The restaurant market still hungers for healthy options.
This entrepreneur is feeding that need, serving earth-conscious customers and
gym junkies.&nbsp;&nbsp; 



Her desperation for a healthy meal fueled the fire for
business.



Leigh Klapthor, 31, couldn’t find enough eateries that sold
healthy food that was not bland, so decided to start her own.



“It is no fun to go out with friends and you are always the
girl with the green salad,” she says.



“I wanted to find a way where being healthy is not such a
chore and I also wanted for it to be affordable.” 



Klapthor, who dropped out of a course in marketing
communications at the University of Johannesburg, ditched a job in corporate
marketing to pursue her passion for food. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="928" height="616" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Sprout4.png.png" alt="" class="wp-image-40918" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Sprout4.png.png 928w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Sprout4.png-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Sprout4.png-600x398.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Sprout4.png-768x510.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 928px) 100vw, 928px" /><figcaption> A patron at Sprout Café. Picture: Gypseenia Lion </figcaption></figure>



In 2017, she started Sprout Café at the Stoneridge Centre in
Edenvale in Johannesburg with a loan she received from her husband’s business
and money that was given to them as a wedding gift. 



“Everybody underestimates what everything will end up
costing [when starting a new business]. In my mind, I thought R150,000
($10,588) would work. I thought I would get my shop fitting and everything done
and in the first month we would be able to pay salaries with the money we
make,” says Klapthor. 



But she soon realized the unforeseen challenges faced by
many entrepreneurs. She had to eventually pump in a capital of R350,000
($24,706) to start the venture. 



“So I had a couple of life lessons at the beginning. I had
to end up using our savings but I didn’t mind having to do that because I
trusted and believed in the vision.”&nbsp; 



But though she did, the banks did not because they often declined all her loan applications.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">&nbsp;“I think there are so many young black and enthusiastic individuals that have brilliant ideas and vision but the investment capital is not there. Though I do not have the capital as well to assist them, I would say keep going because the vision is greater,” Klapthor says.</blockquote>



Sprout Café offers health food, light meals, vegan food, and
vegetarian and ketogenic diet food. 



With her corporate marketing skills, she advertised her food
on social media and gained a lot of traction. 



“I want to create food on Instagram and people are like, ‘oh
my God, I want to eat that’ and when they come into the store, it is the same
deliverable they receive,” she says. 



Sprout Café turns over R3 million ($211,677) annually and
has 10 employees.&nbsp; 



After only two years of business, she has recently opened a
second branch in the heart of the busy Moove Motion Fitness Club in Sunninghill
in Johannesburg. 



“There are people that are on specific diets and there is no
one that is giving these people food. There is no one that is saying, vegan
people want to be healthy too. They are making a conscious decision to preserve
the environment and preserve their health and they are making these decisions
but there is no one that is there to accommodate them.” 



Klapthor says that the world is moving towards a plant-based
lifestyle and she believes that many have recently caught on to that idea
recently.&nbsp; 



Trend translator Bronwyn Williams of Flux Trends,&nbsp; reiterates Klapthor’s views on how the world
is adopting healthier habits. She believes that Generation Z is choosing good,
clean fun the most. 



“Yes, South Africa is not exempt from the global movement
towards more locally-sourced and earth-friendly products and packaging,”
Williams says.



However, Williams believes that because 64.2% of the South
African population still lives in poverty, clean and organic food still remains
costly for the majority of people. 



“That said, unfortunately, earth-friendly consumer options
remain a luxury that only the upper middle class can really afford to support
and enjoy… certified organic, eco-friendly products tend to cost far more—up to
40% more than ‘regular’ packaged produce, it would be disingenuous to say that
what the market wants is locally-sourced, earth-first produce when the majority
of South Africans are struggling just to put any food on the table,” Williams
says. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="929" height="617" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Sprout3.png.png" alt="" class="wp-image-40919" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Sprout3.png.png 929w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Sprout3.png-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Sprout3.png-600x398.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Sprout3.png-768x510.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 929px) 100vw, 929px" /><figcaption> &#8216;Every day, you should be able to eat a Sprout meal without having to feel any kind of guilt and shame,&#8217; Leigh Klapthor says. Picture: Gypseenia Lion </figcaption></figure>



Though Klapthor knows more people are opening healthy-eating
establishments because they see that it is a trend, she believes that they need
to be in touch with the reality of an ordinary person’s life and consider the
cost implications. 



“You can’t charge someone R150 ($10.59) for a Beyond Meat
burger and expect her to come back tomorrow for the same burger. People are
tight with their money and they work hard for it, they do not want to let go,
for instance, of R500 ($35.29) in three days,” Klapthor says.



“We want to provide a healthy lifestyle, something that is
consistent and that people can live through, and not just a treat-themselves-to
at the end of the month. Every day, you should be able to eat a Sprout meal
without having to feel any kind of guilt and shame.” 



Obviously, it is a concept that has worked and keeps her
business healthy as well.

Sprout1

Tasty Vegan Options: Consumed By Healthy Eating

The award-winning South
African musician Jabulani Hadebe, known as
Sjava, on why he would choose money over pleasure.



1. What sets your music apart?



I always try to make it
different. 



I think most of the time when
people create music, they create it according to what is ‘hot’ and what is
‘popping’; they never really talk about things nobody talks about… 



So I just always try to sit
in my corner and stay true to it. 



2. What specific qualities do you need in order to last in the music industry? 



I think talent and
discipline, in terms of respecting what you do, and being dedicated towards it.
You also need luck and a lot of people don’t believe in that. 



They believe that you create
your luck, but I really believe in luck. 



3. In the future, do you see yourself as a more of businessman or a musician?  



Music is my first love and I
have been doing it professionally since my first album came out in 2016,
however, since then, I have seen and learned a lot of things. 



There have also been many
business opportunities and lessons on how to use money correctly.&nbsp; Branching into business is my new hobby right
now; it has become my obsession.&nbsp; 



4. Why do you think it took you longer to find success in the music industry?



Time. I really believe that
God’s timing is the best, and I thank God every day that it took forever
because I don’t think my music would be what it is today. 



I talk about my experiences,
and how I view things. I don’t think if I made it 10 years ago, I would have
been the same person, and I don’t regret it.



5. What is your philosophy in life?



What keeps me going is not
really caring about what people think of me. I also take things as they come. I
am not the kind of person who says, ‘I see myself, in five years, achieving
this and that&#8230;’



I just take it one step at a
time. Because what if I say, ‘in two years, I want to achieve this’, and it
doesn’t happen, only to find that it is going to happen in the third year? That
would mean I have already been mentally defeated. 



6. What did winning the BET Awards Viewer’s Choice for Best International Act mean to you?



It was crazy. It felt like
they were still rehearsing… I didn’t believe it was real at the time, but it is
what it is. I also didn’t think I would win, because of how expensive data is
in South Africa as compared to other countries on the continent from where
artists were also nominated. I really thought my people wouldn’t have the
resources to help me win. They surprised me and I won, that is why whenever I
see a group of people, I get out of the car, so I can take a picture with the
award, because they helped me get it. 



7. What is more important: money or pleasure? 



I would definitely choose
money. As black people, we have been made to believe that money is not
everything and it cannot buy you love and it can’t bring you happiness, and
that is not true. We need to teach people to like money, and that it is not a
curse. 



I come from poverty, so I
know what I’m talking about. Where I am now, and looking back to where I come
from, my life is better. I might not be as happy as I was then, but my life is
better. So I wouldn’t choose the happy broke life I had. I would rather choose
where I am now, so I can take better care of my family.

SnipImage (10)

Business is my obsession says Sjava

With pockets as deep as gold mines, how far are couples willing to go to have the picture-perfect luxe wedding? 



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



The lagoons overlook the snow-white beaches with its swaying
coconut trees, embraced by the turquoise waters of the sea in the island nation
of Mauritius. It’s a scene straight out of a movie, with a couple cavorting in
the distance.



Over 100 guests from South Africa have also gathered on
these sands for the weekend wedding of businessman Lebo Gunguluza and his
long-term girlfriend Lebo Mokoena.&nbsp; 



The total cost of this union: almost $300,000.&nbsp; 



“I didn’t mind exceeding the budget, because you only do
this once,” says new bride Mokoena.



The couple flew over 30 guests and provided them with
five-star accommodation at the LUX* Grand Gaube.&nbsp; Part of the guest contingency included the
behind-the-scenes crew for the wedding, as well as the speakers who had to
spend four to seven days in Mauritius to prep up. 



“We did not want to have a local wedding because we wanted our guests and family to have a different experience. We also wanted our family members who did not have passports and have never flown out of the country to experience a different country,” Gunguluza says.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="924" height="616" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-5.jpg.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40547" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-5.jpg.jpg 924w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-5.jpg-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-5.jpg-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-5.jpg-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 924px) 100vw, 924px" /><figcaption> Snow-white beaches of Mauritius. Picture: Supplied</figcaption></figure></div>



The weekend celebrations started on a Friday last September
with a cocktail meet-and-greet party. Belly dancers who were dressed in floral
red and yellow danced the evening away with guests, with a local band taking
them to the all-white party on Saturday. 



This was just a build-up to the romantic wedding reception
with shades of blush, ivory, and gold which was to take place on Sunday at 4PM.




“Every time I think about that day, I want to do it again,”
the new bride says.



The couple chose not to have bridesmaids and groomsmen and
the guests were encouraged to dress in black and white. 



“I didn’t have bridesmaids because it makes you choose
between your friends. I felt that if you got an invite to our wedding, you were
worthy enough. So, we wanted everyone to be bridesmaids and groomsmen. I think
we made it intimate and everybody felt like they were VIPs,” says Mokoena. 



Everything fit perfectly as the bride’s two white wedding
dresses were designed by Antherline Couture. 



For the ceremony, she wore a white ball gown with a diamanté
top heavily embellished with beads; while the groom looked dapper in a white
tuxedo jacket designed by Master Suit SA.&nbsp;&nbsp;




The color white was indeed conspicuous.



“I have always felt that white is pure and because I was
signing my life away, I felt I needed to be pure, hence I said my husband
needed to wear white as well,” she adds.



The lavish white wedding was organized by renowned wedding
planner Precious Tumisho Thamaga who ditched her seven-year career in Public
Relations &amp; Marketing to become an event planner. 



Thamaga organizes events and weddings for affluent clients
such as the Gunguluzas.



“They are busy people and they don’t have time to do the
administration and the back and forth of vetting in suppliers,” Thamaga says,
as she takes over the pain of wedding planning.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="927" height="615" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-6.jpg.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40548" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-6.jpg.jpg 927w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-6.jpg-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-6.jpg-600x398.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-6.jpg-768x510.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 927px) 100vw, 927px" /><figcaption>Lebo Mokoena and Lebo Gunguluza (middle) with wedding guests in Mauritius. Picture: Supplied</figcaption></figure></div>



While working in the corporate world, she had attended many
weddings that she felt were put together in a way that created a disconnect
between the guests and the wedding couple.



“So I saw an opportunity in the fact that there were not a
lot of wedding planners that were black,”&nbsp;
Thamaga says.&nbsp; 



She decided to focus on corporate clients in order to turn
her passion into a profitable business. 



“A lot of people did not expect a black person to be
professional and take the business seriously. 



“It was not just a hobby or someone helping out a family. It
was an actual business and I made sure that I got taken seriously from the
onset,” Thamaga says. 



In order for Precious Celebrations (the name of her company)
to prosper, she had to have a business strategy in place. 



“I made sure that I put a lot of time and effort and
strategized properly what it was that I wanted to actually focus on, and find a
niche [in]. I believed that would separate me from somebody that was already in
the industry,” Thamaga says.



However, her job is not always alluring. 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="923" height="614" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-8.jpg.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40549" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-8.jpg.jpg 923w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-8.jpg-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-8.jpg-600x399.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-8.jpg-768x511.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 923px) 100vw, 923px" /><figcaption> Lebo Mokoena and Lebo Gunguluza&#8217;s wedding in Mauritius. Picture: Supplied </figcaption></figure></div>



“When I started in the industry there weren’t so many
wedding planners and now it is a different story and everyone thinks it is
easy-peasy and it is glamorous,” she says.&nbsp;




Planning a luxurious wedding takes eight to 12 months and
can cost anywhere between R300,000 ($20,813) to R4.5 million ($312,203). 



The most expensive wedding Thamaga planned was for a public
figure she cannot disclose the name of.&nbsp; 



“It was a destination wedding and the experience from when
the guests arrived to the wedding day was memorable. When they arrived, we had
a cocktail party and we had activities like canoeing and on Sunday we had an
all-white party. [This is] so that people don’t depart on Sunday and may leave
on Monday.”&nbsp; 



Only the affluent sign up. 



“The smallest wedding that I have had to plan had 80 people
and it cost R2 million ($138,000),”&nbsp;
Thamaga says. 



She has turned away some clients in the past because their
budget was insufficient for the type of wedding they envisioned.&nbsp; 



Thamaga organizes 26 weddings, on average, annually, from
countries such as Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Botswana and now she plans on
taking her bespoke company global. 



One of the unique aspects of her business is that she has
maintained a good relationship with the suppliers she has in each country, and
has kept her expenses to a minimum. 



“The wedding planning-event planning industry is quite
lucrative if you do it right. I am not the type that would have too much
inventory because I want to feel like the inventory belongs to me; that would
limit my creativity,” she says. 



“I make sure that I don’t have a lot of expenses, I have
coordinators that I have worked with for years and they have full-time jobs.” 



Thamaga’s greatest challenge so far was whether or not to
outsource other wedding planners when her business was increasing. 



“It can be a bit daunting to realize that your business is
growing,” she says.



But she opted to remain boutique.



“I had to decide that it is not about the money. I am
building an empire where I want a legacy and an ongoing relationship with my
clients.”&nbsp; 



She involves her clients every step of the way to bring
their vision to an unforgettable reality, and believes that weddings are
expensive because of the growing aspirations of the young. 



“It is not just in South Africa, it is worldwide,” she says.



Despite the tangible costs of conducting these dream events,
the wedding industry in South Africa is largely unregistered as it is a fluid
market where services and costs are difficult to track and document accurately.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="930" height="618" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-2.jpg.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40551" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-2.jpg.jpg 930w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-2.jpg-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-2.jpg-600x399.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-2.jpg-768x510.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 930px) 100vw, 930px" /><figcaption> Fred Elu Eboka, a Nigerian designer who dresses delegates as well as the rich and famous. Picture: Supplied </figcaption></figure>



Africans, no doubt, spend millions per year on costs
associated with marital ceremonies. This is the reality of the unregistered
wedding industry. Despite the recession and slow economic growth, the wedding
industry continues to attract many entrepreneurs to its lucrative
opportunities.



As, people never stop getting married.



The Marriages and Divorces report released by Statistics
South Africa last May shows an upward trend in civil marriages. Civil marriages
increased by 0.6%, from 138,627 marriages registered in 2015 to 139,512 in
2016. 



A wedding dress is an important part of a celebration and
the bridal couture market continues to show growth. 



Wise Guy Reports Database Global Wedding Dress Market
Insights, forecast to 2025, states: “The wedding market demand grows
continually, and the wedding garments market has notable increase every year.
In this case, the competition is also very intense among companies. The
involved companies should seize the opportunities to expand the gold mine.” 



A previous client of Thamaga’s has spent R200,000 ($13,876)
on two wedding dresses and this is nothing for Fred Elu Eboka, a Nigerian
designer who dresses delegates as well as the rich and famous.&nbsp; 



He moved to South Africa in 1992 at a time when African
designs were not being celebrated globally.&nbsp;




Twenty years ago, Eboka sold wedding dresses for R15,000
($1,041) a piece, and now sells for R250,000 ($17,344) a piece, depending on
the design.&nbsp; 



“A designer of my caliber in South Africa is undersold
because there are people in the United States selling wedding gowns for $250
and I am here selling them for maybe $80, it just doesn’t make sense. It shows
that our economy is really bad because a designer of my caliber should be
operating on the same level as them, or very close,” Eboka says.



He is a luxury designer.&nbsp;




“When you think of luxury, it is not just the product, it is
not just the textile – it is the whole experience from when you drive in, to
when you sit down and have the designer talk to you and learn about your life.
The whole artistic process contributes to the cost value of the gown.” 



He says that the reason wedding gowns are expensive is
because they are meant to be timeless pieces. 



“Traditionally, wedding gowns are classical couture. It is
not like the normal evening dress that you wear to look beautiful on one night.
A wedding dress is like training for the Olympics. You train for them for the
rest of your life,” he says. 



Eboka also says when designing a wedding gown, you need to
take time to know the client, family and their fancies in order to meet the
clients’ need. 



The material of the wedding gown is usually expensive
because he sources the textiles from across the world, and he takes two to
three months to create a gown, depending on the embellishments. 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="924" height="614" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-3.jpg.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40550" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-3.jpg.jpg 924w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-3.jpg-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-3.jpg-600x399.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-3.jpg-768x510.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 924px) 100vw, 924px" /><figcaption> Fred Elu Eboka, a Nigerian designer who dresses delegates as well as the rich and famous. Picture: Supplied  </figcaption></figure></div>



“My designs have a lot of artistry,” he says. 



Eboka is a wealthy man but he still believes that the
industry is not as lucrative as it could be. 



“But we do well, without being arrogant about it&#8230; You have
to be fully aware of the industry and have the intellectual capacity to
understand the potential of the market,” he says.



Pictures are an important element of a wedding because they
capture the moment for life. 



International award-winning photographer Daniel West meets
his clients in a restaurant so he can get to know them better and learn the
history of their relationship. 



“We, as photographers, need to click with each couple, it is
actually vital because we are going to be in their space from the beginning to
end.



“So, when we do not gel, we are going to find ourselves in
an awkward situation on the day because we, as photographers, are also
problem-solvers. We don’t just take pictures on the day,” West says. 



His packages start from R18,000 ($1,248) to R60,000 ($4,163)
and he says it is because the couple is paying for the quality of the work. His
packages include waterproof genuine leather-bound photo albums that he says
last a lifetime, as well as 500 images that are both edited and unedited. He
also arranges the location for the photoshoots. 



“It is more than about taking pictures on the day, anybody
can take pictures but the work that I do has more of a boutique feel,” he says.




“You pay to have something like this on the table that will
last you a lifetime,” West says. 



He does not only take pictures on the day but the
photoshoots can take up to three months. 



“Each couple that I take pictures of has a different story
and that is where I draw my inspiration.” 



West says that it takes a while for the business to get to a
point that is profitable because photographic equipment is expensive. 



“In the beginning, it is unfortunately not lucrative because
you have to look into getting the equipment that is up to standard, however, it
took me about seven years where I could get to a point that I could make a
business out of it,” West says. 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="927" height="616" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-1.jpg.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40552" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-1.jpg.jpg 927w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-1.jpg-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-1.jpg-600x399.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SnipImage-1.jpg-768x510.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 927px) 100vw, 927px" /><figcaption> International award-winning photographer Daniel West with his clients. Picture: Supplied</figcaption></figure></div>



His annual turnover before expenses is R800,000 ($55,502)
and he has about 25 clients a year.



He believes that the industry is regarded as valuable in
South Africa and it is growing because people are becoming more enlightened
about the photography industry. And social media has become an important
motivator driving this industry. 



“It is vital to have a good photographer for your wedding,
because you as a bride are not quite educated of what is out there and what is
not [in terms of photography].”



A good photographer needs to have foresight. 



“The quality and charisma of your photographer is really one
of the most important things you pay for because if something were to go wrong
on your wedding, like rain, what does your photographer do? Do they stand back
or make a plan?” he says. 



Other luxe services associated with weddings include limos
and chauffeur services, and florists, live music bands and gourmet caterers
flown from around the world.

The more money you are willing to throw, the
more sparkling the champagne, crystal and caviar on the beach

SnipImage (7)

Lifting The Heavy Veil On Wedding Costs

Brought to you by Hugo Boss



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Hugo-Boss-Logo-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40468" width="60" height="34" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Hugo-Boss-Logo-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Hugo-Boss-Logo-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Hugo-Boss-Logo-600x338.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Hugo-Boss-Logo-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Hugo-Boss-Logo.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 60px) 100vw, 60px" /></figure></div>



HUGO BOSS and Porsche have partnered to bring an action-packed racing experience to the streets of the world’s major cities through Formula E. 







Formula E is known
for its fascinating races globally. The partnership will have a strong focus on
the future of motorsport. In doing so the races will host a unique series for
the development of electric vehicle technology, refining the design,
functionality and sustainability of electric cars while creating an exciting
global entertainment brand.



HUGO BOSS which boasts a long tradition of motorsports sponsorship – has been successfully engaged in the electric-powered racing series since the end of 2017. 



In
this collaboration, HUGO BOSS brings its 35 years of experience and expertise
in the motorsport arena to Formula E, as well as the dynamic style the fashion
brand is renowned for.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N4022.3065143FORBESAFRICA/B22341404.245922753;dc_trk_aid=442353181;dc_trk_cid=115471848;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HB_Formula_E_01_CMYK-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40367" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HB_Formula_E_01_CMYK-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HB_Formula_E_01_CMYK-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HB_Formula_E_01_CMYK-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HB_Formula_E_01_CMYK-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HB_Formula_E_01_CMYK.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption> Alejandro Agag (Formula E CEO) and Mark Langer (HUGO BOSS CEO)</figcaption></figure>



Mark
Langer HUGO BOSS, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) says that though they have been
working successfully with motorsports over the years, he is exceptionally
pleased that as a fashion brand they are taking the cooperation to new heights.




“As a fashion brand, we are always looking at innovative approaches to design and sustainability. When we first encountered Formula E, we immediately saw its potential and we are pleased to be the first apparel partner to support this exciting new motorsport series,” he says. 



The fashion group is also the official outfitter to the entire Porsche motorsports team worldwide. 



The
fascination with perfect design and innovation, along with the Porshe and Hugo
Boss shared passion for racing, inspired Hugo Boss to produce the Porsche x
Boss capsule collection.



Its
standout features include premium leather and wool materials presented in the
Porsche and HUGO BOSS colors of silver, black and red. 



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Porsche x BOSS: introducing a new collaboration | BOSS" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fx-BDDA-FOM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div><figcaption> Porsche x BOSS: introducing a new collaboration | BOSS </figcaption></figure>



Since
March, a range of menswear styles from the debut capsule collection is
available online and at selected&nbsp;BOSS stores.&nbsp;In South Africa the
first pieces of the capsule will come as a part of the FW 19 collection.



Alejandro
Agag, Founder and CEO of Formula E says he is confident that the racers will put
their best foot forward on the racecourse. 



“This new partnership will see the team on the ground at each race dressed with a winning mindset and ready to deliver a spectacular event in cities across the world. As the first Official Apparel Partner of the series, we look forward to seeing the dynamic style and innovation on show that BOSS is renowned for,” says Agag.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N4022.3065143FORBESAFRICA/B22341404.245922753;dc_trk_aid=442353181;dc_trk_cid=115471848;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SR19_HugoBoss_Porsche_04_sRGB-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40376" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SR19_HugoBoss_Porsche_04_sRGB-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SR19_HugoBoss_Porsche_04_sRGB-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SR19_HugoBoss_Porsche_04_sRGB-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SR19_HugoBoss_Porsche_04_sRGB-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SR19_HugoBoss_Porsche_04_sRGB.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption> Hugo Boss x Porsche&nbsp;&nbsp; </figcaption></figure>



Oliver Blume CEO of Porsche AG says Formula E is an exceptionally attractive racing series for motorsport vehicles to develop. 



&#8220;It offers us the perfect environment to strategically evolve our vehicles in terms of efficiency and sustainability. We&#8217;re looking forward to being on board in the 2019/2020 season. In this context, the renowned fashion group HUGO BOSS represents the perfect partner to outfit our team.&#8221;

SR19_HugoBoss_Porsche_04_sRGB

HUGO BOSS Partners With Porsche To Bring Action-Packed Racing Experience Through Formula E

Budding African entrepreneurs can now apply for the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI), founded by the Jack Ma Foundation, for a $10 million prize.



The application process which is
in partnership with Nailab was officially opened by Jason Pau, Senior Director
and Chief of Staff International to Jack Ma, Alibaba Group Executive Chairman.



“<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Africa Netpreneur Prize (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.netpreneur.africa/" target="_blank">Africa Netpreneur Prize</a> is about looking for heroes. We are looking to shine the spotlight on existing African entrepreneurs’ whether they are in the traditional sector or tech sector or men or women who come from any of the 54 countries that are part of this continent” said Pau.  



Pau says for the next ten years the foundation will host a pitch competition in Africa where ten finalists from across the continent will compete for $1 million in total prize money. 



“Jack Ma will personally commit one million dollars in grant money. The trick to the part is for ten finalists to compete every year for the next ten years.  He wants to turn it into something like a show. A million dollars for entrepreneurs’ is not a lot of money but what we think we could do is to have their stories remembered and watched across the continent,” says Pau. 



The prospective entrepreneurs will get assistance from experts. 



On the advisory board is Jack Ma,
Ban Ki-moon, 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations and Graca Machel,
Chair of the Graca Machel Trust Board. 



Pau says he believes having the
Graca Machel Trust will expose the potential of women across Africa. He says
their aim is to uplift the confidence in women of ‘you can and you should’.



“Through their networks, I believe they can reach a million or more women across Africa. I believe it is two things, one is confidence building. I think a lot of times women don’t really believe they could compete with men for whatever reasons,” said Pau. 



Pau added that because the
majority of women in the continent are single parents and breadwinners, they
need all the support they can receive. 



“We need to find those breadwinners and a lot of them are women… we are not only looking for tech-entrepreneurs we want to include the traditional sector because a lot of women are active in sectors such as agriculture. So if we could include a prize in industries that women in Africa are strong at, then that is the prize,” said Pau. 



Shungu Gwarinda, Director of Programmes for Graca Machel Trust, says their mission is to connect women and put them at the center of Africa’s development.   



“We strongly believe that the social and economic transformation that we seek to see towards building the Africa that we want, that nascent potential lies with women. Seventy percent of production on your lower level is driven by women, but at a lower level,” she said. 



Gwarinda says she believes that
through the partnership with Jack Ma Foundation they will better amplify the
voices of women across the continent and build on their networks.

Jack Ma Attends Hupan University Opening Ceremony In Hangzhou

$10 million for Africa’s next great entrepreneurs

Vusani Ravele taught himself to craft home decor with an unlikely tool.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



Two men quietly sit in the corner of a warehouse, covered in
sawdust, as they deftly carve a rendition of the Johannesburg skyline on a block
of wood, oblivious to the creative mayhem around them.



They are focused on ensuring that the plywood is
silky-smooth and ready to adorn a stranger’s living space.



At this warehouse in Wynberg in Johannesburg that we are
visiting, we are confronted by the constant din of drilling and the high-pitch
buzz of machinery that is in fact etching shapes on a sheet of birch plywood.
In no time, we are covered in pulp and wood shavings. 



A few minutes later, the brainchild of Native Décor, 32-year-old Vusani Ravele, arrives, ready to tell us how he turned a cordless drill that was a Valentine’s Day gift from 2015 into a lucrative online business with a R2.2 million ($154,522) turnover. 



READ MORE |<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/woman/2019/03/11/the-businesses-of-the-future-20-new-wealth-creators-on-the-african-continent/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Businesses Of The Future: 20 New Wealth Creators On The African Continent (opens in a new tab)">Businesses Of The Future: 20 New Wealth Creators On The African Continent</a>



“She was probably trying to hint that I should make more
things for her — not that I was lazy,” jests Ravele.



This millennial is anything but disinclined to work. He used
the gift as a medium to explore creative ideas at home, most times, this was
after putting in long hours of work by day as an industrial engineer. 



“I just started drilling holes into everything and I
realized that this was a lot of fun,” recounts Ravele.



Originally from Tzaneen in the Limpopo Province of South
Africa, he moved to Johannesburg in 2005 to pursue a career in industrial
engineering, not knowing he was destined to become a business mogul in the home
decor industry.



It all began when he posted some of his work on Facebook and
it led to more ‘likes’ than he had anticipated. 



As he continued to attract a new market, he invested
R100,000 ($7,028) into his enterprise making nifty home accessories and
corporate gifts. 



His creativity grew as did his entrepreneurial edge — something he believes he inherited from his mother, who had an exemplary work ethic and was resourceful. 



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“At some point, my mother would sell some fruit and vegetables from the back of her car. It was very exciting for me,” Ravele says. </blockquote>



Following in her footsteps, he opened a tuck shop at his
high school which eventually outdid the main school tuckshop. 



“Clearly, I had an affinity for running a business,” he
says. 



A year after establishing Native Décor, he made waves on M-Net’s Shark Tank South Africa, a show on budding entrepreneurs who pitch their business concepts to moguls with the hope of securing an investment. 



Gil Oved, now the COO of investment company LLH Capital, was
impressed.



“I remember saying to my girlfriend if there is anyone that
I need to go home with, it is Oved. I just knew a lot about what he had
achieved. He is a go-getter, he is well-connected and I thought he would be the
perfect entrepreneur to take me to where I need to go,” Ravele says. 



Ravele believed in Oved’s ability to grow his business that
he offered him a 40% stake of Native Décor.&nbsp;




He did not make use of all the funds — an attribute he
wishes other startups would also grasp. 



“Sometimes, when you receive funding so early, it can
confuse everything. You feel like you are successful but you are really not,”
he says.



The mentorship from Oved honed his business acumen.



READ MORE |<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/entrepreneurs/2019/03/27/african-curricula-that-mean-business/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="African Curricula That Mean Business (opens in a new tab)">African Curricula That Mean Business</a>



“He is one of those guys that you have to go to and know
what you are talking about. So don’t go to him and ask him a question that you
have not researched before… He will give you the feedback that you are looking
for and more,” he says. 



Ravele says that being open-minded has helped him approach
his work artistically. 



“Creativity is everywhere… Look around and just see
different shapes and how they work together and you get ideas. Then you
experiment, and see how things work. When one thing doesn’t work out, you can
try something else with the same concept and it sort of flows.”



He believes that the home accessories market is currently
thriving in South Africa.



“If you are, perhaps, moving into a new house, you need to
buy furniture. The furniture can’t be by itself, you need decor to put on your
walls and those sort of things,” he says. 



Native Décor&nbsp; is an
online retail store, which is also available on other platforms such as eBucks
and takealot.



“In this day and age, we are moving into the online space
rapidly. More people are shopping from their cell phones; forget your
computers. If people are there, that is where you want to be as well,” Ravele
says.



According to eShopWorld, in South Africa, there are
currently 18.43 million eCommerce users, with an expected additional 6.36
million of users by 2021. The online shoppers are expected to be spending
approximately $189.47 each on average. 



Online trading has also proved to be more beneficial for Ravele’s bottom line. 



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“The overheads are low so it doesn’t cost a lot to sell online. The beautiful thing about selling online is that you do not have to have stock on hand,” he says. </blockquote>



“Our model is that we make to order everything that we
dispatch. It can be a surprising thing, because people believe that we have
this warehouse full of stock… and the online space is great for that.”



Ravele might appear to understand the decor business to the
core, but that was not always the case. 



“It all has been, amazingly, YouTube; it has been my friend.
I feel like anybody can learn anything from there apart from professional
things like being a doctor. It is a great resource and anybody can make use of
it,” Ravele says. 



That is why he believes that providing guidance to others is
a necessity for entrepreneurs and that “information should be free”.



“I don’t have all the answers, sometimes people come to me
that are in business and they ask me for advice. It is nice to get that sort of
attention but it is also quite nice for me to develop that sort of rapport with
other people to network.”&nbsp; 



He is still learning as much as he can, but looking after
his money is the greatest lesson that he has learned in his journey as an
entrepreneur.&nbsp; 



“In business, you can make money quickly and lose it at twice the speed. It is a space where you have to be awake all the time and be ready for change. Change drives you to be constantly re-evaluating everything. 



“I decided that I was never going to be in that situation
again. Now we are able to think on our feet and react much better.” 



READ MORE |<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/economy/2019/03/09/how-to-better-support-business-innovators/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="How To Better Support Business Innovators (opens in a new tab)">How To Better Support Business Innovators</a>



The exposure to Shark Tank South Africa enhanced his Valentine’s Day gift, and for that, Ravele will be forever grateful. 



Martin Monareng, a craftsman at Native Décor, attests to his
success.&nbsp; 



“The workload has increased because we are getting a lot of
business as compared to when we were working from his [Ravele] house. Things
were tough for us at that time, we were not even really sure if the business
would grow,” he says.



Despite the din all around him in the warehouse, Ravele is
calm.



“I am no longer working from my living room, so that is a
relief,” says the man turning wood into workmanship.&nbsp;

Vusani

A Valentine’s Gift That Unwrapped  A Craft

One in four South African employees are diagnosed with
depression annually. There are ways you can seek help while your identity is
protected by law.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



You find your life spiralling out of control. There is an
overwhelming feeling of helplessness and the things that used to interest you
do not anymore. If this is what you are going through, you are not alone.



In South Africa, 4.5 million people suffer from depression,
costing the country $16.6 billion of its Gross Domestic Product due to lost
productivity, either due to absence from work or not attending work citing
sickness. 



These are figures by the IDEA study of the London School of
Economics and Political Science in 2016.



According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), depression is among the prevalent mental disorders in South Africa, resulting in one-in-four South African employees diagnosed with depression annually. 



Meet Mfuneko Mthi, a prison warden from Kokstad, a little
town nestled between South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces.
Today, he sounds upbeat and has a positive outlook on life but this was not the
case two years ago. 



READ MORE | <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2019/03/02/a-career-secret-weapon-thank-you-notes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="A Career Secret Weapon: Thank-You Notes (opens in a new tab)">A Career Secret Weapon: Thank-You Notes</a>



He suffered from depression. It all started when he and his
childhood friend were shot at by a gang leader in their community. 



Mthi escaped death but the trauma manifested as depression. 



The two years took a toll on his personal and professional
life.&nbsp;&nbsp; 



As a prison warden, he had to work closely with prisoners
and at times, their correctional services uniforms would bring back painful
flashbacks of his offender. 



From then, it progressed to the perpetual submission of
medical certificates, one after the other, as he desperately tried all means to
run away from his inner demons.&nbsp; 



“I started reporting sick from work on a regular basis, even
though I was not sick. I could not face the correctional services uniform after
I had seen my offender, during the victim-offender dialogue (VOD),” Mthi
says.&nbsp; 



“The VOD is a voluntary process, where the offender and
victim are able to talk about the effects of the crime. Through the VOD
program, victims of crimes… engage with offenders and communities so that
relationships can be restored and forgiveness sought,” states a report by the
Department of Correctional Services.



During the times that Mthi was present at work, leaving
early also became a regular practice and isolation was his best-kept secret to
maintain sanity, he says. 



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">I would leave early to go to my place and consume alcohol. I used up all my leave and sick days at work just to avoid being around people.</blockquote>



Mthi needed to go back to the root of the problem in order
to get the help he needed. 



He details how he and his friend were attacked by the same
perpetrator on two separate occasions.



“When I was in my teens, a gang leader who was feared in our
community, used to recruit the youth to commit crimes. When my friend and I
refused, he assaulted us. It is then that our parents opened a case of common
assault with the police,” Mthi says.



The unexpected happened. 



“On the day we got back from his bail hearing, he shot my
friend and I, saying that nobody presses criminal charges against him.”&nbsp; 



Mthi suffered multiple gun-shot wounds but his friend did
not survive the onslaught.



&nbsp;As the wounds healed,
the internal scars continued to bleed; life’s problems rubbed salt into Mthi’s
wounds. 



“A friend of mine committed suicide in 2017 and till this
day, we do not know what led to him doing that. 



“But he did make us aware that he was experiencing a series
of problems, and his job as a prison warden was taking a toll on him due to the
number of traumatizing things that happen in prison,” Mthi says.



&nbsp;He would drown his
sorrows in alcohol when the waves of depression were unrelenting. 



“I would drink a lot to help me sleep most of the time. Even
though I would go out sometimes, I got to a point where I was overdoing it and
that led to me being broke and that created a cycle which would lead to more
depression.”&nbsp; 



Mthi realized he had a problem and he took the first step
towards healing. 



He called SADAG, an organization in South Africa at the
forefront of patient advocacy and educating society on mental illness.



&nbsp;“They told me that I
had depression symptoms and advised that I go see a nearby clinical
psychiatrist,” Mthi says. 



According to Charity Mkone, a clinical psychologist, the
societal stigma associated with depression makes it difficult for it to be
warranted an illness.&nbsp; 



“It is something that is not seen as a real illness…people think that it is something that you can control and that you choose whether to be depressed or not. They also think that because of certain circumstances – such as being a prominent figure – you do not have a right to be depressed,” she says.&nbsp; 



READ MORE | <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/current-affairs/2019/01/11/the-happiest-companies-to-work-for-in-2018/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Happiest Companies To Work For In 2018 (opens in a new tab)">The Happiest Companies To Work For In 2018</a>



However, that is not true. Most people, according to Mkone,
have had some form of depression in their life, where they present SIGMECAPS
symptoms (as defined in the box-out).



&nbsp;“To some degree, we
have all expressed these feelings at a point in our lives. But it is usually a
phase. But for someone struggling with depression; that becomes a dominant way
of feeling, as opposed to someone who is feeling like that because of the
circumstances, and once the problem has disappeared, they are fine. A depressed
person would still feel depressed,” she says.



&nbsp;According to SADAG, rural-based
studies have found a prevalent rate of 18% depressive symptomatology and 27%
rate of depression, as opposed to the urban settings where as much as 25.2% of
the population is depressed and in peri-urban settlements where 34.7% of the
people have postpartum depression.



&nbsp;There are 23 known
suicides in South Africa per day, making it approximately 8,000 suicides each
year. Based on research from SADAG, for every person who commits suicide, 10
have attempted it. 



In South Africa, even though women are two times more likely
to suffer from depression, men are more prone to committing suicide. This is
often because men in South Africa battle to come forward with mental health
problems due to the stigma attached to mental health.



“It has a lot more to do with the stigma and that men don’t
actually come out to say that they are depressed. It makes them feel that they
are weak people because one of the symptoms of depression is deep overwhelming
sadness,” Mkone says.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">Men are five times more likely to be successful at suicide then women<cite> Charity Mkone </cite></blockquote>







Suicidal thoughts normally manifest when depression goes
untreated for a long time. 



Mkone says that when men commit suicide, they are found to
do it in a more lethal manner.



&nbsp; One of the first
steps that could be used within communities in order to assist people suffering
from depression is to be more aware of the symptoms. 



The more measures are taken to educate people in the
workplace and in communities concerning depression, Mkone believes this would
alleviate the number of suicidal deaths because persons suffering from
depression would get the help they need at an early stage.



&nbsp;It is, however,
important to note that depression may be caused by a number of problems such as
external factors, genetic inheritance, an imbalance of brain chemicals, certain
medical conditions, substance abuse as well as other various medical
conditions. 



This is why mental illness is a treatable condition and, as
a result, 80% to 90% of people have had a good response to medical care. 



Depression in the work place



Depression in the work place is becoming more visible.



“According to the medical ethical code of conduct that all
clinical psychologists sign and are bound to, the sessions that you have with
the client are strictly confidential unless the client gives you written
consent to divulge information about their sessions,” says Mkone. 



“In terms of a patient requiring a written letter for work,
we can provide a medical certificate,” she says. 



One in six employees are willing to disclose their mental
illness, according to a 2017 survey by SADAG.



Nadine Mather, who is a senior associate at law firm,
Bowmans, says: “An employee is not obliged to disclose to their employer that
they suffer from depression or any other mental condition. An employee may,
however, voluntarily choose to do so.”



&nbsp; She added that
should there be a case where the employer is aware that the employee suffers
from depression and it affects their performance at work, then they may address
the matter following the correct procedures, and it would be illegal if they
dismiss the employee without that. 



Depression is regarded as a sub-category of “incapacity” and is recognized as a fair reason to terminate an employee’s employment under the South African law should they no longer be fit to perform their duties.



READ MORE | <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/investment/2019/03/25/to-increase-productivity-corporate-africa-needs-to-look-for-problems/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="To Increase Productivity Corporate Africa Needs To Look For Problems (opens in a new tab)">To Increase Productivity Corporate Africa Needs To Look For Problems</a>



“In this regard, our law places an obligation on employers
to investigate the cause, degree and effect of the employee’s depression or
mental condition thoroughly, in order to ascertain the impact that it might have
on the employee’s work,” says Mather.



If the employer can prove without reasonable doubt that the
business or company cannot function without the duties of the employee within a
certain time period, then that could result in the termination of their duties.




“Only when an employer has followed a fair process and can
show that there is no prospect of an employee recovering sufficiently to
justify their continued employment, or improving within a time period during
which an employer could cope without suffering significant loss as a result of
an employee’s absence, would termination of the employee’s employment for
depression or a mental condition become justifiable,” Mather says.



“On the other hand, where the employee is too ill to work
and the employer fails to follow a fair process, the employee may, in certain
circumstances, be awarded compensation up to a maximum of 12 month’s
remuneration,” she says. 



When an employer realizes that their employee is suffering
from depression, they are obligated to support them. 



In Mthi’s case, the employers were supportive. 



They tried to accommodate him by removing him from
traumatizing environments that made him feel uncomfortable.



Mthi is no longer on medication for his depression, but
along the way, he has found the positive aspects of life.&nbsp; 



“I go to the gym during my spare time and I also sell
t-shirts. With the money I make from selling them, I assist the less fortunate
in my community, by buying them school uniforms,” Mthi says.



He is also working with some of his colleagues to build
houses in his community. 



Proving that Mthi is no longer the bleak and lost man he was
two years ago, he initiated a Facebook page last year called Depression is
Real. 



The page provides a platform to those who would like to talk
about depression. 



As depression is on the rise in the country, so are those
that have won the war over the illness, like Mthi. 



The trick is to seek help – before it’s too late.&nbsp;

Really bad news about my home finances. Debica, Poland

Depression in the work place

Small medium and micro
enterprises (SMMEs) that are feeling the strain from Eskom’s load-shedding are
appealing to the South African government to come up with a solution, because
they are forced to shut their doors. 



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



South Africa has been experiencing stage 4 load-shedding from the beginning of March. As a result, power cuts are forcing small businesses to shut their doors as swiping facilities and security cameras do not function. 



Johannesburg based Gim Bekele, who owns a clothing store in Randburg, says they are losing a significant number of customers as a result of load-shedding. 



“When there is load-shedding we are forced to closed the shop because people can’t come in when it is dark. The cameras are not working as well as the cashier machines,” he says.       



“So that means we lose out on a lot of money. On a normal day without load shedding we make above R5,000 but when there is load shedding, it is a struggle to even reach R1,000,” says Bekele. 



READ MORE | <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/economy/2019/02/20/budget2019-south-african-not-taking-on-eskoms-debt-but-will-provide-funding-place-it-under-curatorship/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="#Budget2019 | South African government not taking on #Eskom’s debt (opens in a new tab)">#Budget2019 | South African government not taking on #Eskom’s debt</a>



Bekele says between the loss of
customers and an increase in the monthly expenses he can no longer afford to
pay his employees.&nbsp; 



“I had to let go of two employees because I could no longer afford to pay them.  The rent is high, and now we are barely meeting our sales target because of load shedding, how could we continue to pay for their salaries as well?”  



“We can’t even afford a
generator at this point,” added Bekele. 



Another entrepreneur, Shaodong Zhuang who owns a takeaway shop in Randburg says his stock is compromised.



“I usually sell fresh meat and some of my meat gets spoiled and I have to throw it away,” says Zhuang.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">I am basically making a small change. Our government is really not good. The people are suffering heavily because they are not running things properly.</blockquote>



Energy expert Adi Nchabeleng says that small businesses should brace themselves because there won’t be any turn around soon, but they could expect to see some form of solution a year from now. 



“It is a delayed reaction that
caused this whole advent of load-shedding.&nbsp;
The current executive and the new democratic dispensation inherited the
current dispensation of Eskom years ago and they didn’t do anything with any of
power stations.&nbsp; They just used them as
they are,” says Nchabeleng. 



Nchabeleng says that it is unfortunate
that small businesses have to take the heat for poor planning. 



“If they do not have enough electricity reserves it means their shops and businesses must be closed. A lot of people are going to be out of jobs… So the impact of load-shedding on businesses is so severe. 



“In order for the business to survive, you need to spend R500 ($7,25)-R1,000 ($14,49)daily, just to make sure that the generator has fuel, and I don’t think the government understands the seriousness of this matter,” says Nchabeleng.



“They have not woken up to the
reality of what the people go through,” he added. 



READ MORE | <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/economy/2019/02/13/south-africas-eskom-extends-power-cuts-needs-bailout-by-april/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="South Africa’s Eskom Extends Power Cuts, Needs Bailout By April (opens in a new tab)">South Africa’s Eskom Extends Power Cuts, Needs Bailout By April</a>



He advises that in order for small businesses to weather the electricity crises, they need to reduce their expenditure but he does not foresee that as the best solution for employees.  



“The usual expenses that the majority of businesses will choose to cut are their staff. They will say ‘when we have load-shedding we don’t need workers.’ We cannot go for that solution, we need to look at a much more different solution in relation to businesses,” says Nchabeleng.



He believes that the South African government should take responsibility for providing SMMEs with assistance. 



“I would suggest that the government compensate the losses incurred by small businesses. This is a direct cost problem; this is not something that happened sporadically. The government knew that there was going to be load-shedding, they knew that there was not going to be enough power available,” says Nchabeleng.

Silhouette Skyscrapers Against Orange Sky

SMMEs Meltdowns Continue Because Of Eskom Power Cuts

Raizcorp CEO Allon Raiz helps develop entrepreneurs and businesses but shies away from an extravagant lifestyle and has a simple investment philosophy.



1.Your most regrettable financial blunder since becoming an entrepreneur?



One of our divisions, Partner Elite, does venture capital.
We invested in a business based on personality and a relationship. Due to this,
we did not do the due diligence we should have, and ended up paying the price.
A big lesson indeed!



2.To what do you attribute success?



I do not believe I am successful. I believe I am in the process of succeeding, because I am obsessed with what I do, and have managed to congregate a bunch of equally passionate and obsessed people on this journey to serve entrepreneurs. I have, as a result, a very strong work ethic. I am extremely competitive, and drive people mad until I achieve the various milestones of the picture in my mind.



READ MORE | <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/investment/2019/03/12/the-top-7-investment-trends-that-have-been-identified-in-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Top 7 Investment Trends That Have Been Identified In 2019 (opens in a new tab)">The Top 7 Investment Trends That Have Been Identified In 2019</a>



3.How do you define financial discipline?



I am lucky because I certainly don’t lead a flashy lifestyle.
I do not have a flashy car; in fact, it is nine years old. I also don’t own a
flashy watch, I do not wear flashy clothes, and I often wear jeans and my
Raizcorp regalia. I do not eat out at flashy restaurants all the time. So my
personal finances are rather simple. I focus on pumping all excess cash into
bonds. Financial discipline, for me, is keeping overheads low, overpaying on
your bond repayments, and saving. I do not invest in the stock market. 



4.How have you diversified your investments?



Personally, I am not well-diversified. I have really two
asset classes which are my Raizcorp shares and property. My life is in the
business and most of my wealth and meaning come from it. 



However, the company is well-diversified. It has six
divisions and each one contributes to the bottomline. 



5.Which is your favorite travel destination and why?



I travel so much for work that I actually loathe travel. I spent my December holiday in my garden reading, braai-ing, entertaining and swimming. But if I were to have to choose, it’s anywhere with a beach I can swim in.



READ MORE | <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Three Big Ideas In Warren Buffett’s 2018 Letter To Berkshire Investors (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/investment/2019/02/26/three-big-ideas-in-warren-buffetts-2018-letter-to-berkshire-investors/" target="_blank">Three Big Ideas In Warren Buffett’s 2018 Letter To Berkshire Investors</a>



6.If there was one financial or business goal you must accomplish before you retire, what would that be?



I do not plan on retiring! Well, perhaps at 90 to get my
things in order before I die at 93. Seriously, I do not have the concept of
retirement in my head. 



My business goal is to serve 100,000 entrepreneurs at a
single point in time through our various divisions. Entrepreneurial development
is my life mission and my love and my passion. As long as I’m doing it, I’m at
my goal point. 



7.What was the last item you regretted purchasing?



It has to be my tablet. I thought I would use it but I am a
person who prefers to write in a notebook and create boxes that I can tick. I
think I used it for two weeks and have never used it again.&nbsp;

Nov-Fairlawns-HR-19

7 Tips From Owner Of  Successful Business Incubator

Coca Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) launches an R20 million fund for small supplier development and procurement, annually, for the next five years.



This was announced by the Financial Director, Walter Leonhardt at Gallagher Convention Centre at the third annual Supplier Development Conference.



CCBS is the
South African-based subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA).



Leonhardt said the purpose of this fund is to assist young upcoming black entrepreneurs in the Coca-Cola value chain.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“We are, today, launching the CCBSA supplier fund of access to funding. To address the issue of access to funding which most SMEs experience,” said Leonhardt.</blockquote>



This will enable the entrepreneurs’ procurement process to be easier.



&#8220;It is to help them buy equipment, fund working capital and to help them overcome something we have identified as a challenge for upcoming businesses, which is access to capital on quit lenient terms,&#8221; said Leonhardt.



Budding
entrepreneurs can visit their website to find out how they can access the
funds.



There were over 120 suppliers of CCBSA in attendance. 



Managing director of CCBSA Velaphi Ratshefola said they spent R2.35 billion last year, supporting 567 black-owned suppliers, of whom, 265 were black female owned suppliers. &nbsp;



“So for me, it is clear that this is working. We have helped create a very inclusive economy. We need to play our part and we need to ensure that only through an inclusive growing economy we can create a stable environment where businesses can flourish. 



“If we do not have a stable environment, a stable economy, we will have a lot of disturbances which are never good for business,” said Ratshefola.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“So for all of
us, we should not do it just for social reasons, we must do it for the success
of businesses and imperative,” said Ratshefola.&nbsp;

Coca cola truck in the countryside, Oromia, Jimma, Ethiopia

Coca Cola South Africa Improves SME Role In Value Chain

Jaydeep Gupta, the Regional Head of Retail Banking, Africa and Middle East, Standard Chartered, on why banks need to adapt and respond to an ever-changing operating environment in Africa.

Africa’s growth prospects
There is no doubt there is significant opportunity in Africa not just in banking but across many industries. While the banking industry has faced a slight slowdown in other global markets, in Africa, this hasn’t been the case. According to a recent report by McKinsey, Africa’s banking sector is projected to grow significantly over the next five years. In fact, it’s nearly twice as profitable as the global average. Looking at retail banking, in 2017, retail bank revenue in Africa was at $35 billion and, according to McKinsey, it’s expected to increase by 8.5 % per year, reaching $53 billion by 2022.
By bringing both digitization and technological innovations into the economies, we are seeing more companies rival new segments with the progressive application of risk analytics. There is also an increased use of non-bank data for customer behavior analytics and proactiveness in looking at credit extensions over a period of time.
Digital transformation  
We have been exploring opportunities in the market to drive digital banking and, in March, we launched our first digital retail bank in Côte d&#8217;Ivoire. This marked the bank’s first digital bank in Africa and the first-of-its-kind launched.
It was the perfect opportunity to launch a fully end-to-end digital bank, with only one physical branch to test our model for future roll-out. The platform allows customers to execute all banking activities from a mobile device, including 70 banking services through the app. In addition, for the first time, the client onboarding journey has been digitised and in under 15 minutes, a client can open a new account through the app. What has also been introduced is the ability for clients to track and trace a request submitted, which is a first for Standard Chartered… We are now preparing to launch digital banks in our other markets across Africa.
Challenges in developing markets
We have faced a number of different challenges in Africa, some of the most common being the heavy reliance on cash and low-banking penetration. The most important challenge in my opinion is to stay ahead of the curve and evolve along with market demands. In today’s digital world, it’s critical that we collaborate with different partners and form alliances in order to provide clients with a convenient and superior customer experience, in line with a rapidly-evolving market.
Investing in technology
We always protect and grow our market share by utilizing our client services and capabilities which keeps us ahead of the competition. We are also putting a heavy focus on digitization, which is one of the key items on the bank’s transformation agenda. We are making strategic investments in technology to stay ahead of the curve and are constantly enhancing our products and services to make banking simpler, more convenient and secure.
A great example of this is the introduction of enhanced digital banking services, including our mobile app, SC Mobile, and Retail Workbench ‘Bank on an iPad’ platform.
<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/entrepreneurs/2018/04/26/banking-on-technology-new-mobile-bank-set-to-launch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Banking On Technology: New Mobile Bank Set To Launch</a>
Promoting inclusiveness
Look at multiple ways of including and empowering women in the banking industry, one of which is providing innovative and tailored products and services designed to suit the needs of women in Africa. This is especially evident in, and made possible by, the digital journey. With enhanced digital and analytic capabilities, we are able to develop solutions which are specifically designed for women, as well as students and entrepreneurs. We are also exploring ways of empowering women and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in banking and hold leadership roles in the industry. A great example of this is our Women in Technology Incubator originally established in the United States and rolled out in Africa in 2017 with Kenya taking the lead.
<div id="attachment_37739" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37739" class="size-medium wp-image-37739" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/JGchosen1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/JGchosen1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/JGchosen1-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/JGchosen1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/JGchosen1-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/JGchosen1.jpg 1241w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Jaydeep Gupta. Photo provided.</div>
Mobile wallets
The digital banking movement in Africa started with the mobile wallet. There are over 100 million active mobile money users in Africa. The mobile wallet has improved the lives of Africans by facilitating participation and accessibility.
We are starting to witness the next generation of products being made available to customers in Africa. A great example of this is the recent widespread use of e-wallets which are beginning to pave the way to less reliance on cash in Africa. Along with less reliance, other benefits like affordability, increased security and greater convenience act as key drivers for customers.
Digital banking in Africa is especially unique because it has the potential to remedy some of the continent’s greatest economic challenges while simultaneously presenting some of the largest opportunities for digital and online banking.
More regulation 
Banking in Africa, and the world, has evolved significantly over the last 10 years. Customers are now demanding more convenient, quick, and easy services from banks. Providing online and mobile platforms is no longer a benefit, but a requirement. We have also seen regulators in Africa more heavily, and frequently, enforce regulation across the continent. This, in turn, has forced banks to adapt and respond to an ever-changing operating environment. Looking at online and mobile banking solutions specifically, banks have not necessarily replaced them, but they are definitely exploring options for updating them in line with these changes and ensuring the security of their customers. For many, this has forced them to think outside of the box.
Robotics and AI over people?
There is no doubt that robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will change the people interface, but it definitely does not mean that it will replace it. If anything, leveraging advancements in technology will only complement customer services and help us be more efficient and targeted. For example, banks today are utilizing AI to analyze financial data in order to provide customers with tailor-made and fully-customizable banking solutions, designed specifically to suit customers’ individual needs.
Advanced analytics 
It’s critical that these capabilities are invested in and continue to be built on. Without proper analytics, companies will struggle to understand consumer behavior. To provide customers with the best possible service, you must understand where they are coming from. Therefore, it is very important that solid collection strategies and procedures are put in place.
<h2>Africa: hotbed of innovation</h2>
<ul>
<li>According to a recent report by McKinsey, over 40% of African banking users prefer to use digital channels for their financial needs. This is no surprise and is indicative of the digital shift we are witnessing across sub-Saharan Africa.</li>
<li>The African banking sector has been described as a ‘hotbed’ of innovation. As Africa begins to enter an exciting era of digitization, innovation will play a key role in unlocking the future potential of banking.</li>
</ul>

Mobile/Contactless Payment

Why Digital Banking Is Unique In Africa

From cattle herder to comedian to liquor businessman, Mashabela Galane is a man of many talents.
This is not a joke. This is the story of South African comedian and entrepreneur Mashabela Galane from the dusty streets of Mmotong Kgohloane village in Limpopo where he once led a life herding cattle.
“Growing up in the rural areas is not easy. You are not sure if you are going to pass [matric], but what you want is to get out of your village [after matric] and move to Johannesburg and make something of your life,” says Galane.
On this warm winter’s afternoon when we meet him, Galane emerges, wearing a coat and holding a bottle of his Moringa Gin product, recently introduced in the South African liquor market.
The man of humble beginnings has an infectious smile – his job is to also make people laugh – and you can sense the pride in his voice as he talks about his life.
In the year 2000, he was a student at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, studying for a bachelor’s degree in performing arts and media studies.
“It was difficult for me when I got to Witwatersrand because I was not used to the environment. I used to think that I was one of the smartest in high school until I arrived at university,” says Galane.
Having never set foot in a library or even been to a career exhibition, he was determined to learn in order to succeed. His motivation was his family – he didn’t want to disappoint them.
“It was very sad to be one of the slowest students in class… But I worked so hard because I told myself that I am here to make it,” he says.
“Most of the students that work really hard at university are the ones that come from the rural areas. Because they know that they need to pass because they have nothing else to fall back on at home unlike those that come from privileged families.”
It was in his third year at university that Galane’s fortune changed, that would literally see him laughing all the way to the bank.
“We used to go to the Witwatersrand theater where we would watch plays and sometimes there would be comedians who would come to perform. When I saw them perform, I knew that this was what I want to do,” he says with a big smile.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/entrepreneurs/2018/10/18/no-wasted-opportunities-for-swazi-entrepreneur/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: No Wasted Opportunities For Swazi Entrepreneur</a>
So he started a society in performing arts intended for students from rural areas.
“So it was then that I started making jokes and I would perform around the residences,” he says.
Though he started his performances in English, he later opted for stand-up comedy in vernacular languages, which turned out in his favor because that is what set him apart in the comedy industry and put him on South Africa’s cultural map.
“There are people who want to laugh in their mother language,” he quips.
“As a vernacular comedian, we have a wider market compared to the English-performing comedians. They would struggle to fill up a 1,000-seater venue at The Lyric Theatre and I can do Big Top Arena [in Johannesburg] and it takes a capacity of 3,500.”
<div id="attachment_37527" style="width: 693px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37527" class="wp-image-37527 size-large" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Mashabela-468-683x1024.jpg" alt="" width="683" height="1024" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Mashabela-468-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Mashabela-468-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Mashabela-468-600x900.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Mashabela-468-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Mashabela-468-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Mashabela-468.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" />Mashabela Galane. Photo by Motlabana Monnakgotla.</div>
In 2008, Galane turned comedy into a profession and recorded his first DVD, Strictly Vernac.
This would be a game-changer earning him plaudits in the world of comedy, and this success spurred him on to also try his luck in the liquor industry as an entrepreneur.
He had saved some of the money he made from his annual stand-up comedy shows.
His future would be as an entrepreneur infusing the organic flavors of the moringa plant, native to parts of Africa, into a distilled spirit.
“Hustling in the comedy industry helped me because it needed me to have a business mentality,” he says of his acumen for enterprise.
He first stumbled upon moringa juice, and then moringa beer, which he only sells at markets.
“Within the first two months, while I was still waiting for the beer to brew, I went to a gin market which had different flavors of gin,” continues Galane.
It is then that he decided to digress from craft beer to craft gin. His first attempt was not successful. The gin tasted like whiskey.
“I didn’t like it, it wasn’t nice. I lost more R300,000 ($20,443) of my savings trying to get it right.”
It has been an arduous journey since. Finding the right packaging not already on the market was a challenge as well as having to provide distributors with the product before they pay.
But the bumpy ride has been worth it, says Galane, because he always knew he would find his entrepreneurial side.
“I have always had the characteristics of a businessman because I used to sell chips at the taxi rank during school holidays.”
Galane is laughing all the way to the bank as his craft gin is available nationwide; soon he will launch an App for placing orders. He plans to also branch into the cosmetics industry using the moringa plant.
He has discovered the serious side of business, and unlike his on-stage alter ego, it’s not funny.

Mashabela-extended1

The Comedian With Spirit

After battling months of treatment, cancer survivors often find a bigger struggle waiting for them when they return to work – the apathy of employers to reintegrate them into the system.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



Brenda Swanepoel (name changed to protect identity) calls herself “a breast cancer warrior”.



The 40-something, who works as a business developer in one of South Africa’s largest law firms, has endured the pain and discomfort of the much-feared doctor’s verdict – “you have cancer”. 



We meet Swanepoel on a warm Thursday morning in her Johannesburg office. Beneath her warm exterior is a woman still grappling with her diagnosis, still battling to adjust to life in the workplace in the aftermath of the ensuing treatment. 



“I was in the shower in December 2016 and something in me said ‘check your breast’. I used to be fairly diligent about it but I hadn’t gone for a mammogram for a long time,” she says. 



She clearly felt a lump.



“It was the size of a lymph node. I thought I better not be procrastinating this so I went to a radiologist,” says Swanepoel. 



The doctor told her she suspected breast cancer. The words cut deep into her being, eating her up as cancer does. 



“When he told me that it could be breast cancer, I knew I had cancer. I was lying on the bed and one little tear crept out of my eye.” 



That evening, she got home and told her partner of 25 years that the vacations they were intending on taking on weekends would be replaced by visits to the oncologist. 



In January last year, the doctor confirmed she had cancer. Her life was going to change forever. 



For the next six months, cancer dictated her diary. Seeing other cancer patients at the oncologist&#8217;s ward when she went for her first chemotherapy brought a further sense of denial. 



“I was like this is not really happening,” says Swanepoel. 



But the reality of cancer would soon kick in. She underwent the first of three operations within a week of being diagnosed. 



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“I called my partner and said ‘we have to go to the breast surgeon at half past three’ and he said ‘I don’t do hospitals and I don’t do doctors’,” she says. </blockquote>



He was unsupportive throughout the duration of her chemo-treatment and she eventually parted ways with him. 



“One thing that you would always hear from any warrior is ‘the hardest part of their journey was their partners’,” she says. 



Her advice to them is to always put themselves first. 



“This is all about you, this journey is about you. Everyone else has to pull themselves together. It is all about you and your healing journey,” says Swanepoel.



The journey to recovery does not just affect your family and those close to you, the more painful fact is that it also has an impact on your career. 



Swanepoel was among the luckier few – in the beginning.



“My firm was amazing, they wanted me to go on leave…I thought they were out of their mind, I didn’t want any one’s pity because work is work. My attitude was that I am on a healing journey.”



She would work from home during the days she had chemotherapy and she could cope with the workload. 



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“I was tired but I was coping at that stage. I did not want it [the breast cancer] to beat me. The firm was supportive and understanding because we have had a few cancer warriors in the firm.” </blockquote>



The treatment stages advanced and her work started to suffer as she was bereft of energy and struggled to focus. 



Some of the side-effects of chemo are constant nausea and weight-loss, in addition to excessive fatigue. 



“It started getting harder because I had to have weekly chemotherapy and on the day, I would be out of it, I would be gone. I would be sleepy on the chair and I would sleep at home, as you get your head up, it would be chemotherapy again. My firm tried to get me to go on special leave but I was resistant, but on the other hand, I was exhausting my sick days,” says Swanepoel. 



She ended up taking four months off for treatment and two months to recover. The medical leave was covered by an insurance policy her firm had for employees which pays them while they&#8217;re on leave.



Throughout the process, she was grateful; she also attended therapy to help deal with the situation. 



She returned to work in March this year, but says re-adjusting mentally and physically to the workplace is something medication can’t help with. 



“The hardest part of my journey has been coming back to work. It’s is not only about adjusting [to the work environment] after being away for six months, but the stamina you need for work is very different to the stamina you need for anything else,” she says. 



The reintegration has been stressful and she says a constructive, planned program of support at her organization has been missing since her returning to work full-time. 



“I didn’t realize how exhausted I was. People think because you were away for so long, you were resting, forgetting that you were injected with medication which exhausted you on a regular basis. You were not on holiday, you were healing and surviving,” she says.



It is a popular belief that cancer ends with chemotherapy.



“So everyone had this attitude, that cancer was last year so everything is normal this year. But that is not the case, a year of treatment requires a year of the recovery period,” says Swanepoel. 



And recovery is the hardest. 



READ MORE | <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/life/2015/12/01/from-selling-bras-to-beating-breast-cancer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="From Selling Bras To Beating Breast Cancer (opens in a new tab)">From Selling Bras To Beating Breast Cancer</a>



“You are not the same person you were. You have gone through major physical trauma and you have gone through major mental trauma.” 



One of the major setbacks of cancer is hair loss. 



“Hair represents beauty…it is also very much a part of your identity and the image you want to project to the world. So when you don’t have it, you are left naked,” she says. 



This is why she is adamant South African companies should have a standardized policy in place for cancer patients and survivors. This includes options such as extra leave days for treatment, as well as a proper structured support for reintegration of survivors back into the system.



“Companies really need to wake up to the fact the two occupational diseases that are going to affect them in years to come are cancer and mental illness,” she says. 



Currently, Swanepoel is working towards providing the necessary support to other cancer patients battling the disease. 







Johannesburg-based oncologist Dr Omondi Ogude says the pressures in the workplace can affect cancer patients based on residual side-effects and they may take a couple of months to disappear. 



“There is a cognitive issue that some patients get which is called a ‘chemo brain’. They have short-term memory, where they may forget people’s names and it takes some time for some people to recover and unfortunately it is not some well-described or written-about side effect but patients complain about it a lot especially after the first couple of months of treatment,” says Ogude.



Ogude adds that cancer patients may struggle to be productive in their jobs after treatment so he suggests extensive communication between oncologists and corporate companies for a better understanding of the disease. 



“The best aspect is interacting with the doctors and the patients from the get-go to understand what the nature of the problem is and how long they are going to be on treatment. And also understand the potential side-effects that are expected,” he says. 



He also suggests companies have realistic timeframes and goals regarding when the patient would be at work and how they should be reintegrated just as they would with an employee who has been in a car accident.



“I think one of the problems is that cancer patients don’t look as ill as people perceive them to be. They look normal and a lot of them might still have their hair after chemotherapy and because they look normal, people might have a very short memory about what they have gone through. But even though they look well on the outside, they might not feel well inside and emotionally and physically as well,” says Ogude. 



He also says some patients may experience problems with their nerves, which could make it difficult for them to type. 



“So it is about being conscious at work and understanding that they have gone through all of these things; so allow them to work partly at home,” he offers. 



One in four South Africans is affected by cancer, according to Lathasha Subban, the Director of Tri-Core Specialist Advisory. The survival rate is only six out of 10. 



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“This disease is impacting our workforces and our families. The disease does not discriminate, and the awareness around the cancer needs more support and advocates. There is much work to do,” she says.</blockquote>



Subban, whose company deals with human resource management, business strategy, coaching and policy development within the workplace, says that in her experience, people with cancer stood the risk of being boarded off, needed more sick leave than the norm, and are worried as to whether or not their medical aid would be sufficient to cover their expenses. 



“We realized that cancer was becoming more common in the workplace, and human resource managers and directors needed to understand that this disease was growing more rapidly, and it needed significant attention and planning,” says Subban.



She says that according to the Breast Cancer Control Policy by the Department of Health, South Africa (June 2017), breast cancer and cervical cancer are the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in South African women, together accounting for 38.5% of all cancers diagnosed in women. 



“We also found that people didn’t know how to handle the stress of someone related to them being diagnosed with cancer. And when they themselves have cancer, then the stress is heightened over the worry of costs and surviving the disease,” says Subban. 



Subban emphasizes that as much as wellness programs are in place, cancer patients are left out as cancer is very different from other diseases such as HIV/AIDS.



“People diagnosed with cancer have no control over their illness, so employers need to be able to apply their empathy and create knowledge programs and awareness around the sensitivity and seriousness of cancer,” says Subban.



“Cancer is not like flu where you just go on antibiotics or you go and get a flu jab. Cancer does not only impact the physical body, it is a mental, psychological, personal and sensitive breakdown of a person,” she says. 



This is why empathy is needed by both parties.



“To create the best solutions, always put yourself in the employee’s position and the employer’s position. You need to support the affected employee, whilst managing the fairness to other employees in the workplace. Companies need to find that middle ground in this aspect. Nothing stops you from creating those policies for employees who have cancer. The workplace needs that innovation and companies should lead in this respect.” says Subban.



Addi Lang had a booming business supplying talent to advertising agencies until she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. After undergoing chemotherapy and mastectomy, she stopped going for tests when her last results were unclear. 



Now, she is on a mission to spread awareness and about treatment options available through the Forever Changed Global Awareness Campaign, which she has co-founded which her partner David Salomon. The campaign serves as a roadmap for newly-diagnosed cancer patients. 



They are working with the SA Board for People Practices (SABPP) and global organizations to change the legislation around people battling with cancer in the workplace. 



“In South Africa, there is no formal policy for cancer patients in the workplace. Whereas, in the United Kingdom, cancer is a disability in the workplace, it is recognized and acknowledged. But in South Africa, it has not been on any one’s agenda, until we reached Parliament, after our recent press conference,” says Lang. 



Lang and Salomon have developed a corporate program accredited by SABPP called ‘Live Life Deliberately’ and is a wellness solution within the Forever Changed Global Awareness Campaign. 
The program involves intervention with managers and line managers who need to understand what the cancer journey is (from diagnosis to treatment and then reintegration) and the impact on companies. 



The purpose is to prevent employees from collapsing after diagnosis, and offer step-by-step solutions for the company in developing policy for chronic illness and cancer-specific programs. 



“If no one in your company has been touched directly by cancer, it is not going to be an important item for human resource to address; it is like an elephant in the room until somebody in your staff has cancer, and then it is too late. We are saying companies need to be proactive instead of reactive,” she says. 



She added that there are financial implications as well for the company. 



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“Because now the company has got to start getting other staff members to cover [work not done by the cancer patient] for them,” says Lang. </blockquote>



Annually, more than 100,000 people are diagnosed with cancer. The Lancet Medical Journal indicates that South Africans can expect to see a 78% increase in cancer cases by 2030.



According to the World Health Assembly Cancer Resolution event held in Switzerland in 2017, cancer is estimated to cost world economies as much as $1.16 trillion annually. They project the figure will grow exponentially if action is not taken now to reduce the spiralling growth in the number of cases and the impact on both individuals and healthcare budgets. 



“The greatest financial and human impact of cancer is felt within low- and middle-income countries, where only 5% of global resources for cancer prevention and control are spent,” read the outcome of the assembly. 



Claudelle Naidoo, Head of Insights &amp; New Business Director, MediaCom South Africa, says it is the responsibility of organizations to be active in dealing with cancer in the workplace. 



“Every organization should put their people first and in doing so, having a process to deal with serious illnesses in the workplace should naturally be in place. This will empower any organization to deal with the situation and be able to assist the employee in the best way possible without compromising the business,” says Naidoo.



Cancer awareness in the workplace has increased and it now has the attention of parliament. How soon effective policies will be formulated is the question, before time runs out for most patients. 



One thing is for sure, warriors such as Lang and Swanepoel will keep up the fight for their seat at the table.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



What needs to be done? • Acknowledge the concern • Get the stats in your workplace • Start educating and sensitizing • Look at your policies • Look at the stress levels and causes • Accept the responsibility that cancer is real and common • Look at affordability – pay and medical aid • Quality of life • Value and support • Be aware

FRANCE-HEALTH-CANCER

Cancer in the workplace

The CEO and co-founder of FORT, Shukri Toefy, a creative production company present in five African countries, speaks about a ‘youth board’ and why failure has never been an option for him.

<ol>
<li> What are your plans for promoting youth development in Africa?</li>
</ol>
They are our future target market that will consume our content. [The stance] is so important for us that we started a youth board [with people] in their early 20s and we can ask them what is cool. [We ask them] is Snapchat still cool and are they still on Instagram? Because as we get older [as a way] to future-proof our company, we need to have our ear to the ground to know what young people are talking about. As the CEO of a creative agency, I have quarterly meetings with my youth board in which I speak to them to find out what are they wearing, where are they going and what is cool and not cool anymore, so that I can be better resourced to implement that with my clients and the rest of the people. It is a cool way of future-proofing who we are and what we do.
<ol start="2">
<li>What was your biggest risk?</li>
</ol>
It was starting our network across Africa. I think we put a lot of money in opening our offices in Kenya and Nigeria. If we count the flights, legal structures etc. it would be an estimate of R2 million ($136,000) to R3 million ($204,000).
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/7-questions-with/2018/09/03/37097/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: 7 Questions with Award Winning Designer – Paledi Segapo</a>
<ol start="3">
<li> What has been your greatest challenge in the industry?</li>
</ol>
Our greatest challenge right now is that when we are in recessionary times, [so usually] marketing and communications is the first thing that is to be cut. Secondly, independently, African companies don’t have the financial backing that some of these globally-owned agencies have. So they don’t have the ability to go out and scale up [on production] like they could.
<ol start="4">
<li> Who is the most influential person you have worked with?</li>
</ol>
The Oxford facilitator I met in June…gave me a different perspective on life and I came back with so many tools on how to see the world and view things. He calmed me down.
<ol start="5">
<li>Your views on mentorship&#8230;</li>
</ol>
I have had the benefit of having coffee or breakfast with highly successful people and I think that is one of the most valuable things you could have as an entrepreneur, to actually have people that you could bounce off ideas with. That you could learn from them and their mistakes and they could guide you.
<ol start="6">
<li> Your biggest fear…</li>
</ol>
I am not fearful of failing because I don’t think failure is an option. I just don’t see it. It is not constructed for me…You can’t beat me. Today you might beat me and tomorrow it will be me [on top of things] because I see it as all part of my journey.
<ol start="7">
<li> What would you say to your 16-year-old self?</li>
</ol>
Slow down and enjoy the ride because it goes so quickly. I was in a hurry to try and take advantage of every opportunity that I had. [As a young person] you have that militancy in you to say ‘you need to take every opportunity that comes your way’. I think that is why I am here but you later realize that it is all part of the journey and there is no such thing as failure. It is about failing forward and it is about failing often. And it is about seeing it as a much bigger journey rather than your day-to-day failures.
 
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Why Youth Can Future-Proof A Company

Paul Cook, co-Managing Director of Silvertree Internet Holdings, the investment growth partner behind some of South Africa’s internet brands, on what startup companies must do to survive.

<h3>Resilience</h3>
There are many reasons why a business could fail within the first year. In some cases, the plan itself does not make sense and in some cases, it is the execution of it that fails. Whenever someone starts a business, they are often doing it out of a sense of personal passion or a sense of excitement and that can lead to overly optimistic projections, and we see this all the time.
There is always going to be a tough period during the first year or two when reality bites. It will happen in some way and it will happen in some form – there will be some piece of bad luck or a difficult time. It is at this time a real make-or-break situation happens.
If you have the right people around you, if you have the right personal resilience; that is what gets companies through.
If you don’t get past that point, the business fails. It is about resilience when you start a new company.
By definition, you don’t know what is going to happen…no matter how hard you plan for a new business, you will face unexpected events.
&nbsp;
<h3>Planning</h3>
Make sure that you are good for the good and bad times during your entrepreneurial journey.
Your family too should be ready for the good and bad times&#8230; Try and build the right partnerships earlier on. Make sure that your relationships with whoever might be funding you – if there is an external funder – is right.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-37233 size-large" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Paul-Cook-553-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="740" height="493" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Paul-Cook-553-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Paul-Cook-553-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Paul-Cook-553-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Paul-Cook-553-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Paul-Cook-553.jpg 1241w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" />
<blockquote>&#8220;No matter how hard you plan for a new business, you will face unexpected events.&#8221;</blockquote>
<h3>Finances</h3>
You should not be seeking funding for its own sake. It is very seductive to suddenly have a lot of money in the bank. You can also fail if you don’t have money, but if you have too much money, then you are tempted to focus on the wrong Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Your objective in a startup is not to raise money; it is not to build revenue for its own sake, it is to build a business.
A business requires cost-control and it requires good unit economics. The more money you have in the bank, the harder it is to focus on cost-control. What you will end up doing is build a business that keeps growing but could never make any money&#8230; Also, if you raise too much money as an entrepreneur, you will end up not taking as many good terms [in deals] as you can.
Have a clear mind about what you want to get out of an investment&#8230;If you have proven as much as you can with a certain amount of money, you will be able to invest in marketing, stocks etc., then that makes sense.
<h3>Communication</h3>
When you are at an early stage of your business and are less than 10 employees, typically, everybody is in, not because of the salary but because of their passion for the business. You need to be a team and everybody needs to be on the same page.The period when you grow, from 10 to 50 employees, then all of a sudden, that is no longer the case. That is an extremely dangerous time for many companies.
We have seen several companies not succeeding, and that is a very sad part of the journey. It is then that you need to think who your core management is, [and] who are staff who don’t necessarily need to know everything. But you can also go too far the other way. Everyone needs to know the broad outlines of your thinking; keep the message simple for your team.
<h3>Transparency</h3>
Be honest about where you need help and make sure your partners are able to help you on those topics. You should look at all the different [aspects] of your business.
<h3>Marketing and sales</h3>
Marketing and sales are absolutely vital, it is non-negotiable. But how you do it depends on your business. In some cases, it is going to be marketing and in some cases, it is going to be sales. So you need to work out the strategy and how it will be different as well.
<h3>Tips ForStartup Success</h3>
<ol>
<li>Build a business that can make money: We are very tempted to copy Silicon Valley’s approach where you come up with an idea and you work out how to make money at a later stage. That makes sense in Silicon Valley but it doesn’t make sense here [in Africa], because there isn’t that tonne of money that is going to postpone your day of reckoning…You need to have a revenue model and whatever you are selling needs to be a lot more than your cost price.</li>
<li>Find the right business partner: If you look for investment, make sure that you find the right partner whose incentives and offerings match your own, for now, and in the future.</li>
<li>Build resilience: Make sure you are ready for tough times because there will be tough times.</li>
</ol>

Author: Melitta Ngalonkulu

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA