Ayanda Thabethe

"I felt the need to build my business acumen; I wanted to meet likeminded entrepreneurs, individuals who are doing different things in their spheres. I also wanted to find out how to run a business that is sustainable, not one that is launched one day and vanishes the next"

"As an entrepreneur your time is your money, and I couldn’t have my business affairs grind to a halt because I was studying,’ she says. ‘And as mother of two little boys – aged two and one – I have responsibilities on the home front that can’t be ignored, nor can they simply be moved down on my list of priorities"

"I started my degree in 2021, so it’s taken me four years to finish. The reason being that I had both my children during this time. At no point did Henley put me under pressure to finish my course at a time when it was literally an impossibility"

"I love the freedom to choose what I want to do, the freedom that comes with owning my time, while still being able to be present for my young family"

"My passion lies in cultivating a safe, loving and supportive home life for my children. One that I dreamed of as a child. In business my passion is to grow a beauty business by women for women, that offers simple beauty solutions that fit into their lifestyles. One of my biggest passions is always to finish what I start. It’s one of the key drivers that have gotten me to where I am today"

"Life is an accumulation of all our experiences. So I would tell her to explore more. To be more inquisitive. I would tell her to travel more, to immerse herself in different cultures at a time in her life where she is still unencumbered by the responsibilities of adulthood"

"Go for it! Don’t tell yourself this is not a good time because then you’ll always have an excuse to put it off. And if you’re worried about life getting in the way while you’re studying, don’t be. This is truly a flexible MBA programme that works with your goals in mind and considers your lifestyle. If you are committed, you will make it work"

"academic, political and work experience credentials combined are needed in our leadership now not apartheid struggle heroes"

"Give us a dream and a strategy to believe in followed by quality representatives based on merits to turn that vision into reality. Remember Obama's ‘Yes We Can’ campaign. I’m not American but he sold a new America to me. We really need this kind of energy in our country"

"What’s really lacking in the political parties opposing the current leading party is a lack of effective direction. I don’t know what they stand for and how they wish to achieve what they say they want to achieve. All I know is that they hate the ANC and that’s not good enough"

"South Africa weighs heavy on my heart. One of the most beautiful countries in the world — the food, weather, people, diverse cultures, parties, experience. I don’t understand how we have fallen so bad. The quality of life is horrendous! People are suffering, hustling day to day"

"It is much easier to start a business conversation when people recognise who you are. Of course there will be skeptics who question your intellectual range and ability to perform. It is how you navigate the polarities"

"It is tough gaining the trust of clients as a new entrant and as an entrepreneur; one needs to find outlets to sustain cash flow when the chips are down. Fortunately, I have had the luck of balancing my business ventures with freelance work opportunities in modelling and television"