Her voice has been dubbed a voice that can reach the stars by the Washington Post, and it seems South African operatic soprano Pretty Yende is aiming even higher.
In October 2022, Pretty was awarded a Ceremonial Badge of Honour for her contribution to the arts and letters in France and worldwide after just 12 years of making her professional operatic debut at the Latvian National Theatre in Riga, Latvia, as Micaela in Carmen in 2010. From the small town of Piet Retief, Mpumalanga, to the world!
Pretty was bestowed an Order of Arts and Letters award by France’s Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak.
“The Order of Arts and Letters, established in 1957 by the French Minister of Culture, rewards those who, through their ongoing engagement and creativity, have helped develop the arts and literature in France and throughout the world,” according to the Medailles Officielles website.
“I feel extremely honoured and humbled by such a prestigious Decoration,” Pretty wrote as she shared a video of the moment on Twitter.
INSIGNES D’OFFICIER DES ARTS ET DES LETTERES.
Thank you so much to the French Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malik
I feel extremely honored and humbled by such a prestigious Decoration
Other prestigious awards include an award from the South African government ‘The Order of Ikhamanga in Silver’ for her excellent achievement and international acclaim in the field of world of opera and for serving as a role model to aspiring young musicians.
And more recently being a recipient of the Italian Knighthood, Ordine Stella d’Italia for her work in building extraordinary relations between Italy and other countries, making her the youngest South African ever awarded this accolade.
The sky is definitely not the limit for Pretty, and we can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Sky Internet SA CEO and founder, Lorna Mlonzi (29) started the company with the focus of providing fast, efficient internet services to people living in townships, and rural areas.
The company is one of the biggest telecommunications companies in South Africa and provides wireless connectivity to households and businesses in informal settlements and underprivileged communities.
Speaking to Future Females, Lorna expressed why she started Sky Internet SA, “I’m just an ordinary person who saw a gap in the townships that I come from and having studied ICT (Information Communication Technology), I realized there is actually nobody right now who is trying to improve telecommunications infrastructure within townships.
A lot of the time we look at affordability but there’s actually a lot of money within townships, you just have to know how to tap into that space and understand how to work your business within that market. It’s not easy, but one thing I can say is that starting a business is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my entire life,” she said.
Lorna believes in the power the internet has when used right, and everyone deserves fast, affordable, and reliable internet. “Where we live and come from should not hinder us from any opportunities,” is a slogan Sky Internet SA believes in!
Lorna is definitely a Fuse Favorite for all the work she does.
When these five young men started their music group in 2018 while still in high school, they had no idea how far it was going to take them. Now, just four years later, they find themselves entertaining global audiences, and sharing a stage with the legendary American singer and actress, Jennifer Hudson.
The quintet first started posting videos of their beautiful harmonies on YouTube, while in their school classrooms – the videos blew up as they grew more popular and started releasing more singing videos.
A few years later, The Joy now boasts over 400 thousand followers on Tik Tok, with a recent video even reaching over 4 million views.
Over the past few weeks, The Joy have released a brand-new single that showcases a deeper, richer side to their sound and appeared on one of the most iconic UK music television shows of the past three decades.
Titled “Egoli” their new single maintains the quintet’s roots in traditional Zulu music and modern acapella, but the Tiago Correia Paulo-produced track brings in Maskandi-influenced guitarwork and delicate production flourishes to create a truly wonderful listening experience.
On November 12th The Joy appeared on the iconic UK music show Later…with Jools Holland; it was for a one-off live recorded specially for Jool’s 30th Birthday Bash filmed at London’s Eventim Apollo.
They performed their debut single “Isencane Lengane” on an episode of the show that also featured Michael Kiwanuka, Mercury Prize winner, Benjamin Clementine, and Swedish sisters, First Aid Kit.
Just as their slogan says, life made them friends, music made them brothers – we can’t help but be inspired by their talent, hard work, and tenacity! They are Fuse Favorites, hands down!
The name Swiitch Beauty will certainly ring a bell if you’re a makeup or skincare enthusiast. At just 14 years old, Rabia Ghoor started her makeup brand, Swiitch Beauty in her bedroom.
“It all began when I discovered this incredible thing on the internet, called Youtube. At the time there weren’t many South African beauty YouTubers, so I was primarily watching international makeup channels.
I remember thinking to myself: “international makeup enthusiasts have so much more of a variety” – American, European or Asian brands that are unavailable here in South Africa were constantly innovating & evolving – (especially in the digital space), while South African brands lagged behind or just straight up didn’t exist,” she writes on her brand website.
Rabia then began researching product sourcing, formulation, e-commerce, packaging, manufacturing, and design with the end goal in mind being to create a beauty brand that firstly, didn’t break the bank and secondly – made things that people would actually use in real life – things that did what they said they were going to do.
Now, a 22-year-old, stunning, award-winning businesswoman, Rabia is making more strides and growing from strength to strength. Swiitch Beauty now has a skincare range that all the girlies (and everyone, really) are crazy about!
Rabia used her brand to take a public stand in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement in 2020, and those speaking up on racial inequality and human injustice. Specifically, Swiitch offered a cash grant towards a black-owned business. She also partnered with an up-and-coming black-owned e-store as the brand’s first official reseller.
More recently (about a week ago) Rabia added the prestigious title of Glamour Woman of the Year 2022 to her long list of awards! We can’t help but stan this queen making boss moves – and keeping our skin healthy and dewy, one product at a time! She’s definitely a Fuse Favorite!
If you’re a fan of The Wife on Showmax, or if you’ve seen even one episode of the South African telenovela drama locally inspired by author, Dudu Busani-Dube’s beloved novels, you’ll agree that actress, Zikhona Sodlaka delivered a stellar performance from the beginning until her very last (and very emotional) scene.
The Wife is centered around the Zulu brothers and their love interests – Mandisa was the wife of the second eldest brother, Nqoba Zulu played by Abdul Khoza.
Her very colorful wigs, tight clothing with very loud prints, and heavy makeup are quite different from Zikhona’s more natural look and bald hairstyle. But when Zikhona stepped into Mandisa’s shoes, she delivered a convincing performance.
Since The Wife made its debut, Zikhona has been celebrated by viewers and has even earned herself nominations for Best Female Actor at the 2022 DStv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice Awards and Best Supporting Actor at the 2022 South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas).
Mandisa was the type of character you hate to love because if she wasn’t being funny (and boy was she hilarious!), she would do very questionable things like burning millions of rands that were meant to help a family member.
Love her or hate though, you must admit Zikhona made the viewer understand Mandisa’s frustration with the Zulu brothers. Being in a relationship with a man whose family is involved in criminal activities that she sometimes had to cover up, give them an heir (we all know how precious boy children are to the Zulu brothers), and still be disrespected and not deemed worthy enough to be married into their family got the better of her.
The last on-screen moment of Mandisa is when, after losing everything; her husband, child, home, and business because of the Zulu brothers’ shady ways, she sits hopelessly on the ground, gripping the lifeless body of her son, and warns one of the other wives, Hlomu played by Mbalenhle Mavimbela, that she too might experience this pain one day, and then pulls the trigger that takes her life.
South Africa is filled with talented creatives, and Zikhona Sodlaka is certainly one of them! She’s definitely a The Fuse favorite! We can’t wait to see what she does next!
Gone are the days when women were expected to be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, while the men go out to work. Nowadays, we see more and more men opting to stay at home and take care of the children, while the women go out to “get the bacon”.
A study by the Pew Research Center shows that the number of fathers who are at home with their children for any reason has nearly doubled since 1989 when 1.1 million were in this category.
Women earning more than men is also becoming quite the norm in our society now, so much so that one African woman recently spoke out about paying for her own lobola (dowry payment for the bride) on Twitter.
Her tweets sparked a conversation where even more women came out with similar stories. Of course, it wouldn’t be Twitter if there was no debate about this issue. While others commended the women for their futuristic thinking, others condemned them for not following the practices of African tradition.
Whatever side you’re on, however, you must admit that the world is changing and so are the cultures of society. How far you’re willing to push boundaries is completely up to you (thank goodness for the gift of choice!).
On a lighter note, here are some of our favorite stay-at-home Tik Tok dads:
Hlengiwe Hans Ngidi grew up in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Pietermaritzburg, Imbali township. During her formative years in school, she was an active young girl with strong leadership skills. So much so that she was appointed head girl in high school.
After completing her high school studies, Hlengi, as she is affectionately called, studied Visual Communication and Graphic Design at the Durban University of Technology where she earned her National Diploma. She then worked in the advertising industry for almost ten years, before starting her small graphic design studio which led her into the creative world of hairdressing. “I was introduced to the hair industry by the late Mr. Welcome Msomi (who was my business mentor) and happened to be the father to the late Mr. Victor Msomi.
In 2007 Victor was the president of AHBEASA (AFRO HAIR AND BEAUTY EMPLOYERS’ ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA). I started co-ordinating their events and offering them graphic design services. Soon I started getting attracted to the salon business and its potential,” Hlengi passionately tells The Fuse.
Entrepreneurship
After gaining knowledge from various salon owners, Hlengi decided to open her own salon in Pietermaritzburg in 2011. “But I was not a hairdresser then, I was just a salon business owner. I soon realized that running a salon business was not as easy as it normally looks from the outside,” she admits.
“For my salon to eventually be successful, I had to market it on the local radio station, on street poles newspapers, and at community events – then social media was not really available.” In 2013 Hlengi got an opportunity to buy a salon in East Rand Mall, Johannesburg, which was an immediate success, but the challenge remained the same – was still not a hairdresser, and with her nature of loving to be in control, Hlengi felt she was not in control of her business. “I was depending a lot on other people to show up and do the job, that is when I decided to go and study hairdressing,” she says.
Backing passion with learned skills
In 2014 a determined Hlengi enrolled with L’Oreal Professionnel African Institute which was in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. “I was among the first students who enrolled in this new world-class hairdressing college. Really my decision of studying hairdressing was for me to be able to be in control of my business. But little did I know that my destiny was calling me,” Hlengi boasts.
Studying hairdressing made sense to Hlengi; she was exposed to a different caliber of professional hairdressers such as Rockefeller Makhubo, Bongani Mbunda, Titus Magida, Priscilla Nqoko, and more. The sky was the limit for a bright-eyed Hlengi, and she decided that her place in the industry was not behind a salon chair, but with education and skill development.
“Fortunately, L’Oreal Professional decided to invest more in me in terms of training and career acceleration. After getting my trade and assessor certification, I was employed as a trainer at their college. I thoroughly enjoyed my job, I excelled and within a year I was asked to assist in Mizani Education throughout Southern Africa, which was an amazing opportunity. The following year I was awarded Mizani Educator of the year by the L’Oreal Professional Product Division,” says with gratitude.
Currently, Hlengi is studying Trichology with the Institute of Trichologists UK. Trichology is a study of scalp disorders and hair loss. “This is a very clinical path, it is not hairdressing, although I am at the advantage that I am a licensed and qualified hairdresser.” She is also a National Education Manager L’Oreal Professional Products Afro Specialist and Mizani, where she plans and implements education for salons that use their products.
Touching lives
There are many perks and joys to the work Hlengi does, but the most satisfying part of it to her is making a visible change in clients’ lives. One such client is a middle-aged woman who came to one of the salons she trains.
“The lady was in such distress, and for some reason, I decided to join the hairdresser who was consulting with her. The lady’s hair was thinning, and she had patchy localized hair loss, she looked traumatized and couldn’t understand why she was losing her hair. I had a conversation with her about her family history in terms of hair and asked her about any medication she is taking or any special diet.
After observing and examining her hair and scalp, I realized that she was actually experiencing what we call Telogen Effluvium, which is the thinning of hair due to undernourished and shrinking follicles which is caused by a large number of follicles rapidly moving to a resting phase of the hair life circle. There are many causes of this condition such as physical trauma, emotional trauma, postpartum, and iron deficiency.
I also identified Alopecia Areata, which is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system sees a follicle as a foreign object and attacks it, her areata was still very active. From our conversation, the lady told me she lost her husband in a car accident a year before and she had a c-section childbirth four months later.
I referred the lady to a hair loss specialist in one of the hair clinics. Six months later the salon called me and said that I have a lady who is asking for me. I drove to the salon and found a lady waiting in tears. She was attending a hair loss clinic and her hair had improved drastically and she looked much happier. I was pleased to wash and blow-dry healthier hair on behalf of the salon. That is what my career is all but touching and changing people’s lives through knowledge and education.”
A trip to Paris
Hlengi tells us about the trip to the SSA L’Oreal Professional Seminar in Paris. Two salon owners were chosen to travel with the education team that includes her. “This is not just a normal visit to Paris but an education excursion. The two salon owners are Ayanda Madlebe from STUDIO 353 HIAR in Rivonia and Noxolo Mvalo from TOUCH BY NOXY in East London,” she says.
Ayanda and Noxolo are not only salon owners but licensed and qualified hairdressers, they are being prepared to push their businesses to the next level, the mission is to build sustainable businesses through skill development.
When starting this journey many years ago, Hlengi aimed to build relationships in the industry, be known as an influential figure, mentor and lead. We’d say she’s pretty much nailed it so far!
When Sibongile Tshabalala gave birth to her bouncing baby boy in October 1993, she didn’t know she was birthing someone who would play a huge role in the beauty industry. 29 years later, Bonolo Tshabalala is one of the most respected and sought-after makeup artists in the country.
It all started when Bonolo was growing up in the West of Johannesburg, raised by his mother, and grandparents, Violet and Mpho, who is now late. “Bonolo was a very active child who started growing teeth at six months, he never crawled, always stood up with chairs and tables, started walking at eight months, and hardly ever sick. He was constantly the life of every party, loved people, even strangers!” Violet says about her grandson.
Sibongile also only has fond memories of her only child when he was younger, “Bonolo always wore my doeks or fabric seat covers pretending it was his hair, what an entertaining child!” For her, raising her son was easy, calm, and soft, just like his name suggests.
Bonolo in school
At the age of 3, Bonolo’s family sent him to Betsie Verwoed Day Care, then later to Laerskool Betsie Verwoed Primary, which is now known as Westgold Primary. Being active never left him, in school he played cricket, sang, and did poems for the eisteddfods, and even became school prefect.
In 2011, he completed his Grade 12 studies at Ahmed Timol Secondary in Azaadville, a school in the center of a predominantly Indian community, rooted in its beliefs, and strongly adhered to culture. “I’m so grateful because that was a community that never judged my sexuality and never condoned bullying or undermined the diverse cultures and people who walked its streets. High school was the best years of my life,” Bonolo tells The Fuse.
After matric, Bonolo furthered his education with Central Johannesburg College, Alex Campus, studying Cosmetology. He’s even worked as a defaulter tracer at Glenanda Clinic, Johannesburg South, contractually.
After being rejected by Wits University, and AFDA for Dramatic Arts, a gap year just wasn’t an option for Bonolo. “I met a group of ladies dressed in uniform, with their hair and makeup done and I wondered about who they were and what they did. I asked and one answered with ‘we study beauty’,” Bonolo reminisces.
That same day, he went back home to his grandmother to tell her he would like to take a different path and study beauty until he can eventually get into an acting/ presenting school. Violet then spoke to Sibongile who was happy to have her son study anything that would give him ample opportunities to succeed in whatever field he chose. Booked and busy!
A few years later, Bonolo’s first client was Andrika Magano Sebobiso, a family friend who trusted that Bonolo was good enough to make her look amazing on her wedding day. Talk about being thrown in the deep end, but boy did he swim!
After some time and experience, Bonolo is so sought after that even some of the most loved and celebrated personalities request his services in advance. Although Bonolo’s humility wouldn’t let it out easily, we asked him about some of the famous faces his brushes have touched. “Haha, Zanele Mncube; a very well-known fashionista who introduced me to Nhlanhla Mafu from the singing group, Mafikizolo…who then introduced me to award-winning entrepreneur, Gugu Khathi, and she showed me off to the world!”
The Future
For Bonolo, the most satisfying thing about his work is being part of the making of an inspirational history. In a world full of makeup artists, he believes what sets him apart is his never-ending appetite for more knowledge. “It makes me a better makeup artist than I was seven years ago when I first started on this journey – it improves my craft and service,” he adds.
Going forward, Bonolo wants to play a role in making makeup a luxury that is part of our daily lives. He also wants to own a makeup brand or cosmetic line that will be responsible for creating jobs. With his brush in his hand and love for people, Bonolo is bound to make even bigger waves!
When Eskom introduced load-shedding, the lives of many South Africans completely changed. Some of the people who are at the receiving end of the shortest sticks are small business owners. The Fuse spoke to a few of these entrepreneurs to find out how regular power cuts affect the running of their businesses.
Zenzele Hair Salon
Mary owns a hair salon in Mdantsane, East London in the Eastern Cape, and without a generator, her business is hardly making the profit it used to. “The constant lack of electricity means I can’t let clients walk in because I can’t use any of the equipment on their hair. And now, the expenses of the business are unmoving. The rent alone is something we can barely keep up with. It’s terrible, I’ve got three employees whose families depend on their salaries. There have been instances where I had to buy groceries for some of my employees from my own pocket – it’s really bad. What’s more upsetting is in other parts of the country, power cuts happen for only two hours at a time, but here in the Eastern Cape, it’s three hours, standard. Don’t even get me started on the water outages as well, what a nightmare!”
Andile’s Handyman Work
Andile has always been very handy, and when his mother told him she couldn’t afford his education, he decided to turn his talent into a career. Being a handyman has been putting food on the table all his life. But now, load-shedding is threatening that. “I use electricity for most of my work, and every hour there’s no electricity, that’s money out of my pocket. I have a wife and three children, and I really want my children to have an education, but if I can’t work, I can’t provide that for them. It really breaks my heart – especially because it looks like this is the new norm for our country. And the people who can do something about it don’t care about everyday people, ordinary people like us. We don’t expect handouts, but we need our basic needs to be met so we’re able to work.”
Nobulali’s Nail Salon
“I run my nail tech business from home to save on rent costs and things like that. Every single time there’s a power cut, I have to sit and do nothing for two hours, sometimes three times a day! It’s ridiculous. The level of youth unemployment in South Africa is already sickening, and when we try to come up with ways to make a living, things like power cuts hinder our growth. It’s easy to just then give up, but I hope this doesn’t deter us from our goals – things will come around, hopefully.”
Eskom was unavailable to comment at time of publish. Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha has previously commented on load shedding, saying that the continuous implementation of the deliberate power cuts by Eskom is mainly due to the need to preserve emergency generation reserves owing to a high level of breakdowns and the delay in returning some generating units to service.
Music forms a big part of human nature, there’s a song for every occasion, whether good or bad. Those who have been trusted with the delicate talent of making music often struggle with letting it go when called to other paths. Therefore Khabonina Dlamini, Sabelo Mthembu and a few others formed Quava Vocal Group in 2009 after graduating from the University of Johannesburg.
“We were part of the University of Johannesburg Choir while studying, and after graduating, we wanted to continue the culture of choral singing, so we formed the group,” Sabelo, who is the conductor and music director of the group tells The Fuse.
Now 13 years later, Sabelo works a nine-to-five as a Data Analyst for Multichoice, but you’ll find him at rehearsals every Monday evening. “We rehearse every Monday evening from 6pm to 8pm and occasionally on weekends for “camp” rehearsals,” he says.
Making music requires more than just talent, commitment is also key to succeeding. “Each member is chosen based on their talent, which includes vocal quality, good ear and availability. Singing history is not a requirement as long as the singer has a passion for music and hard work,” Sabelo adds.
Hard work pays off
Each member of Quava has these qualities, which makes it no surprise that the group recently travelled abroad and swept audiences off their feet and collected a few awards along the way! “We embarked on a performance tour of Italy and Spain for two weeks (6 – 18 October 2022). In Italy, we presented two concerts and did a workshop with a local choir from Rome called Coro Cantering. In Spain, we took part in a competition called Sing For Gold World Choral Cup.
“We took part in two categories: adult category and jazz, pop, and gospel categories. We won both categories and placed in the top 3 best choirs in the overall competition. I was also awarded the best conductor prize,” a very humble Sabelo shares.
Preparing for this trip wasn’t a walk in the park for the uber-talented group. “Funding was the biggest challenge. Covid was also a big challenge because lockdowns made rehearsing very difficult,” but because of each member’s dedication and faith in God, they soon overcame their challenges with the bigger picture in mind.
“To overcome funding challenges, we had to be very innovative. We presented several concerts in which we collaborated with other choirs. I also used my Comrades Marathon run to raise funds. To overcome covid challenges, we had to do virtual rehearsals and provide each singer with their individual voice parts so that they can rehearse on their own at home,” Sabelo explains. And soon enough, the group was ready for take-off!
First-time travellers
This trip meant so much to several members of the group – ten singers were travelling abroad for the first time. Mbali Faku, who only joined the group a year ago, is one of the singers who left South African shores for the first time.
“Touring Italy and Spain with Quava Vocal Group was life-changing! I am so grateful for this lifetime opportunity and just the thrill of being a part of something so much bigger than you. I’ve never felt so alive. I lived in the moment and enjoyed every little bit of what this experience had to offer,” she tells us.
“My top two fondest moments or memories were: First, singing for and connecting with the people of Calella through our music. I couldn’t help but smile and look into their eyes while singing. Second, the bonds I got to form with my fellow choristers. We held each other down throughout. The challenges we faced were easy to overcome because we did it together. I can’t wait for what’s to come for Quava. I pray we get to do something like this yearly,” Mbali adds.
Quava Vocal Group has even bigger dreams and goals for the future. They look forward to releasing their first album in 2023 and hope to tour more of South Africa. The group have also set their sights on collaborations with local and international composers.
“We are truly blessed to be able to use our gifts to touch many people’s hearts across the world. Our values are God, love, and excellence. We are humbled to be used by God to make music that heals people and gives them hope, to radiate love in everything we do, and to be a good model for excellence,” Sabelo concludes.
