she decided to make copies of her CV, which she then dropped off at every hotel in the Durban area. The City Lodge Hotel group soon hired her as a hotel receptionist at The Road Lodge Durban. The City Lodge Hotel group paid for her studies in hospitality, which allowed her the opportunity to work and study at the same time. A decision to work in the United Kingdom resulted in Monica working at The Swan Hotel in Bibury as a front office manager for two years. Monica commented that the knowledge and experience she gained in the United Kingdom, which she brought back to South Africa, helped her tremendously in furthering her career. Upon returning to South Africa, she worked as the front office manager at The City Lodge Durban. After 15 years of working there she decided that she needed something more. “In the beginning I thought I would never get there, but I have a great husband. In January 2008 I met the man of my dreams, and we were married eight months later. Mikael is my biggest supporter. He supports me and all my ideas, and he’s also living my dream right now. He’s a marine engineer but he’s working with me. So, I am here because he’s also pushed me in a way.” In addition, says Moncia, the Mozambik family have been a great help. “The franchisor, Brett Michelin, is an absolutely amazing guy. He’s been by my side supporting me all the way and it’s been a great journey.”’ In opening her business, Monica has faced many challenges and ups and downs. She says, “I overcome all obstacles because of my determination and self confidence in everything I do.” Her challenges she says include the poor economy, which in common with many other businesses, has hurt her own business. Monica has tried try to overcome this challenge by utilising more social media advertising and by having more entertainment in her restaurant to get more feet through the door. In addition, she says that as crime has risen, people are afraid to go out at night. Consequently, she has had to up security to make staff and customers feel safer. Monica’s future goals are to make her current restaurant a great success. And she says, with a smile, “To open a new Mozambik by the year 2024; with Brett Michelin’s assistance, of course.” To young women, Monica says believe in yourself. “Always be confident in everything that you do. Strive to be the best that you can. Don’t let anybody tell you anything different. You know who you are. You know what you want. Don’t give up on your goals.” Monica strongly believes in giving back to the community and empowering women through skills development. Through her restaurant she has provided jobs to 14 staff members, most of whom are single mothers from previously disadvantaged backgrounds. She has also empowered her staff, including a cleaner who is now the head waitress, by continuous on the job training. Monica has joined a non-profit organisation called Expose Women that takes care of women who are in the sex industry. “The forgotten people,” she explains, “None of these women, during career day in high school, put up their hand and said I want to be a sex worker. Many of these women in our Morningside area are victims of human trafficking. We aim to build long lasting relations with these ladies, so that one day when they decide to get out of the industry, we are there to assist them.” Monica Jorgenson is the owner of the Mozambik Morningside in Durban, which opened on 5 August 2022. Monica was raised in a small district in Greenwood Park, Durban, where she spent many Saturday mornings at the Morning Market, shopping with her grandmother. She would tag along learning how to select fresh vegetables while breathing in the smells of fresh coriander and mint leaves. This she says is where her love for preparing great food began. Establishing a restaurant, Monica explained, has always been her biggest dream. “I’ve been in hospitality, which has always been in my blood, for 25 years in South Africa and in the United Kingdom. My heart’s desire was to open my own restaurant. I chose to be part of the Mozambik Group because it is such a great franchise. I love what the brand stands for; I love the food, and I love the Portuguese culture. So, it was just right up my alley.” Monica comes from a previously disadvantaged back- ground and from a very young age she had great responsibility. However, she believes that through hard work and dedication anything can be achieved. “I matriculated in the year 1992 in Durban. My desire was to study hospitality, unfortunately due to financial constraints I was unable to further my studies. I did not let the financial situation get me down. I knew I needed to work to help take care of my family. My sister was still in high school, and my baby brother was just born. My mum was retrenched from her job and was unemployed, and my father was diagnosed with colon cancer.” Monica worked in many places and excelled at every job, but she yearned for more. One afternoon she decided to make copies of her CV, which she then dropped off at every hotel in the Durban area. The City Lodge Hotel group soon hired her as a hotel receptionist at The Road Lodge Durban. The City Lodge Hotel group paid for her studies in hospitality, which allowed her the opportunity to work and study at the same time. A decision to work in the United Kingdom resulted in Monica working at The Swan Hotel in Bibury as a front office manager for two years. Monica commented that the knowledge and experience she gained in the United Kingdom, which she brought back to South Africa, helped her tremendously in furthering her career. Upon returning to South Africa, she worked as the front office manager at The City Lodge Durban. After 15 years of working there she decided that she needed something more. “In the beginning I thought I would never get there, but I have a great husband. In January 2008 I met the man of my dreams, and we were married eight months later. Mikael is my biggest supporter. He supports me and all my ideas, and he’s also living my dream right now. He’s a marine engineer but he’s working with me. So, I am here because he’s also pushed me in a way.” In addition, says Moncia, the Mozambik family have been a great help. “The franchisor, Brett Michelin, is an absolutely amazing guy. He’s been by my side supporting me all the way and it’s been a great journey.”’ In opening her business, Monica has faced many challenges and ups and downs. She says, “I overcome all obstacles because of my determination and self confidence in everything I do.” Her challenges she says include the poor economy, which in common with many other businesses, has hurt her own business. Monica has tried try to overcome this challenge by utilising more social media advertising and by having more entertainment in her restaurant to get more feet through the door. In addition, she says that as crime has risen, people are afraid to go out at night. Consequently, she has had to up security to make staff and customers feel safer. Monica’s future goals are to make her current restaurant a great success. And she says, with a smile, “To open a new Mozambik by the year 2024; with Brett Michelin’s assistance, of course.” To young women, Monica says believe in yourself. “Always be confident in everything that you do. Strive to be the best that you can. Don’t let anybody tell you anything different. You know who you are. You know what you want. Don’t give up on your goals.” Monica strongly believes in giving back to the community and empowering women through skills development. Through her restaurant she has provided jobs to 14 staff members, most of whom are single mothers from previously disadvantaged backgrounds. She has also empowered her staff, including a cleaner who is now the head waitress, by continuous on the job training. Monica has joined a non-profit organisation called Expose Women that takes care of women who are in the sex industry. “The forgotten people,” she explains, “None of these women, during career day in high school, put up their hand and said I want to be a sex worker. Many of these women in our Morningside area are victims of human trafficking. We aim to build long lasting relations with these ladies, so that one day when they decide to get out of the industry, we are there to assist them.” In addition, Monica sponsors meal vouchers at the Berea Primary School and St Martins Home For Children. Monica and her staff also prepared lunch and dinner meals for the children at Lakehaven Children’s Home. Monica explains that in her off time she tries to get home as soon as possible to spend time with her two fur babies. “I love my dogs and I look forward to spending time with them around the pool, with a glass of gin and tonic.” Monica also has a passion for gardening and has many succulent plants in her garden, which are her favourite. “I’m honoured to be part of the KZN Top Business Women 2023. I wouldn’t be here without the support of the Mozambik Group because they’ve nominated me. I’m proud to be here today. I think I’ve worked really hard, and everybody sees that in me. They’re confident in me and I’m very confident in myself.” In addition, Monica sponsors meal vouchers at the Berea Primary School and St Martins Home For Children. Monica and her staff also prepared lunch and dinner meals for the children at Lakehaven Children’s Home. Monica explains that in her off time she tries to get home as soon as possible to spend time with her two fur babies. “I love my dogs and I look forward to spending time with them around the pool, with a glass of gin and tonic.” Monica also has a passion for gardening and has many succulent plants in her garden, which are her favourite. “I’m honoured to be part of the KZN Top Business Women 2023. I wouldn’t be here without the support of the Mozambik Group because they’ve nominated me. I’m proud to be here today. I think I’ve worked really hard, and everybody sees that in me. They’re confident in me and I’m very confident in myself.”

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377f6eba-fea7-4784-8230-e87ca01898c6 < Back Maryke Dickinson Chief Digital Strategist & Operations Lead Driven by strategy and inspired by creativity, I bring your brand’s voice to life with content that connects and performs. I make sure your online presence does more than just look good—it works for your business. From tailored social media strategies to engaging content and dependable admin support, I’m here to help you tell your story, grow your brand, and thrive in the digital space. Previous Next

If every businesswoman could hand hold another woman; just to help them to become a businesswoman, we would have done well.Boni Mchunu < Back Boni Mchunu Managing Director at East Coast Radio (ECR) Boni Mchunu is currently the managing director at East Coast Radio, and she has been with the station for the past eight years. Her business career, Boni said, has “been really a journey”. She joined East Coast Radio from the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Tourism Authority and before that she worked for Unilever, South Africa. Boni added that she has always regarded herself as a leader, who is an industry agnostic. She said, “Put me in any business and I will be able to tap in and really immerse myself into understanding that business.” Reflecting on her position at East Coast Radio, Boni commented that it feels like yesterday since she started her radio career. She added, “East Coast Radio is the heartbeat of KZN, and I am a KZN girl. I was born here, I was educated here and it is home. The station is at the heart of absolutely everything that KZN is about, and I just love it.” Self-drive, self-determination, self-awareness and really knowing what it is that she wants to achieve have motivated Boni’s journey. She added that her dad died when she was in her teens, and he really inspired her a lot. “One thing he told me was that I must be careful about the decisions I make about education. And education for me has been at the heart of absolutely everything that I do.” It is therefore unsurprising that Boni is in her final year of completing an MBA. Boni is also inspired by reading about other successful people, such as Steve Jobs, as well as the likes of Mandela. “If you read about the Mandela journey, you really get to understand that nothing is impossible under the sun, if you put your mind to it,” explained Boni. “You must just have discipline to make sure that you achieve whatever you set out to achieve,” she added. There have been many challenges along her journey explained Boni. “I think the very obvious one is being a black young woman in South Africa. There’s always that connotation that, are you here because you are a quota? And I always want to make sure that people know that I’m here because I’m worth it. I’m suitable. I’m qualified, and I can do the job.” The recent past, especially with Covid, has been a huge challenge. “It was my fourth year at East Coast Radio and was probably the first time where we were down double digits versus what we had set ourselves to achieve as a business.” However, said Boni, they learnt that resilience pays off and the station has been able to rebuild and achieve great business results again. As the province has also faced floods and unrest, Boni commented, “One thing that stands out for me about this province is that the people in KZN live by the spirit of ubuntu and that’s why we’ve been able to rebuild.” “Personally,” explained Boni, ‘My future goals are about being the best version of Boni every day. I don’t let failure define me. I remember when I started my MBA journey, there was a time when I was about to give up, but the resilient Boni in me kept me going.” In addition, as Boni is a mother to three children who look up to her, it’s very important for her to take into account the lessons that she is imparting to them. As a leader Boni is very results driven, so she needs to make sure that she delivers. Most importantly, as mentorship has been important to her and she has learnt so much through this journey, she wants to give back meaningfully and sustainably through education. “I know what education has done for me, so it’s one of my legacy things that I want to leave behind,” she says. Boni has identified four girls who she is mentoring. “It really was quite encouraging and satisfying for me to have one of them graduating last year. I’m glad that I could be there to navigate tertiary education with her. It’s really been an amazing four years to see her where she is today. I just think that if every businesswoman could hand hold another woman; just to help them to become a businesswoman, we would have done well.” In advising young women, Boni says that it’s important to be yourself, be authentic and work hard. “If you work hard, your work will speak volumes, whether you are present or not, and then life will unfold. Be you, because if you try and be somebody else, I believe that the universe can’t find you, whereas if you are authentically yourself and just work hard, everything else will take care of itself.” One of Boni’s favourite things to do to relax is to run, which is her therapy of choice. She also enjoys spending time with her kids, her husband, and having moments that they can cherish. She added, “I love cooking. I don’t cook every day, but if I do cook, I cook with my kids, especially on weekends. We try different recipes as I have an eye for culinary arts.” Boni says that she believes in looking after yourself. “I believe that if you have self-love then you can extend that love to others. If you don’t love yourself, then it’s hard to give it up. So self-love and time to myself is very important so I can spend time with people, those who are close to me and those whom I work with meaningfully.” “Being part of KZN Top Business Women is great as the initiative is centred around this province. I believe KZN is an amazing destination with amazing businesswomen. Initiatives like this really go a long way in positioning us in this province. We can show other women, especially younger women, that it is possible to take up the space in business,” concluded Boni.

This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. < Back Marcus Harris Account Director This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own content or import it from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, and videos. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. info@mysite.com 123-456-7890