The Power of Mentorship. Part 1

I have been a fan of Destiny magazine since its launch issue. A lot of my friends took a while to warm up to it because they felt that it did not speak to the them; but to me it was my road map, a guidance of where I want to be (including the cover - note to the universe). I started buying it religiously in mid 2009 then it became less consistent as more and more of their covers became splashed with celebrities, I felt betrayed; what about the corporate woman? Were they doing this to push sales? There are so many magazines out there that give celebrities the spotlight but Destiny gave the career woman time to shine and all of a sudden they were becoming like everyone else (Elle excluded *clears throat*)?!

Ok, it’s not about me, I just needed to remember that and I will admit, once I had read Claire Mawisa’s and Unathi Msengana’s  cover stories I grew an appreciation for women in the entertainment industry..and ok, maybe having celebrity cover stars isn’t so bad after all and Destiny isn’t getting side tracked.

So now coming to this post; while I busy doing my Christmas shopping the other day, I bumped into the January issue of Destiny Magazine and I started screaming in the middle of the shop like I had won the lotto (my friends casually calmed me down). Reason for my excitement? CEO of Shanduka Group, Phuti Malabie was on the cover!

You see, back in 2009 I was part of the Wits University Golden Key International Honours Society and sat on the committee as the Fundraising Director. We were busy planning our Women’s Day conference when I, along with three other members volunteered to organize speakers (guest speakers, not boom blasters). First thing I did was send an e-mail to Destiny to ask if Khanyo Dhlomo could be our guest speaker but unfortunately she was scheduled to be in Mpumalanga on the same day. To make up for this, Tshia Kaapu (Events & Marketing Co-ordinator: Destiny Magazine), sponsored copies of the magazine for our guests, I was estatic, but alas (used for dramatice effect), I still did not have a speaker! I didn’t have a “Plan B” so I sat down and started going through all my Destiny Magazines looking for an inspirational career woman who could serve as our guest speaker; that's when I came across a piece on Phuti Malabie. I Googled her and once I had put my highly acclaimed (by me) stamp of approval, I sent he an email and within a day I had received a response from her P.A and she had agreed to come speak at our event!

The day I met Phuti I was nothing short of impressed, so classy, eloquent and beautiful both inside and out. As she delivered her speech, I thought; this is what I want to be; this is me!
A couple of weeks later I sent Dolly, Phuti’s P.A an email asking if she could ask Phuti to be my mentor. By this time I already had Phuti’s work and cell phone numbers but was too scared to call and ask, I mean, what would I say? Hey P, it’s Zee, we met the other day? Good afternoon Mrs Malabie it was an absolute honour to be of your aquaintance… / Sooo, Phuti, how’s about we do lunch…? Yeah…sending an email was definitely a better option and good enough for her to agree to my request.

I was ecstatic! When I called my mom to tell her, she was seemingly happy then paused to ask… “Manje ubani loPhuti? Waye uMiss South Africa?” (translation: Who is this Phuti lady? Was she Miss South Africa?). After explaining to her that Phuti Malabie was (then) MD of Cyril Ramaposa’s Shanduka Energy and not Phuti Khomo - a former Miss SA TEEN she paused again and said… “Oho, ok…konjwe yini iMentor” (Translation: what is a mentor again?)…only my mother!

So that is how I met the extraordinary, Phuti Malabie. On the next post I shall layout how I benefited from that mentorship relationship and also delve deeper into the power of mentorship!

Twitter: @Zeezilz

Serious Conversations

When I was younger, I never understood how adults could watch news and actually be interested. My granny took the cup though, she watched the Afrikaans, then English, then the Zulu news (to this day I think she watches the two former for visual effects and the latter for confirmation).
But as I have gotten older I have come to understand the importance of keeping up to speed with current affairs (no, NOT who's currently having an affair with who). Conversations have gotten more serious too, like this one that I had with a friend of mine, Sifiso which was sparked by my profile picture on BBM (as seen below) :



Sifiso: U like grapefruit?

Zee: First time eating it. Not as bitter as people say it is.

S: I've learnt that fruits have varying tastes... What kinda taste do strawberries have?

Zee: Like strawberry milkshake? I don't like strawberries though. Strawberry milkshakes however are awesome.

S: That's my point!!! Strawberry flavoured goods don't taste like strawberries!!! They tend to taste better than strawberries... Strawberry flavour is a lie the white man has perpetuated!

Z: True

S: I want the world to discover the truth about strawberries! But my issue is being considered less important than climate change and renewable energy

Z: I think you just need the right platform. I feel like people are just turning a blind eye. THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED

S: Yeah! that's my concern too... I also need to address the grapefruit issue... There is no connection between grapes and grapefruit. Why are we being mislead?!?

Z: I think they're just tryna divert our attention from the oil shortage issue...and they are doing a very good job at it...huh? What shortage? I'll just eat my grapefruit...

S: Glad we made the connection between oil shortage and grapefruit by inspecting your profile pic...

**the end**

A small thank you to Sifiso Maphanga for giving me permission to share our conversation with the world;)

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa

It's been a while since I last wrote to you. I hope your address hasn't changed because I really need you to read this letter.

I trust your super powers and your ability to decipher between who's been naughty and who's been nice. Just so we're on the same page, I'd like you to know that I've been extremely nice, just ask the old lady who I helped cross the street or that mosquito that wouldn't let me sleep on Thursday night who's life I decided to spare.

Now Santa, I haven't asked you for anything for over a decade so I sincerely hope that I've accumulated some points here. Now I know that this letter may be a bit early but it's just that I don't want any excuses come christmas. I want my gifts, Santa, no pressure.

Since there's this rumour going around about 12 days of Christmas I've decided on a gift a day, so please Santa, make it happen.

On the 12th day of Christmas I would like an iPad and a new cellphone for my little brother so he can stop asking me for one.

On the 11th day of Christmas I would like breakfast with Khanyi Dhlomo, lunch with Trevor Manuel, supper with Chris Gardner and ice cream with Oprah in between.

On the 10th day of Christmas I would like you to drop a degree on my lap. I'll use it wisely, I promise.

On the 9th day of Christmas I would like success. Lots and lots of it. I'm sure you know how much I fear failure.

On the 8th day of Christmas I would like for you to help me find a new church family here. I'm feeling slightly spiritually starved.

On the 7th day of Christmas I would like strength to help me get over the 21st of May 2011, the accident and the family members I lost that day. May their souls rest in piece.

On the 6th day of Christmas I would like a getaway. No wait, make that a boat cruise with all of my friends.

On the 5th day of Christmas I would like you to finish off my car instalments then throw in a BMW 125i while you're at it;)

On the 4th day of Christmas I would like for you to instill in me a love for sports so I too can partake in corridor conversations at work.

On the 3rd day of Christmas...well you see there's this thing at work called a raise...

On the 2nd day of Christmas I would like you to fill me up with gratitude because I'm going to require a lot of it to thank you for gifts 12 to 3.

On the 1st day of Christmas...ok, let's just clarify here is the 1st day the 25th of December? Ok, let's assume it is.
On the first day I would like Ty Pennington and his team from "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" to come to my parents house and give it a make over and whisk the family and I away to some resort while they do so.

I know this will be so easy for a big guy like yourself. I don't have a chimney but just PING me when all my things are ready.

P.S please find BBM pin on the back of the envelope

With love,
Zee

She...

One not so great thing about working is that the luxury of holidays four times a year is no more. Today I've been feeling really homesick and to make matters worse, I received a call from my dad and for the first time ever he told me he misses me. This only means one thing: I NEED to go home soon! I need to see my family and I need to see my mom. To find temporary comfort I pulled out my Bible and stumbled upon this, it describes my mother so beautifully:


Proverbs 31:10-31
New International Version (NIV)

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Honour her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

I thank you....

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" ~ Laozi

Thank you for the appreciation (you, yes you)!

Big thank you to Nomvula, Refiloe and Sifiso ( P.S No payments were made for the lovely compliments)

Manini, Amantle, Theola, Danielle, Lulu, Zama Timande....Thank you for the blog lovin and spreading the word....you can collect your thank you gifts from your nearest Jaguar dealership.

As long as you keep reading, I'll keep writing!

TwEntY sOmEThinG

It was my birthday on the 3rd of September. I turned 20 and 48months *clears throat*. To celebrate, I went to Hermanus and Kleinmond in the Western Cape. Such pretty places! It was so cold but that didn't matter (even though I had packed for warm weather). Went horse riding for the first time...and for the next couple of days I felt the after effects...oh how my body hurt!

It felt good though, to get away, unwind and just take my mind off work! And what a week it had been! My direct manager had gone on holiday in Thailand and I was trusted enough to fully take over the team and manage them for a week and a half! Stressful at first; he's such a perfectionist (10 times worse than me) and I didn't want to mess up! It got better with time though and just as I was "missioning" to take over the company (and the world), he came back! Dammit! I could've been MD/CEO by now! He's a great man though. The day he came back to work I had to leave for Cape Town for an "Emotional Intelligence" workshop so we met for a very early morning coffee session (I ended up having breakfast *hides*) at O.R Tambo before I took off at 9am (almost missed my flight-don't ask).

The workshop was quite insightful. Won't go on too much about it because I want to do a separate blog on EQ (emotional intelligence) sometime soon.

I look back to this time last year. I was in the final stages of wrapping up my dissertation. Stressful times. Now I'm in the development stages of my career. And I love my company because they are BIG on developing future leaders. I could have worked anywhere maybe even earned more but I wouldn't trade in the amount of learning and experience I have gained this year thus far for anything. As a wise young man recently said to me; don't just have a job, have a career (loosely quoted). So that's me, and that's my vision; to work towards a bigger goal, a bigger me: World, are you ready?

P.S Now that I'm 24. I mean, 20 and 48months, I feel like everyone is 21! I keep meeting young(er) people, and they make me feel old! Soon I'll be a fossil! *faints*



Monday 29 August: Supper at Devon Valley Hotel, my friend Lulu told the waiter it was my birthday and I got a complimentary chocolate tart....no, it wasn't my birthday



Its that BlackBerry curse!



I'm weak to all things pastry!




The lake in Klienmond





Horse riding through the vineyards





Took so many shots to get this photo. I was so far and had to zoom in to the max. Love how the crashing waves look like clouds in the background



The Social Beat

In my last blog I promised to post one of  Faith's pieces, so here goes....



THE SOCIAL BEAT
Sibongile Faith Kuta

Trapped in the social vibe
An inevitable state of society
The dreaded life of conceived inhumanity
Ignorance crawls
Betrayal walks
Corruption runs
Are these truths or rather accepted ideals
Hark to the voice of the children
Consider the groans of the voiceless...

What becomes of humanity in a vibe society?
There are many questions without answers
And many answers unquestioned
The beat goes on...

I am a woman whose arms have been burnt
Bruised both inside and outside
My husband does it all the time
His hobby affirms that he is my hubby

These bruises are better concealed and not reported
What about his progeny?
He is the provider of peanut butter and jelly
I am trapped in this social vibe
And so it goes on and on...

His name is Peter
A young chap dumped in a plastic bag two days after birth
He grew up without a surname
Removed from foster home to foster home
He is a deviant, a drug dealer in his youth
He pauses at the thought of death
Takes a deep breath as he commits suicide
Another one escaping the social vibe.

Her name is Phindiwe
Born in a small village of Eastern Cape
A 5-year old without parents
Robbed of her virginity
Snatched of her childhood... a premature sexual partner
Ta-Jakes the uncle pleasures himself
In repeatedly raping her behind closed doors
Diagnosed with HIV she becomes a victim...
Another statistic!

What becomes of humanity in a vibe society?
There are many questions without answers
And many answers unquestioned
The beat goes on...

He wakes up on a Monday morning
To realize the mess he caused yesterday evening
In his drunken recall
He broke all the windows
Broke the heart of his wife
And chased his children away
They call him Mr. Yesterday...
Pondering soberly, faced with the cost of his actions
Another story told again!

They think it strange
That I walk barefoot on a cold winter afternoon
Assuming I lack sanity, perhaps I do
I don’t know what’s normal and what’s not
How I wish they would put themselves in my shoes
The very shoes I do not have
At the thought of my barren years
I beat my daily drum, the idea of sound perfected
I gain momentum.

What becomes of humanity in a vibe society?
There are many questions without answers
And many answers unquestioned
And so the beat goes on...