Page 51 - Mangwanani Magazine June 2020 Edition

Meet Nikiwe
I am Nikiwe Kolwana. I was born in 1966. I am the proud mother of
ve children. It gives me pleasure to say that l have been
empowered by Mangwanani, after struggling along the road of
life for 30 years. Yes, l am a matriculant; however, that did not
lead to a job. When l joined Mangwanani, l had specialised in
hand therapy. Christine Gladys trained me initially at River Valley.
I was appointed duty manager for Zevenwacht, our former
Cape branch. Four years later, the spa burnt down. When we
reopened, l became the spa manager. I was under many
branch managers until 2013, when l, too, became a branch
manager.

My journey with Mangwanani has been of great benet to my
life. I have been sent to the Netherlands and to Spain to attend
events there. The travel and accompanying experience and
training has been thanks to Erin’s efforts. l have been able to
provide for all my children, giving them a good education. Three
of my children are graduates: in public, nancial, and marketing
management. Thanks to you, Erin: you have been a kind
‘mother’ to me in all the struggles I have had to endure. I lost my
husband, which was a hugely painful experience. However,
Mangwanani was there for me. Erin helped me through the pain,
supporting and comforting me. Christine is also always a
comforter, assuring me that nothing bad will happen to me on
her watch. Mangwanani, as a company, means the world to me
and my family.

Meet Ntsoaki
My name is Ntsoaki, mother of 3 children. I came to
Johannesburg to be a stay-at-home mother. My husband was
the only breadwinner. I fell pregnant with my third child, and
realised that I needed to help my husband. Mangwanani took
me in and gave me massage training. After intensive training
over several weeks, I was accepted as an employee. I was very
happy to be able to help my husband nancially. I was also able
to send money home to my mother, who was living with all my
children and siblings. Two years down the line, my skills and
experience were recognised. I was promoted to assistant
branch manager........which was so exciting, I could hardly
believe it. I kept working diligently and learnt everything I could
about my trade. I have always given my all, in every situation. I
often approached Tshidi, my manager, offering my assistance,
and asking for extra experience and training. Tshidi taught me a
great deal. I did not even know how to type on the computer − I
was clueless with computers. I learnt customer service − how to
talk to clients and how to address the calls from clients. Thanks to
Mangwanani, I learnt everything that they could teach me, from
reception duties, to the smallest attention to detail in service to
clients... I'll forever be grateful for the recognition (and the
payment) that came with it. I am not the only one happy − my
husband and extended family are thrilled with what I have
accomplished!