Our tech guru rounds up the coolest tools for 2021 and beyond. 



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-lifesmart-magic-mirror">1. LIFESMART MAGIC MIRROR</h4>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/LifeSmart-Magic-Mirror-1024x894.png" alt="" class="wp-image-49412" width="508" height="443" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/LifeSmart-Magic-Mirror-1024x894.png 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/LifeSmart-Magic-Mirror-300x262.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/LifeSmart-Magic-Mirror-768x671.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/LifeSmart-Magic-Mirror-1536x1342.png 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/LifeSmart-Magic-Mirror-600x524.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/LifeSmart-Magic-Mirror.png 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 508px) 100vw, 508px" /></figure></div>



The Magic Mirror merges fashion with technology. It can be mounted at a central location like the entrance to the home, the bedroom or the bathroom. It has smart features that let you control supported home appliances, similar to a smart speaker. It features an auto-wake-up function, health management, voice control, entertainment functions, and has a built-in camera. The Magic Mirror is Android-powered and runs on a MediaTek chip with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of memory. You simply scan a QR code to set up and select personal preferences. 



R29,995 ($1,915) from Mikrotech.co.za



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-samsung-galaxy-z-fold-2">2. SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD 2</h4>



The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is the gadget to own for early adopters. Samsung’s newest folding screen device is an incredible piece of tech, boasting an ultra-thin glass top over last year’s plastic one. The Infinity-O display, 120Hz refresh rate and multi-tasking capabilities make it a pleasure to use. Add to it a triple lens camera, 5G support, a massive fast-charging battery and what more could you want? If this is the future of mobile, we’re excited.



R46,995 ($3,000) from Samsung stores.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-ipad-air-64gb-cellular">3. IPAD AIR (64GB CELLULAR)</h4>



The new iPad Air takes Work From Anywhere to another level. Weighing just under 500g, it runs on Apple’s fastest A14 Bionic chip and is more powerful than most PCs. Plus, the pencil and keyboard accessories give you flexibility on what you can do or how creative you get to be. It has a 10.9-inch display, narrow bezels and 12MP camera; ideally suited for today’s environment as a result of the global pandemic. Work or play, it has an excellent battery life. This sleek tablet now comes in pastel hues like blue, green and pink, in addition to silver and grey. 



R14,999 ($958) at the iStore.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-ring-video-doorbell-3">4. RING VIDEO DOORBELL 3</h4>



Amazon’s popular Ring Video Doorbell 3 is now available in South Africa for the first time. For added peace of mind, it has motion detection and live view, above its two-way talk system. It features a 1080p full HD camera, enhanced dual-band 2.4-5Ghz WiFi connectivity and Alexa support. It works with the user-friendly Ring app, accessible from a mobile device. The adjustable Near Zone feature detects motion within 1.5m to 4.5m from the front door. Privacy features support areas that can be excluded from the camera’s field of view and the ability to turn off video or audio recording.



R3,999 ($255) from Takealot.com



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-smeg-d-g-espresso-machine">5. SMEG D&amp;G ESPRESSO MACHINE</h4>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Smeg-DG-Espresso-1024x955.png" alt="" class="wp-image-49414" width="377" height="351" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Smeg-DG-Espresso-1024x955.png 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Smeg-DG-Espresso-300x280.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Smeg-DG-Espresso-768x716.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Smeg-DG-Espresso-1536x1432.png 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Smeg-DG-Espresso-600x559.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Smeg-DG-Espresso.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 377px) 100vw, 377px" /></figure></div>



The Smeg Dolce &amp; Gabanna manual espresso machine is for serious coffee-lovers who also appreciate a touch of luxury. This retro statement piece with its Sicilian-inspired geometric pattern deserves a special spot in the kitchen. It has a removable 1L tank, adjustable coffee temperature and supports three cup sizes (Ristretto, Espresso and Lungi) with a milk froth function. Other features include an anti-drip system, descaling indicator and adjustable stand-by times between nine minutes to three hours. The 1350W espresso machine is made in Italy. 



R24,699 ($1,576) from Yuppiechef.com



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-6-jekyll-hide-montana-backpack">6. JEKYLL &amp; HIDE MONTANA BACKPACK</h4>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Jekyll-Hyde-Backpack-784x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-49411" width="336" height="438" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Jekyll-Hyde-Backpack-784x1024.png 784w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Jekyll-Hyde-Backpack-230x300.png 230w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Jekyll-Hyde-Backpack-768x1003.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Jekyll-Hyde-Backpack-1176x1536.png 1176w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Jekyll-Hyde-Backpack-300x392.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Jekyll-Hyde-Backpack-600x784.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Jekyll-Hyde-Backpack.png 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 336px) 100vw, 336px" /></figure></div>



The Montana overnight business backpack from Jekyll &amp; Hide is stylish and durable, made from full-grain leather available in a beautiful colt shade. The layout is organized with compartments for a laptop, tablet, travel documents, business cards, cables, pens, etc. Its dimensions are 31 x 15 x 45cm and have secure fastening straps; a front zipped pocket, and a secure RFID slot to protect bank cards and passports from identity theft. The main zipped pocket has dedicated 15” laptop and tablet slots. As an overnighter, the middle compartment accommodates a change of clothes or shoes.



R6,999 ($447) at JekyllandHide.co.za



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-7-under-armour-hovr-machina">7. UNDER ARMOUR HOVR MACHINA</h4>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/UA-Hovr-Machina-1024x633.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49415" width="380" height="234" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/UA-Hovr-Machina-1024x633.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/UA-Hovr-Machina-300x186.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/UA-Hovr-Machina-768x475.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/UA-Hovr-Machina-1536x950.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/UA-Hovr-Machina-2048x1267.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/UA-Hovr-Machina-600x371.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 380px) 100vw, 380px" /></figure></div>



If lockdown had you turn to fitness, check out Under Armour’s Hovr Machina running shoes. The Bluetooth-powered sneaker connects to a smartphone app to provide stats like step count, cadence, stride length, foot strike angle, etc. It also acts as a real-time running coach with personalized guidance, and how to better manage the risk of injury while improving performance. The Hovr Machina provides a ‘zero gravity feel’ through its responsive carbon-plated propulsion soles and has the right amount of cushioning. It’s comfortable to wear when not training and suitable for marathons and long distances. Available in sizes for men and women in various shades.



R2,999 ($191) at UnderArmour.co.za



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-8-sony-playstation-5">8. SONY PLAYSTATION 5</h4>



Sony’s much-anticipated next-generation gaming console has landed in time for the holiday season. The PlayStation 5’s futuristic design has gained a lot of attention since its reveal but given the uptake in gaming during lockdown globally, it’s a no-brainer. There will be two variants available, one with an optical drive and one without. The PS5 supports graphics up to 4K, a high-speed 825GB SSD, and 3D audio on its wireless controller. Exclusive titles at launch include Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Sackboy A Big Adventure, and Horizon Forbidden West. Digital Edition:



R9,999 ($638) and Blu-Ray: R11,999 ($766) via Raru.co.za



Dollar prices are approximates as per the exchange rate at the time of going to press.



 &#8211;BY NAFISA AKABOR

Black Friday

Luxury Gift Guide: A Mirror With Memory?

Ravos-135

The Man Who Founded One Of Africa’s Luxurious Trains

Indian billionaire and chairman emeritus of Max Group, Analjit Singh, a <a href="/cover-story/2015/07/01/man-pouring-millions-rich-slice-africa/">FORBES AFRICA cover in 2015</a>, says he is increasing his investments in the hospitality sector in South Africa. On a visit to Johannesburg mid-May, Singh spoke to FORBES AFRICA of his bias towards the Cape. In four years since setting up a base and “home away from home” in the Franschhoek winelands of Cape Town, he has “17 land holdings here and substantial hectarage under wine cultivation”. He established the Leeu Collection here, and now owns three hotels, five restaurants and an award-winning wine business.
<blockquote>
I am a citizen of the world. Why must I only be in India?
</blockquote>
says the Founder and Chairman of Max India Limited with diverse interests in life insurance, healthcare, health insurance and senior living.
He has been ranked by FORBES as one of India’s richest, with a net worth of $1.2 billion. Singh is a partner in Mullineux &amp; Leeu Family Wines, which produces wines in the Swartland wine region, some 800 kilometers north of Cape Town. This is overseen by winemaking duo Chris and Andrea Mullineux. He runs a 17-key country house and winery on Leeu Estates, a 68-hectare farm in the Franschhoek valley, and secures wine from 50 vineyards in Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. In the charming one-road village of Franschhoek, he also renovated Leeu House into a 12-room hotel that’s “very Cape Dutch” featuring thatched roofs, gables with plaster art, shutters and stable doors. He has also installed on both sides of the large garden, statues of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi – bought at the Everard Read art gallery in Johannesburg.
<div id="attachment_31779" style="width: 1031px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31779" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-31779 size-full" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Analjit-Singh-Leeu-Estate-Manor-House-Façade-photo-supplied-e1496233976739.jpg" alt="" width="1021" height="512" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Analjit-Singh-Leeu-Estate-Manor-House-Façade-photo-supplied-e1496233976739.jpg 1021w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Analjit-Singh-Leeu-Estate-Manor-House-Façade-photo-supplied-e1496233976739-300x150.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Analjit-Singh-Leeu-Estate-Manor-House-Façade-photo-supplied-e1496233976739-600x301.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Analjit-Singh-Leeu-Estate-Manor-House-Façade-photo-supplied-e1496233976739-768x385.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1021px) 100vw, 1021px" />The Leeu Estate Manor House. Photo supplied</div>
Incidentally, the gallery has just opened in Franschhoek as well, in partnership with Leeu Collection. At the Heritage Square piazza a few meters away, he opened Marigold, the town’s first Indian restaurant, and, again a first for Franschhoek, he set up Tuk Tuk, a craft beer microbrewery. He says it is now the most happening place in Franschhoek. “I am not done yet in Franschhoek,” says Singh. “I was looking for new vistas and personal renewal, so Franschoek appealed. I have found such connect and sense of place here.”
<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/cover-story/2015/07/01/man-pouring-millions-rich-slice-africa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The man pouring millions into a rich slice of Africa</a>
With a “substantial, high-end presence” in the winelands, Singh’s boutique winery targets the export markets of the United Kingdom, some parts of America, Europe and is just about making an entry into Asia.
Singh, who fell in love with South Africa when he first visited the country in 2010 for the FIFA World Cup, spends more than three months a year here. “I fired myself as the chairman of most companies [in the Max Group], I have no operational responsibilities. My level of involvement is almost negligible,” says Singh.
South Africa’s recent downgrading and all the noise in the current political environment is clearly no deterrent for the international investor. “We can be victims of analysis paralysis… If you spoke to someone in France 10 days ago, they would say don’t invest in France. Look at it now, they say ‘invest in France’,” he says.
He has also now acquired properties in Lake District, Florence and London. With a total of “68 keys combined in all properties” around the world, he says this will grow to 105 by the end of next year.
Singh’s long-term vision is to venture into game parks and safaris in this part of Africa, and he is also currently looking at the education space in South Africa.

Analjit Singh

Indian Billionaire Singh Not Done Yet In South Africa

It is perfectly possible to be in Mauritius and not see a spot of sea.
As a business traveler, if you are staying in any one of the upscale business hotels in the central business district of Ebene, where most men in sharp suits ponder the fate of the island as a gateway to Africa, the white sandy beaches and rhythmic Sega dances in the charming fishing villages are but a distant laidback dream.
This is an economy working overtime, with a new ambitious government and a population weaning off idyllic vistas of just the surf, sand and sea, and wanting much, much more – quicker.
“This country got rich too soon,” says Sattar Hajee Abdoula, CEO and Head of Taxation and Advisory Services at Grant Thornton in Mauritius. “So everyone is aspiring to be rich.”
We are driving back in Abdoula’s white Mercedes convertible after a sumptuous three-course dinner in the plush, green, valley-facing home of one of Mauritius’ most-successful senior bankers.
“The mind-set has totally changed in the country,” says Abdoula matter-of-factly, pulling into the driveway of the classy Hennessy Park Hotel in Ebene Cybercity where a room can cost up to $220 a night.
It’s Friday night, and the hotel’s parking lot is packed to the rafters. The swanky customers and swarthy bouncers are all headed to the swish Backstage Lounge Bar in the hotel’s ground floor that has at its entrance an arty installation of a collage of inverted guitars, and once you walk in, meandering hallways that lead to live music and the bar, where hordes of young men in leather jackets and women in lacy tank tops writhe in unison on the dance floor.
Somewhere in the distance, away from the island’s commercial heart, the high tide and the moon, resembling a nail in the sky, succumb to nature’s chorus, as the fierce waves lash on to the shores of this green island in the Indian Ocean.
The land once home to the dodo is a biodiversity hotspot. You hear inspiring stories of people moving to organic farming and the growing prevalence of permaculture; even tales of the pink pigeon that has been heroically saved from extinction. Everywhere you look, swaying sugarcane plantations, and the sweet smell of money.
There is a profusion of green on land and blue in the ocean: and both economies are being revamped by the country’s scientist-president, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim.
The natural resources of Mauritius were a big draw card for CIDP, which runs a sophisticated facility here for high-performance research and clinical trials, sourcing active ingredients for pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies around the world.
“Mauritius is the hotspot for diversity, with a multi-ethnic population we can access for trials,” says Claire Blazy-Jauzac, Group Managing Director of CIDP.
The island is a rich repository of fauna and flora known for several indigenous species – and not just the extinct dodo. Its farming practises are rated among the best in Africa.
“Africa is lanes and streets and cities behind Mauritius when it comes to agricultural practices,” says MD Ramesh, President and Regional Head South and East Africa for Olam, Africa’s leading agri-business.
“Mauritius has a great talent for agriculture and is far better than most of Africa.”
Durban-based Ramesh says he is seriously considering moving to Mauritius when he retires and is actively seeking a Mauritius passport.
Visitors to Mauritius’ gleaming new airport terminals will see the first signs of a country prospering from tourism dollars. For those seeking retirement, the climate – both political and weather – is conducive, says Ramesh.
To most, the tax haven is a haven for more reasons than one, including the comfortable lifestyle it offers, access to amenities and most importantly, the fresh seafood. The juicy prawn curry and rice in any of the eateries in the village of Moka, called the heart of the island, is worth arriving in the country for.
You also can’t miss the bounties of the land. Robert Gordon-Gentil converted a sugarcane field into a thriving restaurant business 15 years ago. Chez Tante Athalie at Pamplemousses in Grand Baie serves authentic Creole cuisine on weekdays for lunch. In its front yard are hulking trees Gordon-Gentil planted with his own hands when they first started; he sources all his ingredients for the restaurant from this garden. Here, he also displays his collection of vintage cars. The foreigners and diners love the assortment of cars and cuisine. Occasionally, Gordon-Gentil also drives his old cars to town, making sure they don’t stutter to a stop on the way.
Surprisingly for a small island-nation of 1.3 million people, peak-time traffic on the arterial roads, especially in Port Louis, is a nightmare. It’s best to set aside enough time to traverse between different parts of the island that the locals categorize simply as East, West, South and North. Also watch out for stray dogs that are rampant and a serious problem in Mauritius.
Getting around is expensive.
“Mauritius presents a real business case for Uber,” says 26-year-old freelance photographer Keshawve Jeewon, who runs his company GrandMoments, offering photography and videography services by the picturesque mountains of Flacq district.
He drives his dad’s old Ford pick-up truck when scouring the island for work, but owns an Audi A4 sedan for his social sojourns.
“An Uber-like service should be started as soon as possible. Someone will get rich very soon,” says Jeewon, almost as if he had been toying with the idea himself.
In the distance, as we drive past verdant Verdun, he symbolically points to Mauritius’ second-highest mountain named Pieter Both, characterized by a rocky formation at the top resembling a human head, in thought.
It’s in contemplative mode looking for new horizons of opportunity, like young Jeewon, and the country itself.

DCIM100MEDIADJI_0095.JPG

The Sweet Smell Of Money, Sans The Sea

Many people talk about South Africa’s Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba and his shiny tailored suits – few know they are designed by an African and made by an Italian. They are the work of designer, Linda Makhanya.
<blockquote>
I am well aware that the branding of Italy and London are stronger than the branding of Africa because they’ve invested a lot in their craftsmanship and it goes through generations. They’ve mastered their arts of craftsmanship, that’s why they are the world’s best
</blockquote>
When we meet Makhanya at the Marion on Nicol Hotel, in Sandton, he’s sporting a well-fitted grey suit he designed himself. “When I stand in the mirror I feel like nothing is impossible, like success is my potion and that I deserve the best just by wearing a suit,” says Makhanya.
The 31-year- old Makhanya started LM Tailored Suit in 2012 and has been flourishing ever since. He sells up to 50 suits a month. His clients include the Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula and Bheki Cele, South Africa’s former head of police. He now wants to design suits for women in boardrooms.
Makhanya says he used to wear his suits every day in Sandton, Africa’s richest square mile, and it led to a chance encounter in 2011.
“I met a guy through a friend and I was wearing a suit. He complimented me. He gave me his business card, I contacted him and told him that I am going to give him the best clothes that are not in this country, and for us to start I need R50,000 ($3,900). It was enough to source clothes and buy more stock to sell. Then the money started coming,” says Makhanya.
It hasn’t stopped since then.

Linda-Makhanya-018

Meet The Man Behind Gigaba’s Shiny Suits

Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati. There is an exciting ring to those names, but that ring comes at a price.
And you can expect to forfeit a dowry of more than $200,000 to marry into the top-end of these Italian families.
But there is a classy cousin with style, performance and the badge that turns heads… coming in at around a third of the asking price – a shade over $80,000.
The Maserati Ghibli is offering Italian supercar style and status in the luxury executive car segment after an absence of nearly two decades.
Clearly in the sights of the new entry-level Maserati are the Mercedes Benz E-Class, BMW’s 5 Series, Audi’s A6, the Jaguar XF and a host of other sporty saloons which have a slightly leaner price tag.
If the name Ghibli seems familiar, it was originally a V8 Grand Tourer released in 1967 and then a four-seater coupe in 1992.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-4786" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Nattakit-Jeerapatmaitree-Shutterstock.com--300x201.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="201" />
It seems that Maserati, now nestling under the massive Fiat Chrysler empire, decided a few years ago to do something special for its 100th birthday and build a scaled-down Quattroporte limo for the moderately well heeled.
And, like the wind it is named after, the Ghibli has blown apart all the tired sales figures for the brand.
In automotive terms it doesn’t really make sense, especially in recent years of conservative global growth, and at times decline.
It’s hard to comprehend that Maserati sold a mere 6,200 units in 2012 and almost seven times that number last year – with the Ghibli clearly leading the charge for growth.
And that’s before the next major model release, the Levante luxury SUV arrives to cross swords with the Porsche Cayenne and Range Rover Sport.
Heady days for the assembly line at the new Giovanni Agnelli plant in Turin and also some extra shifts for Ferrari, in Modena, crafting the Maserati-designed engines.
It’s a belated tribute to the Maserati brothers, Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Mario, Ettore and Ernesto, who were all involved with automobiles from the beginning of the 20th century.
It was all about racing in the formative years. Then in 1926 the production of two-liter Grand Prix cars for Diatto was suspended and the first Maserati was engineered bearing the now famous marque.
When you see the Ghibli in the flesh you may want to give Marco Tencone, head of design since 2009, a pat on the back.
It may be called an entry level Maserati, but it lines up against the big guns on the showroom floor without any reflection of the smaller dent in your bank balance.
Its eye-catching, flowing lines which radiate from the iconic, but rather daunting, grille hold your breath all the way to the menacing exhausts without ending in a disappointing Panamera-like rear.
What I like about the interior is the classic simplicity. Essentialism rules in this design, where no controls are there for the sake of fashion, the dials are stark and clear and the multimedia screen and system is superbly logical.
But don’t mistake a lack of frills with a lack of exclusivity and craftsmanship.
“The fact is that, with Maserati, you bespoke your car. The combinations are endless and it’s not a luxury car unless you can personalize and tailor it for the specific customer,” says Rens Rademeyer, General Manager at Maserati Johannesburg.
“The focus is on the quality of workmanship and materials.”
To be honest, I was expecting a rather sedate drive in the Ghibli S. But the acceleration is rampant and at times it’s difficult not to wheel spin at the lights.
All the Ghibli models, including the ground-breaking diesel, are powered by V6 3-liter twin turbo engines. The five-second S gets that extra boost thanks to some fine engine mapping and components.
On the negative side, there was a perceptive turbo lag which seemed to be minimized in manual and the rather sturdy oversized paddles are a lot more fun to communicate directly with the eight-speed ZF transmission.
That’s possibly why the gear selector seemed a tad finicky and seemed to stray into manual if not closely monitored.
The ride is superbly smooth and the Ghibli glides over the plethora of city speed humps without the neck-jarring suspension of some competitors.
And, on a rather personal level, my ungainly two-meter frame felt ever-so snuggly cosseted on those painstakingly padded and stitched seats.
Even if you’re not behind the wheel of a Quattroporte, there is a distinct brand cachet. Without being too esoteric, beyond the nuts and bolts of manufacture, there is an element of prestige riding behind the trident badge. You notice it in the attention of a petrol pump attendant or even the nod of acknowledgement from a fellow motorist at the lights.
But here’s the rub. Even with projections of a ceiling of 75,000 models (across the range), Maserati will battle to keep up with the fast developing technology of the major German luxury trio.
To put it blatantly, you may look like a million dollars in your Ghibli but you will be missing many standard features of the mass produced rivals.
That is the trade-off.
“A lot of these so-called features are gimmicks,” says Rademeyer. “We are giving our customers a pure driving experience, we are not selling smartphones.”
Rademeyer extends the same personal service to the new showroom, in the plush Johannesburg suburb of Bryanston, where he pilots the Italian coffee machine to turn out a pretty mean cappuccino. All the staff have to train as baristas.
But maybe they should offer customers a Foster’s lager after hours. That’s because the franchise holders for Maserati in South Africa are now European Automotive Imports (EAI), who are aiming to build on their success with the brand in Australia.
“Our goal is to transform Maserati’s position in the South African market to offer a new benchmark for exclusivity and customer service,” says EAI Chief Operating Officer, Glen Sealey.
“We have been very successful in Australia and our appointment in South Africa is an outstanding vote of confidence and a clear acknowledgement that we have the people and expertise to succeed.”
What this means is that Maserati is no longer under the wing of Ferrari and is flying solo.
Maserati re-enters South Africa with its complete model offering of the Quattroporte, GranTurismo and GranCabrio ranges.
A Maserati dealership has just opened in Cape Town, on the foreshore near the International Convention Centre, and plans are underway to find a partner in Durban.
Perhaps the critical element of the expansion is to ensure that the resale values stabilize and servicing standards are up to scratch.
“Globally, the brand is ramping up all the dealer management and customer relationship systems,” says Rademeyer.
“But the systems are there to help us manage relationships with our customers, so we don’t depend on automation. But it helps us to manage the personal interaction with our customers. We have volume aspirations but will never be a brand-considered mass-produced [car].”
It’s a swaying tightrope that Maserati have to walk between the prestige of the trident badge and bidding for a bigger slice of the market segment.
As the Italians say to wish good luck: in bocca al lupo!

Italian Beauty Back In Africa

What makes a made-in-Africa handbag desired by women around the world?
It’s the ingenuity of the designer, who works craft into commerce, and elevates an age-old street art to the realms of global fashion. Akosua Afriyie-Kumi, founder of AAKS (pronounced ‘axe’) luxury handbags in Ghana, has done just that, slowly reviving a Ghanaian craft and taking the colors of Africa to the world.
The timing couldn’t be more perfect, as African fashion, design and art are now center stage internationally.
An AAKS handbag is vibrant; its creator infuses it with hues reminiscent of the rich red earth, the sweet yellow ripeness of mangoes, or the deep greens and blues of an African coast.
Being a creative had long been a part of Afriyie-Kumi’s life in Ghana, where she was born and grew up until the age of 19.
Fashion was a logical choice for her, but it proved difficult to study it in Ghana as the country offered no formal means of education in the arts at the time.
Afriyie-Kumi chose to study in the United Kingdom (UK), where she completed her studies at Oxford Brookes University and Kingston University, graduating in 2009. By the time she was ready to return to Ghana in 2013, she had interned for luxury womenswear label Peter Pilotto and British designer Matthew Williamson.
By then, she had already been toying with the idea of creating woven bags.
“I knew that there was basket-making in Ghana. Before, I was thinking I’ll stay in the UK and do it from there, then realized it’s best if I [go back],” says Afriyie-Kumi.
“It was me really coming to Ghana and seeing baskets around, and I felt [that] nobody has reinvented this product. It was just a basket being sold by the roadside, and nobody had moved it on.
“I felt I would be the best person to do that with my fashion background, to be able to push it to another level, and make it more [about] luxury.”
Returning to Ghana to start a business wasn’t easy though: she had to travel to the north of Ghana, almost 12 hours way from her home in the south, with no guarantee the weavers would be able to bring her vision to life.
Ghana, like many other African countries, may not be vast in size but makes up for it with its multiple languages.
Twi is more widely spoken in the south of Ghana, and Frafra is its equivalent in the north, which meant conversing with the weavers was a challenge for Afriyie-Kumi. And they were also used to weaving with straw, as opposed to raffia, the core material of her handbags.
Despite the initial hurdles, Afriyie-Kumi launched her brand in 2014; the handbags are handcrafted by women from 100% local material sourced in Ghana.They are stocked in stores in the UK, United States, South Africa and Kenya. The retail price for a small AAKS bag starts at £67 ($98), and from £210 ($306) for a larger piece. Whoever said there was no money in indigenous natural fiber?

Akosua-AAKS

Bag And Forth

That Africa is the new mecca of international luxury brands is constantly reiterated by the number of new players in the market. The development of home-grown luxury brands is also more topical. And with these brands have come experts, such as Lola Emeruwa, who has worked for big global brands such as Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney and Net a Porter in mega cities like London, Milan, Paris, New York, and more recently, with Ermenegildo Zegna in Lagos. As the founder of Le Retail Operations Management, a luxury retail consultancy firm in Nigeria, Emeruwa’s work spans retail operation analysis to buying and merchandizing. One of her key projects is a co-venture with WISH publishing to create a new retail avenue for high-end hotels in Nigeria. We caught up with Emeruwa mid-2015 to discuss the growing luxury market in Africa’s biggest economy.
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Given your extensive background in international luxury fashion, what challenges does the African market face in this regard? How receptive are consumers to luxury in Africa?
Consumers are certainly very receptive to luxury in Nigeria and it is reflective of what I like to refer to as ‘The Nigerian Dream – the pursuit of finer things’. In a superficial assessment, you can see this desire fully expressed in a city like Lagos – in the abundance of luxury cars, upsurge of upmarket hotels, increased development of luxury retail spaces and surprisingly frequent conversations about the charter of private jets.
This is a reflection of great improvements in sub-Saharan Africa’s economic performance since the turn of the century, which grew at an average rate of 5.5% per annum in real terms between 2000 to 2012, compared to 2.54% per annum during the previous 13-year period.
Significantly, this growth has been despite factors such as limited infrastructure, little investment and lack of formal organization. Whilst on other continents this would pose as challenges, these are in fact just accepted here as the norm. In terms of the luxury retail industry, I believe the challenges are the same as in Europe or America: implementing effective marketing, new customer acquisition, logistical problems etc. However, for those trying to enter the Nigerian market and who are used to a more structured means of operating, it will be advisable to partner with a local expert.
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What is your company’s vision for the Nigerian market?
Our vision is to develop a productive synergy for international brands looking to enter the Nigerian market. In addition, Le Retail intends to be the reference point for support and integration of local brands into the global market by ensuring international industry practice standards are met.
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What areas will improve the viability of the Nigerian luxury retail space?
In the long term, improvement of infrastructure and power supply and in the short term, more sector deregulation of restrictions which would encourage capital inflow and increased investment.
Whilst infrastructure and energy projects are already ongoing (our election promise), I believe establishing a more formalized industry will give investors the confidence to diversify into the Nigerian luxury retail space.

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Private Jets, Hip Hotels And Deep Pockets

I felt green to the core. The Vice-President of the United States (US), Al Gore, was coming to South Africa to deliver his An Inconvenient Truth address at Maropeng and I was going to introduce him to a packed audience.
But there was a slight challenge. Gore could only travel from the airport in a small convoy of hybrid vehicles.
A Japanese luxury vehicle manufacturer had recently brought out a range of stunning hybrid SUVs, with enviable fuel consumption and low emissions, and were keen to supply them for the trip to the Cradle of Humankind. But the reply from his office was quite prescriptive; he could only be seen in a hybrid sedan.
This was duly arranged and the Maropeng gathering was supercharged with Gore’s mission to save the planet and how we could make a difference.
The missing link is how did he return to OR Tambo that evening? Well… in a rather large helicopter. In some ways I turned from dark green to light green in a matter of minutes.
Make no bones about it, I’m not saying that we don’t need to preserve fossil fuels and cut down on all forms of pollution. I wouldn’t dare argue with the experts who have exposed holes in the ozone layer and correlate this with dwindling ice caps.
By its very definition, pollution has harmful, and even poisonous, effects and you will find it difficult to get an appointment with an ENT specialist in many of the areas around Africa where industry rules the airwaves.
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And when it comes to vehicle emmissions you can’t help but be totally shocked when the US Environmental Protection Agency calculates that the average passenger car spews out
4.7 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year!
So, for many of us, it was a like Tiger Woods moment when the Volkswagen (VW) scandal over rigged emissions tests broke and our minds went back to the ads for the Beetle comeback which showed flower power over two generations.
It is a gaffe that has denuded faith in VW and is likely to have long term affects on their market value, and possibly even the German economy. It is the biggest crisis in their 78-year history.
Media reports say the overall cost of the debacle could amount to $86 billion – that’s $30 billion more than the BP oil spill in 2010!
VW say that the defeat devices were fitted to around 11 million vehicles worldwide. But it seems not every owner will have to rush to get their cars refitted or reprogrammed. Volkswagen Group South Africa says that no action is required on the part of their customers or dealers.
Here is where things get complicated. According to VW Brand PR Manager Andile Dlamini, the irregularities reported overseas relate to a nitrogen oxide emmission standard known as Euro 5. In South Africa, the compliance standard is EU2.
So the VW and Audi diesel engines in question comply with South Africa’s regulations in relation to nitrogen oxide and, according to Dlamini, the software does not negatively affect the carbon dioxide values – which leaves me feeling that I should have concentrated harder in science class.
So any recall of cars around Africa will depend on that country’s specific emission standards.
Surprisingly, in terms of numbers, this won’t rate among the biggest recalls in history.
The automotive world is still reeling from the defective Takata airbags which can shoot out sharp metal shrapnel when deployed. Around 35 million vehicles may be affected in the US and an additional seven million have been recalled worldwide.
Nearly two dozen brands have been affected in this rather frightening scenario which has left some dealers disabling the airbags and affixing ‘Do Not Sit Here’ stickers to the dashboards as a temporary measure!
If we focus on a single manufacturer, then the recall record goes to Ford in the late seventies. It involved a failed safety catch which allowed all Ford automatics to slip from Park to Reverse with no warning. The safety defect was blamed for 6,000 accidents and 98 deaths. Repairs to 20 million vehicles and a host of law suits reportedly cost Ford $1.79 billion. A fortune back in the day!
It was a testing start for Mary Barra when she took the helm of the General Motors Company (GM) in the midst of a massive recall at the beginning of last year. Under the spotlight of becoming the first woman to head a major automobile manufacturer, she faced revelations about faulty ignition switches and pressure from investors to return more cash to investors.
Listed by FORBES as one of the Top 10 most powerful women in the world, Barra inherited the ‘new’ GM which was founded in 2009 after the trials and tribulations of bankruptcy and a Chapter 11 reorganization. And the leaner operation has been declaring profits since 2010 despite the costly recall and a dip in share prices.
GM sold over 180,000 vehicles in their Africa markets last year – which represents a 10% market share. The President and Managing Director of GM Sub-Saharan Africa, Ian Nicholls, says he is excited about the growth potential of the business.
“We are finalizing the details of our agreement with Isuzu to build higher volumes of vehicles in South Africa. The Isuzu range has a reputation for reliability and capability, and is engineered for local conditions,” says Nicholls.
The Chevrolet portfolio extends from that tiny Spark, through the Captiva, to the daunting Trailblazer. The updated Trailblazer is handily placed to take a slice out of the Fortuner market with an attractive and comfortable cabin, in grey and black trim, and the model I tested with the 2.8-liter Duramax turbodiesel engine has grunt to spare with a fairly stable fuel gauge – well a claimed 8.5l/100km.
Strangely it’s the infotainment system of the beast that impresses me the most. The Chevrolet MyLink setup, with rearview camera included, is the essence of simplicity and makes you wonder why so many German marques make choosing a radio station a life study.
But it’s Opel that is really turning heads and order books.
“The Opel brand is on the rise with sales volumes up more than 76 percent year to date, on the back of a product onslaught,” says Nicholls.
For me one of the surprise packages of the year is the tiny Opel Adam, available in funky guises of Jam and Glam, with a one-liter turbo engine that loves to canter. It’s even more appealing than a Fiat 500 and has more standard features than any luxury car I have tested.
Little wonder it is bagging international awards.
But despite these positive outlooks, GM and virtually all car manufacturers, many surviving as hybrids born of takeovers, must be nervous about further major recalls that could spell financial disaster.
And here’s what will make them even more wary. The British government is to start its own enquiry into car emissions, running new tests on engines from across the industry and comparing the results with on-the-road emissions.
These independent tests could even challenge the claimed fuel consumption figures which, in many cases, seem to have been calculated on some of the steep downhills of the Tour de France.
Accountability is going to be the name of the game.

Do You Recall?

There is a new avant-garde edifice in the heart of Lagos’ swanky Victoria Island. It is no mere edifice. Typically, it is where you would find Nigeria’s art, design and fashion fraternity converge under one roof.
You could call this edifice, a multi-level design gallery and retail haven named the ALARA concept store, a library of pan-African luxury.
Its founder Reni Folawiyo’s ambitions can be likened to the monumental edifice she has built. An art and design aficionado who worked as a lawyer for a decade, Folawiyo describes her store as a celebration of who we are as Africans today, a sign of our cultural awakening and a statement of where we are going as a continent.
It is clear Africa is developing a noteworthy appetite for luxury design.
When we meet at the store, we sit on contemporary carved wooden stools, with subtle Angolan Kizomba and Pasada music playing in the background. Folawiyo exudes a simple sophistication just like the surroundings we are in.
“I believe we need iconic platforms to project Africa and celebrate the different Africans doing great things all over the world,” she begins.
For this, she started from the bottom.
“I started to grow my passion by seeking to understand the creativity of the artists and designers on the ground. My association with them was important just for my own interest but it also began to grow into a curiosity for their functionality, growth and how they earned a living.”
Folawiyo left her career in law to chase her interests, one that saw her collaborating with young artistes in the design schools and the College of Arts and Technology in Lagos. She held weekend brainstorming sessions to help them monetize their creations.
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“We had fashion designers, painters, sculptors and I thought to connect them to our world would be to create contemporary objects that would be useful to people in their everyday lives. That way, they were utilizing their creativity and for me as an entrepreneur, it was viable,” says Folawiyo.
From organic wooden seats to hand-embroidered cushions created by fashion designers, the functional items were presented at exhibitions for sale. A variety of materials were also showcased, including leather and indigenous raffia fiber.
With demand for more pieces, Folawiyo soon decided to set up her own studio.
“I looked at the numbers and gaps in the market and realized there is nobody doing contemporary doors and joinery… I wanted to keep it local and tool it to perfection so that, if anyone looked at the piece, would recognize that it is African but also very contemporary.”
This led to the launch of Folawiyo’s joinery and doors company, a one-stop shop for all interior design requirements. As she began to travel more on the continent, she began to have a better appreciation for traditional artisans and designers.
“I realized there were many people like me who were trying to use old skills to do contemporary pieces. I became curious and started to inform myself about them, to see how they got to where they were and what they were doing to operate.”
Folawiyo speaks about a lack of exposure and appreciation for Nigeria’s artistes and designers.
“It is difficult for the artistes to break through as there is an aesthetic that people relate to which is different from what contemporary artistes are doing and if with this space [ALARA], we can encourage people and support artistes to produce collections that can be put in stores, then that will be a great feat.”
She highlights the need for design schools, technological support and encouragement in preserving artisanship.
“It’s important to find a way to preserve what we are doing locally and elevate it. This brought me to a point where I felt I needed to celebrate what I had found. Africa has not been seen as sophisticated and I wanted to show people that this is not the case.”
At ALARA, Folawiyo currently stocks names such as Loza Maleombho, Jewel by Lisa, Tiffany Amber, Maki Oh and a host of others.
“I also decided that in fashion especially, it was important to put both African and international designers in the same space because I feel that in order for our designers to grow and be respected, we need to place them side by side with the best of the world,” she says.
And to Folawiyo, every creation she lays her hands on has a touching story.
“A woman weaving a basket tells a story of her life. Her final product may be aesthetically pleasing but it is stronger for me because of the story behind it.”
Art. Design. Fashion. Folawiyo is on to the next chapter of her African success story.

Mrs-F14

‘We Need Iconic Platforms To Project Africa’

On a sunny Friday afternoon, amid the hustle and bustle of city life, Frederick Deegbe was shopping in the retail district of Accra, Oxford Street, when he came across a pair of Pierre Cardin shoes. On his way home, after purchasing the shoes, he asked a shoemaker if it was possible to create the same quality of shoe in Ghana and the answer was an emphatic “no!”
Realizing that a lack of education might be a contributing factor to the pessimistic answer he got from the shoemaker, Deegbe asked a group of educated friends and other professionals the same question. The answer was the same.  “No!”
“I asked myself, ‘if we believe we cannot make shoes in Africa, when are we ever going to be able to make airplanes?’” says Deegbe.
He decided to dig a little bit further into the luxury shoe market.  Deegbe discovered that it was a $500-billion market with an average pair of luxury shoes selling for $4,400.
“I said to myself, ‘someone out there is willing to pay me [$4,400] if I can create a shoe of the same standard.’”
That was all the motivation he needed. After a year and a half of research and planning, he quit his job as a banker to pursue luxury shoemaking fulltime and Heel The World was born. The name is apt; it represents Deegbe’s mission to prove that Ghanaians can produce high-end products that are of an international standard.
“I didn’t have all the answers, but I knew there had to be a social cause involved with the brand to give back to Ghana,” says  Deegbe.
He challenged his artisans to push the boundaries and made them believe that they had what it took to create shoes on the same level as those in the international fashion world. He sourced high-end materials and created designs that were original and contemporary. But there was something missing, which led to wrist beads being added to the Heel The World brand.
“At 1AM, we had a eureka moment. Why don’t we create beads? And then the lights went off,” says Deegbe.
The customary load shedding of electricity in Ghana, affectionately named ‘dumsor’, sparked an idea to use black beads in addition to gold detail. The black symbolized hard work and the gold was the reward.
Through social media, the Heel The World empowerment beads became an instant hit, selling thousands across Africa. Since then,  Deegbe has become a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, spoken on the same panel as Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, and received the best fashion brand award from the President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama. He has also had regular features on CNN and BBC and achieved all this in just three years. The brand is currently in talks with Bergdorf Goodman, a luxury goods department store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York.
Despite this, Deegbe still has several hurdles to overcome. Some feel that the ostentatious price of his shoes is unwarranted, especially with the current state of Ghana’s economy. He is however unyielding in his passion to show that talent exists within the manufacturing sector in Africa.
Also, proceeds from the sale of the luxury shoes go back into training and empowering young craftsmen to produce high-end products that can compete in international markets.
“Africa definitely provides a longer-term growth opportunity for luxury brands. The shifting appetite and behavior of consumers in this segment will require luxury goods retailers to develop a sophisticated but uniquely African approach to reach and satisfy the growing demand for luxury goods in this segment,” says Rodger George, Africa Leader for Consumer Business at Deloitte.

The Bright Idea In The Dark

Tracey Chiappini-Young does not sell teddy bears, she sells histories.
The founder of the Capetonian luxury soft toy brand Taunina says “a teddy bear is something so special to everyone”.
“I still have my grandmother’s [and] it’s something that is passed down. It really is an heirloom,” says Chiappini-Young.
She founded Taunina with Karen Jansen, her business partner in Cape Town three years ago. In the years since, her brand’s growth has almost tripled with a 100% year-on-year rate. She insists their success rests on their very specific kind of business model.
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Taunina is an operation driven by women, more specifically, women with traditionally limited economic options. In fact, the latter end of the Taunina name is the acronym NINA – No Income, No Assets. So far, close to 600 women have been trained and hired by the Taunina workshop. Chiappini-Young hopes to help more women realize their potential as her workshop continues to grow.
It’s the detail that makes Taunina’s bears. Each artist works on a bear and injects her own flair into the creation. But the design process is ordered. After healthy discussion, a core creative team decides the collection’s theme. After that, three chief embroiders set a color scheme for the collection. However, the buck always stops with the artist and the teddy bear she is working on.
“She’ll play around with the colors, then she’ll choose the thread,” says Chiappini-Young. Within a chosen collection, the embroiders create their own sub-collections. And another creative meeting decides which ones make the cut. The finished product is accompanied by a sewn-on foot-stamp, initialed by the artist. Each bear comes christened with a name and has its own passport. A Taunina trademark stamp sits comfortably in each toy’s left ear. The embroidered bespoke teddies start from $375 apiece.
Chiappini-Young’s entry into the luxury space had an odd impetus. She began in the financial services sector, working with private equity firms and asset management outfits. But she felt unfulfilled and hungry to be a part of the empowerment of other people.
“I definitely thought about it for a long time,” she says. The concept actually came about 12 years ago, in a very different skin.
“I was 28 or 29 and I had a pre-30 crisis [I felt] that I wasn’t doing enough in South Africa.”
The crisis led to a book, How to Help, written during lunch breaks and researched after work that helped her craft her perspective on philanthropy.
“My feeling is really that money is one very small part of the problem, the most important thing is the skills transferred,” she said, on a call from her Cape Town workshop.
Taunina is “new age luxury” according to its founders. Chiappini-Young met her Brazilian partner whilst enrolled at a business school in New York. They began to consider the power of luxury.
“We decided we were going to build a luxury brand which was not about financial return. It was [going to be] about social impact,” she says. The two women got to work, learning much from their mentors and teachers, and set out to build a different kind of luxury brand. Beyond the profit, they want to give their artists “the strength to believe in themselves, to believe that they are artists”.
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But the strength of the Taunina brand is not really invested in the aesthetics of their teddy bears. Instead, their most prized assets are the stories each of the bears they create carry with them. Chiappini-Young is hopeful that these stories will also carry the brand for years to come.
“I hope it becomes the thing that everyone talks about and they are sitting around a table in New York, London and Paris sharing a story of their teddy bear and the artist’s family&#8230;with pride and empathy,” she says.

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Art With Heart

It was a hard place to start. It was the worst night of his life. Sello Senyatsi is from Katlehong in the east of Johannesburg. One night, back when he was in his early twenties, in the Limpopo province, in the north of South Africa, all Senyatsi had on his mind was revenge. In his hand was a gun. He found it in a car that was involved in an accident.
With this gun he wanted to get back the money he believed was owed to his father. He drank far too much and marched to the petrol station of the man he believed to be his debtor.
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“I can’t say what my purpose was then. I don’t know if I wanted to shoot him or if I wanted the money. As I entered [the petrol station premises], I fired one shot. On the second shot, the gun jammed. There were about six guys in there who got up and beat me up. He burnt my leg with a cutting torch then his police friends came and arrested me,” says Senyatsi.
Not your everyday beginning for an entrepreneur.
With a criminal record and a stint behind bars hanging over his head, Senyatsi was determined to turn his life around and to start a successful business. His cellmates would probably never believe it but Senyatsi is doing just that through Sello’s Gutters and Fianco, a shop selling bespoke shoes.
We meet at the swanky 54 on Bath hotel in Rosebank, Johannesburg. Senyatsi is dressed in luxury Italian clothing—Angelo Galasso faded blue jeans and the brand’s royal blue blazer. The designer shoes he’s wearing are a far cry from the sneakers he used to wear at varsity. Those had added cushioning because they were two sizes too big. He’s had a taste for the finer things in life from a young age and has honed that affection to this day. Growing up in South Africa’s East Rand drove him to stand out from his peers.
It was during his second year studying law at Turfloop University, in the Limpopo province, that Senyatsi’s trouble started.
His father lent a friend around R10,000 ($930) to buy petrol for his filling station, which the friend promised to pay back. The money was supposed to pay for his son’s university expenses. The mistake that Senyatsi’s father made was that he never formalized the agreement. The day before his father was going to collect the money, he died and it was left to his son to collect what was owed.
Broke and sullen, Senyatsi sold anything he could lay his hands on to eke out a living and continue with his studies.
A week later, while driving back from his father’s funeral, Senyatsi came across a car accident and stopped to help. He opened the glove box and found a gun and a wallet, both of which he took.
This was the gun he used at the petrol station, the gun that had him arrested and charged with robbery with aggravating circumstances in 1990.
“My trial didn’t even take long. I pleaded guilty. I remember when I was sentenced and they said 12 years and six months, I somehow heard 12 weeks or something else, but not 12 years… I think it took me the whole day to realize how many years I was going to serve,” he says.
Before he even made it to his cell, another convict who saw that he was very young gave Senyatsi the 411 on what went on behind bars.
“I was told that everybody knew I was coming already and that I’d be turned into a woman,” he says.
This was all because of a home-made tattoo he had got four years earlier. It meant that he belonged to a certain group and if he got into trouble, that certain gang would protect him. It also meant that he would be prey to another gang. Senyatsi removes his gold trimmed, blue strapped watch and reveals the smudged tattoo.
His first three days without food were tough. He survived on toilet paper and toothpaste. But after that things became easier, practising and abiding by the advice of the fellow convict. Along the way, he even survived a stabbing.
Following the end of apartheid, the government started to integrate the black and white prisons and this is where Senyatsi learnt to make guttering systems.
“Those prisons were well equipped; motor mechanics, carpentry, by then I mean any machinery was there. For the blacks it was just working in the fields and peeling potatoes. And that’s how they [white people] survived, learning a lot. And that’s when I learnt sheet metalwork,” he says.
He learnt all that he could and after six years in prison, he was released on parole for good behavior.
In 1998, Senyatsi started running Sello’s Gutters, a firm specializing in manufacturing stainless steel gutters. The business came by chance. His sister had placed an order for gutters, but had to wait six months before they could be delivered. Using the skills he had gained while in jail, he tried his hand at making the gutters himself, using his employer’s machines in his spare time.
His employer, a catering equipment manufacturer, was impressed by Senyatsi’s craftsmanship and told him the business should rather concentrate on gutters. During the week, he worked at the manufacturing warehouse, while on weekends he made and installed the gutters alone. Within six months, Senyatsi left the company and it subsequently closed down. His former employer then gave the machines to Senyatsi and he began making gutters at home.
He started selling and installing the gutters in Kathlehong and the nearby Daveyton township. He even gave them a different look which made them unique.
At first, he was making five gutters a month and within three months business was booming. He was getting clients through word of mouth. He even took out a loan against his house to buy new machines that would help him making these stainless steel gutters.
What made his business successful was his persistence. He even showed this quality when he gave up the gutter business. He started selling the gutters on credit and was making a loss. Having to knock on clients’ doors who delayed payment reminded him of why he went to prison.
“I had bought a car and went to Pretoria to visit my friend in another township. And my business fell away. Then I moved to Pretoria to start selling chicken,” says Senyatsi.
By the time this business had also shut up shop, he had saved a lot of money and returned to his gutter business in 2001.
“I told myself that I will not sell anything on credit anymore. Until today I do not do that,” he says.
“This [stainless steel gutters] is an innovation made from the township. I didn’t copy it from the internet or anywhere else. It’s a concept, it’s my design. I even came up with the idea of doing the gutters in stainless steel. Even my supplier would tell you that he started off by telling me that ‘Sello you’re mad, no one will buy stainless steel gutters’… Now you are talking about a project that has created a massive demand,” he says.
His business has grown from buying one ton of steel, that lasted a year, to 40 tons.
Today, Sello’s Gutters employs around 160 installers and hopes to establish a franchise with some of its current employees.
“I love seeing people grow. Money doesn’t make me as happy as empowering someone,” says Senyatsi.
The entrepreneur saw an opportunity which now generates a turnover of R20 million ($1.86 million). Houses in townships like Soweto, Daveyton and Katlehong are quickly catching on to stainless steel gutters.
“We are moving to a point where we want to be a giant for the guttering system,” he says.
While building his business, his love for fashion never faded. As someone who grew up traveling from the north of South Africa to as far as the east coast in Durban to buy or check out the latest trends, Senyatsi is a fashion head who has never liked to dress like the person next door. This passion filtered down to his two sons who died in a car accident in March last year, about three weeks before they were to open Fianco, a shoe boutique store selling some of the most exclusive Italian shoe brands in South Africa.
“I found strength… it was the hardest thing any human can face. My one son was 18 years old and the other was 21. It devastated me when we had to open it [Fianco]. We spent around R1.3 million ($120,000) on putting this shop together,” Senyatsi says.
The 46-year-old father decided to go ahead with his sons’ idea, which he says is becoming a success despite its location in a quiet street in the Limpopo province. It is inspired by the luxury shoe shops of Milan. Asked why his shop is not in the country’s economic hub, Johannesburg, Senyatsi says there are issues with rights.
“There are people who own those brands in Johannesburg. I’m not allowed to sell there,” he says.
Three months after his sons died, Senaytsi went on a holiday to Italy’s fashion capital, Milan, where he visited a shoe shop where the cheapest shoe was $5,500. On this particular day, he was lucky to have met a taxi driver who drove him to a custom hand-made shoemaker, Silvano Lattanzi.
After meeting its owner, the Fianco boutique is the only store on the continent that sells the Silvano Lattanzi shoe brand. The owner even made Senyatsi and his wife a pair of shoes and boots respectively, with their sons’ names engraved on the sole. Silvano Lattanzi shoes are handmade and comprise a business that has preserved the Italian way of making shoes which could cost around $30,000 with a 20-year guarantee.
“The market is there, we don’t disclose our customers. But I’m meeting serious people through this brand. And that is how I link it to the gutters. I’m able to speak about my gutter business with these serious people.”
These serious people probably don’t believe how a former convict is making his fortune through gutters and shoes.

Bullet, Prison, Gutters, Shoes, Success

Range Rover is a name synonymous with motoring excellence. It is a car with impeccable luxury and practicality, by which most other top-end brands are benchmarked. Coupled with this is an off-road prowess that is matched only by cars with the same badge. This badge has enjoyed immense success in the past few years, most notably with the launch of the Range Rover Evoque, a car that soared to the top of all previous sales records for the brand.
The sales success started back in 2005 when the first Range Rover Sport was unveiled. The recipe was to create a car that infused the DNA of the Land Rover with the finesse and refinement of the Range Rover… with a bit of sport added into the mix. It was an instant success, enticing new buyers through dealership doors. And now, it is back.
The design brief for the new car was simply to be more agile and sportier. To achieve this, the Range Rover Sport needed to lose a considerable amount of weight. The result: 420 kilograms less than its predecessor, thanks to an all-aluminum body. Further weight savings in engine construction has resulted in a car that is half a ton lighter than the model it replaces.
The significance of this becomes evident the moment you drive the Sport. It accelerates, brakes and corners faster, with much less body roll and understeer than before. This handling ability is achieved by a host of driver aids, most notably the two-channel active anti-roll system that negates body roll from both the front and rear suspension.
The new car is also offered locally with a choice of three engine derivatives, each connected to an amazing eight-speed ZF gearbox. The 250kW 3.0 liter V6 and the 375kW 5.0 liter V8 petrol engines are both fitted with a supercharger and both sound incredible. The SDV6 diesel engine is the most efficient in the range with 215kW on tap and 600Nm of torque.
To properly understand the capability of this car, you have to drive it as hard, as far and as high as you can. I drove it on diverse surfaces ranging from urban highways to rippled gravel roads; from rocky tracks to muddy terrain; from wading in almost meter deep water to climbing 27 degrees up a man-made ramp into the cabin of a massive DC10 airplane. Yes, in a first for me, and apparently the rest of the motoring world, Range Rover Sport’s launch involved using an airplane to demonstrate its impressive 4X4 capability. The departure angle exiting the DC10 was 37 degrees, which you do not truly appreciate until you are literally hanging on the seatbelt, hoping against all odds that the car will reach the bottom without incident. Of course it does—with minimal fuss.
Prices start at $79,440, while you can expect to pay no less than $121,725 for the supercharged V8. As always, the discerning buyer has so many options to suit a particular taste, including seven interior themes, six interior finishing options, three exterior finish options, three headliner colors, 19 exterior colors, 10 wheel designs and more. The color palette is left entirely to the buyer, but underneath the skin, you will struggle to find a more accomplished and more luxurious vehicle.
The Range Rover Sport has never been as capable a motor car as it is now. There is still a market for the incredible big daddy Range Rover and the Evoque continues to be the talk of the town. The Sport, however, has molded its own fan club and I have no doubt that they will remain devoted to their beloved brand as it remains true to its intended purpose. It is more agile, more sporty and more Range Rover.

Agility And Sport In A Business Suit

<h3>CARTIER</h3>
Steeped in equal amounts of history and whimsy, Cartier has been right up there with the top watch and jeweler brands. It was founded by Louis-François Cartier in 1847, whose pieces were very popular amongst members of royal families, movie stars and the über wealthy—King Edward VII of England once referred to Cartier as “the jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers”. Cartier’s watch designs and movements have evolved over the years but it remains true to itself with many of their pieces, such as the Tank, only changing to reflect current fashion trends.
The Tank MC Skeleton is made from palladium and is a self-winding watch, the first movement produced by Cartier. It has an oscillating weight and its entire mechanism is visible through the sapphire case back. The Tank MC Skeleton has a power reserve of three days and is water resistant up to 30m. It is made from 138 individual parts, 20 jewels and at its widest side is 43.90mm.
<h4>Price: $49,340</h4>
<h3>PANERAI</h3>
Giovanni Panerai opened his first shop on the Ponte delle Grazie bridge in Florence in 1860. The watchmaker began producing watches for the Royal Italian Navy and in 1916 patented Radiomir, a radium-based powder that illuminates in the dark, which was used in its submersible watches. The design of Panerai has changed very little in the 153 years that it has been producing timepieces. The watchmaker produces a limited number of pieces, with just 70,000 released to the market annually.
The Panerai Radiomir 3 Days Oro Rosso, while simple in design, is made using 162 components and 21 jewels. It is quite chunky at 47 millimeters (mm) in diameter and 5.3mm thick and has a power reserve of three days. The back is made from clear sapphire crystal and the watch is water resistant up to 50 meters.
<h4>Price: $23,610</h4>
<h3>PIAGET</h3>
Georges Édouard Piaget started his first workshop on his family’s farm in Switzerland in 1874 by making high-precision movements that were supplied to other watchmakers. Piaget gained fame as word of his expertise spread and in 1943, the company registered the brand, selling and designing watches under the Piaget name. Piaget’s grandsons grew the founder’s legacy and footprint, making Piaget watches internationally recognized and sought-after timepieces.
The Piaget Altiplano Date is a classic Piaget piece with a caliber 1205P, the world’s thinnest automatic movement at just 3mm, housed in a record-breaking 6.36mm case. The sapphire crystal case shows the 221 parts and 27 jewels used in the design. It has a 44-hour power and comes in two variations: 18-carat white gold with a black alligator leather strap or 18-carat rose gold with a brown alligator strap.
<h4>Price: $26,740</h4>
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<h3>IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN</h3>
The International Watch Company (IWC) was founded in Schaffhausen, in the east of Switzerland in 1868 by American-born Florentine Ariosto Jones—once a director at E. Howard &amp; Co., America’s leading watchmaking company at the time. IWC quickly made a name for itself by using the precision of Swiss craftsmanship blended with modern American engineering technology. It is this combination that has kept the demand high for watches produced by IWC.
The IWC’s Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition, or Le Petit Prince, is limited to just 270 pieces and makes use of a Pellaton automatic winding system—a mechanical movement that allows for a seven-day power reserve when fully wound. Made with an 18-carat gold medallion featuring an engraving of Le Petit Prince, it has a perpetual calendar with displays for the date, day, month and year in four digits as well as a perpetual moon phase.
<h4>Price: $47,020</h4>
<h3>ROGER DUBUIS</h3>
Roger Dubuis is a relative newcomer on the luxury watches scene but since its establishment, by Carlos Dias and its namesake founder Roger Dubuis in 1995, it has been a pioneer in its own right. It produces the only flying tourbillon watch in the world—a highly sophisticated movement. It is also the only watchmaker in the world whose entire collection carries the Poinçon de Genève; the most sought after certification that can be bestowed upon a watch.
Roger Dubuis’ Skeleton Flying Tourbillon features a hand-wound mechanical movement with a power reserve of 60 hours and is water resistant to 30 meters. Its case has a diameter of 42mm and the watch is comprised of 165 components with 19 jewels. The design makes use of the currently very popular pink gold in its case, clasp and screws, which is all brought together with a genuine alligator, hand-stitched brown strap.
<h4>Price: On request</h4>

Tag: Luxury

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