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< Back to all guests #16 Melusi Mhlungu - From Soweto to the Super Bowl and back again. The journey of 'We are Bizarre' creative Melusi Mhlungu. 30 April 2026 FIND BELOW 1 Guest Bio 2 Episode Description 3 Show Notes 4 Time Stamps 5 Transcript 1 Guest Bio Melusi Mhlungu is an award-winning creative with a career spanning global agencies such as David Miami, Ogilvy Chicago, and Johannes Leonardo in Newx York, where he spent seven years honing his craft. His work has earned recognition at Cannes Lions, The One Show, D&AD, Clios, Sport Clios, and the Loeries, where he was named the 2016 Young Creative. Over the years, Melusi has brought bold ideas to life for leading brands including Vodacom, Toyota, Old Mutual, FNB, DStv, KFC, Cadbury, Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Burger King, Nando’s, NBA, Goodbye Malaria, Adidas, Uber, and Instagram. He is now the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of We Are Bizarre , and a founding partner of Jozi My Jozi , a movement dedicated to making a meaningful difference in the lives of the people of Jozi. 2 Episode Description This episode is a behind the scenes look at the man behind the brand JozimyJozi and the unbelievable story of his rise to the top of the advertising industries in both South Africa and the United States before his return to home town Johannesburg to start a movement of hope and regeneration. In a candid conversation, Melusi speaks about his near-miss as a lawyer, early influences on his advertising career, and how ‘stalking’ local and international advertising heroes ultimately led him to work in the United States, where he continued his award-winning streak. His first award came just two years into his working life, a nod to his inherently creative spirit, his move away from art directing towards copywriting and his voracious appetite for studying the Greats, those award-winning ads that are simply unforgettable. He talks about his creative process, how ‘letting go’ of ideas is his secret to success, and that he once scored a perfect 10 out of 10 for his optimism in a psychometric test but was warned that could be considered ‘dangerous’. It is in the second half where he tells the story behind the branding of JoziMyJozi, a movement ‘of the people’, with a vision to fix something that many had abandoned as ‘broken’, and the relationship between two men that gave birth to it. As a founding partner, Melusi Mhlungu describes the moment on Constitution Hill when the seeds were sewn for the creation of JoziMyJozi as a brand that nobody owns. He shares a love letter to his home town Johannesburg that inspired the branding of JoziMyJozi , and explains why the movement decided to ‘start with the actions’ (not bragging about what they were intending to do, but just ‘getting shit done’). He explains why patience is the superpower of the motley crew of JoziMyJozi doers, and how when they got a no, they just carry on, not waiting to get a yes. The episode is infused with Melusi’s infectious and enduring optimism, about life, South Africa’s youth (‘people who are not stuck in the reality of now’) and ultimately, South Africa’s City of Gold. If you feel down about Joburg, and the world in general, this episode is for you. People here can ‘geshido’!™ 3 Show Notes 00:02 Johannesburg , known locally as Jozi, is the largest city in South Africa. It is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa. The city is one of the 50 largest urban areas by population in the world, and is also the world’s largest city not situated on a river, lake, or coastline. The city was named and established in 1886 following the discovery of gold on what had been a farm. The name is attributed to one or all of three men involved in the establishment of the city. In just ten years, the population grew to over 100,000 inhabitants. While Johannesburg is not one of South Africa’s three capital cities, it is the seat of the Constitutional Court, which has the final word on interpretation of South Africa’s constitution as well as with issues in connection with constitutional matters. The City is regarded as the economic powerhouse of the African continent. 00:27 JoziMyJozi is a movement born out of a deep passion for Johannesburg and a call for citizens and business alike to contribute to its regeneration. 00:46 Melusi Mhlungu's instagram account and We Are Bizarre's Insta 00:59 Soweto is an urban settlement or 'township' in South Africa, an acronym that denotes its geographic location ( so uth we stern to wnship), in rhw South West of Johannesburg, South Africa. Soweto was created in the 1930s when the white Government started separating black and whites before apartheid was officiallly state policy in 1948. Blacks were moved away from Johannesburg, to an area separated from white suburbs by a so-called cordon sanitaire (or sanitary corridor), usually a river, a railway track, an industrial area or a highway etc.. They did this by using the infamous 1923 'Urban Areas Act' . Soweto became the largest black city in South Africa, but until 1976 its population could have status only as temporary residents, serving as a workforce for Johannesburg. It experienced continuous civil unrest during the Apartheid regime, most publicised among them, riots in 1976 , sparked by a ruling that Afrikaans be used in black schools as a medium of instruction. William Carr, chair of non-European affairs, initiated the naming of Soweto in 1959. He called for a competition to give a collective name to townships dotted around the south-west of Johannesburg. People responded to this competition with great enthusiasm. Among the names suggested to the City Council was KwaMpanza, meaning: 'Mpanza's Place', revoking the name of Mpanza and his role in bringing the plight of Orlando sub tenants to the attention of the City Council. He was a pivotal political activist and community leader often called the "Father of Soweto". 01:05 The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), serving as the culmination of the professional American football season. Held in late January or February, it has evolved beyond a mere sporting event into a major American cultural phenomenon, often described as an unofficial national holiday. It is a single, winner-take-all matchup between the champions of the NFL's two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The winner is awarded the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The Super Bowl is consistently one of the most-watched television events in the United States, often drawing over 100 million viewers. It is also broadcast to a global audience in over 170 countries. Super Bowl commercials are a significant part of the spectacle, with companies spending millions for 30 seconds of airtime to showcase their most creative and memorable advertisements. The game is hosted in a different, usually warm-weather or domed city each year, bringing extensive media buildup and a festival-like atmosphere. Essentially, the Super Bowl is a high-stakes, commercialized entertainment spectacle that merges elite athletic competition with pop culture, advertising, and national tradition. 01:33 Ode to Johannesburg - this is the letter Melusi wrote as an homage to his hometown Johannesburg when he started creating the JoziMyJozi brand. 01:52 Link to Insta post of him as a young guy. “What would I tell younger me? Don’t let the world change your smile.” 02:42 Nkandla is a town and local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, situated in a mountainous, rural region, widely known as the "cradle" of Zulu history and the private home of former President Jacob Zuma. It is characterized by deep valleys, indigenous forests, and a developing, mainly traditional economy. Considered a central location in Zulu history, it is the site of King Malandela and King Cetshwayo's graves. It is closely linked to the history of King Shaka and King Dingane. Jacob Zuma Homestead: Nkandla is widely known for the private, state-funded security upgrades at the homestead of former President Jacob Zuma. The property became a major political issue commonly referred to as “ Nkandlagate ". 03:41 The migrant labour system was a cornerstone of apartheid, designed to exploit cheap black labor for Johannesburg's industry while enforcing strict racial segregation. It forced men from rural areas into single-sex hostels, prohibiting their families from joining them and keeping them in a cycle of oscillating migration to prevent permanent urban settlement. The hostels acted as centres of social control. Contracts typically lasted 11 months, forcing workers to leave their families, travel to the city, work, and return to rural areas for a month, keeping them dependent on both systems. The system created a "labour reserve," where rural areas supported the families of workers who were not paid enough to support their families in the city. The system developed rapidly alongside the gold mining industry, bringing in workers from rural South Africa and neighbouring countries. It then increased rapidly with the formalisation of townships like Soweto, concentrating black workers near Johannesburg. Residents resisted, leading to events like the 1957 "Bloody Riot" over pass laws and eventually forming a strong base for anti-apartheid activism. 07:02 Founded in 1999, IIE-Vega School is a prominent South African tertiary institution specializing in brand building, design, and advertising. It focuses on the mantra "wisdomwithmagic," blending strategy with creativity. As part of The Independent Institute of Education (IIE), it offers specialized degrees and has evolved into a leading school of brand innovation with campuses in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, and Durban. It launched in 1999 with 93 students to challenge traditional advertising education, focusing on experiential learning. In 2009 it re-positioned itself as the " School of Brand Innovation " to better integrate creative and brand leadership studies. 07:14 Generations is a pioneering South African soap opera created by Mfundi Vundla, which premiered on SABC 1 on February 4, 1994, just in time to reflect the birth of a new, democratic South Africa. It became a cultural phenomenon, boasting over 10 million viewers at its peak and functioning as a "star-making machine" that launched many of the country's most famous actors, such as Connie Ferguson and Menzi Ngubane. Set against the backdrop of the high-stakes advertising industry, the show initially focused on the dreams, aspirations, and rivalries of Black professionals trying to succeed in a changing corporate landscape. As one of the first locally produced soapies (replacing imported ones), it was crucial in showcasing black professionals thriving in business, reflecting the aspirations of post-apartheid South Africa. While TV viewing habits have shifted, Generations: The Legacy continues to be one of the most-watched daily dramas in South Africa, often reaching millions of viewers nightly, despite increased competition from streaming services. 07:18 Days of Our Lives has held a significant place in South African television culture since its debut on SABC in the mid-1990s, becoming a staple afternoon soap opera that transcended age, gender, race, and culture for two decades. Known for its dramatic and often outlandish storylines, the show attracted a massive, dedicated following, largely on SABC3, where it was a top-rated program. Days of Our Lives first hit the box in 1965 in the US, and is one of the longest running tv programmes, revolving around the trials and tribulations of the fictional town Salem. It was first introduced to South African viewers in 1992. It stopped broadcasting in South Africa in 2022. 07:22 The Bold and the Beautiful has been a cornerstone of South African television since its debut on the SABC in 1997, growing into one of the country's most-watched soap operas. Known for its glamorous fashion setting and dramatic storylines, the show built a massive, loyal fanbase, leading to cast tours, 30th-anniversary celebrations in 2017, and a move to streaming via Vodacom's Video Play in 2019 after leaving SABC3. 08:29 Leo Burnett (1891–1971) was a pioneering American advertising executive who built his agency on the "HumanKind" philosophy, focusing on the inherent drama and emotional connection in products. His approach championed "telling the people" how products make them feel, rather than just selling features, creating iconic brand mascots like Tony the Tiger. Burnett believed every product has an emotional core and a story waiting to be told. Known for his workaholism, the Huxley.media notes, he believed "Interest in life in all its manifestations is the secret of all creative people". 10:00 In 1942, a descendant of the original owner sold a portion of the farm Palmietfontein to Samuel Potter, a publisher and company director of Irish descent. In 1947, work began on the farmhouse of what would later become known as “Southdowns”, a dairy farm run by his wife Jessie. Potter died in Durban in 1963 at the age of 82, and Jessie continued to run the farm until 1969. She then sold the property to the General Mining and Finance Company Ltd, who intended to develop the land into a suburb of Alberton. Brackendowns was declared a township in 1972 and the house was sold in 1979. Concerned community members have reported that the first house built in Brackendowns is deteriorating fast due to lack of maintenance. In 2011 Anna Cox wrote a piece for The Star newspaper, revealing the history and significance of the house ( click here to read ). It is the very first house built in Brackendowns and is linked to one of the founding families of Joburg. 11:05 The Mandela Bridge is located in the heart of the City of Johannesburg, serving as a bridge between the vibrant student precinct of Braamfontein and downtown Joburg. The area is part of a massive rejuvenation drive, filled with sites of cultural and historic significance – and the bridge is the conduit for all traffic to and from the area. The Nelson Mandela Bridge was recognised as being "an outstanding civil engineering achievement" by the South African Institute of Civil Engineers. Of the many buildings, roads, squares and bays named after the first democratically elected president of South Africa, the Nelson Mandela Bridge is the most fitting tribute to the former political prisoner. This Johannesburg landmark symbolically links the old and new as it ushers traffic into the heart of rejuvenated downtown Johannesburg. It cost R38 million and is the largest cable-stayed bridge in southern Africa. The vast quantities of construction materials that went into its creation underpin what a feat of engineering it is. It took 4,000 cubic meters of concrete, 1,000 tons of structural steel and 500 tons of construction steel to realise the seemingly weightless pinnacle that gleams with the promise of the new. The bridge is 284 meters long, 42 meters high at the north pylon and 27 meters high at the south pylon. 12:25 David Ogilvy (1911–1999) was a British advertising executive known as the "Father of Advertising" and founder of Ogilvy & Mather. He revolutionized the industry with a, research-driven, "brand-first" approach, emphasizing creative, informative copy over mere hype. His philosophy held that advertising's goal is to sell, treating customers as intelligent, not gullible. Before advertising, Ogilvy had a diverse career as a chef in Paris, a stove salesman, and a British Intelligence agent during WWII. He founded his agency in New York in 1948, which grew into one of the largest in the world. In 1948, David Ogilvy founded the agency that would become Ogilvy & Mather. Starting with no clients and a staff of two, he built his company into one of the eight largest advertising networks in the world with more than 500 offices and 20,000 staff across 169 cities. Ogilvy & Mather South Africa’s origins lie with a small hot shop in Cape Town, founded by Bob Rightford, Brian Searle-Tripp and Roger Makin in 1976. After merging with Ogilvy in 1984, Ogilvy & Mather RS-TM dominated the local creative scene during the first decade and over the next twenty years was recognized as a brand-focused agency that acted with integrity. 12:26 FCB https://www.fcb.co.za/ FCB Africa is a premier, full-service creative agency network with over 90 years of experience building brands in Africa, known for its "Never Finished" mantra and data-driven, consumer-centric advertising. Established in 1926 as E Lindsay Smithers in South Africa, it has created iconic campaigns like Sasol’s "Glug Glug" and now operates as part of the global FCB network (part of Interpublic Group) with a focus on blending local culture with international expertise. Opened in 1926 as E Lindsay Smithers Advertising Agent in South Africa, with Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Company as its first client. 12:35 Long-time creative guru Brett Morris is executive creative chair at the Nahana Communications Group. His work in advertising has been recognised numerous times at major award shows including Cannes and by his peers in the industry. In 2014 Brett was appointed Group Chief Executive of Nahana Communications Group and has since been voted by his peers as most admired agency leader in Johannesburg for five years in a row and three times across South Africa. He is a veteran in the industry, having worked on some of South Africa's most iconic campaigns. He was a mentor to Melusi in the early days of his career, and is a long time friend. 12:55 Neo Mashigo is a prominent South African creative leader, currently serving as the Chief Creative Officer (CCO) at Up & Up Group. He has a long history in the advertising industry, previously acting as a creative director at M&C Saatchi AbelSouth Africa since 2017. iN 2025 he formed part of of the Cannes Lions 2025 Film Jury. 13:22 Molefi Thulo. Molefi Thulo, aka Mo, began his career at DraftFCB in the early 2000’s. It was here where he developed a love for storytelling and incorporating humour into his work. In 2009 he joined Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg where he worked his way up to Creative Director. He’s had the privilege of working on a number of impressive accounts such as KFC, Lucozade, Samsung, Coca-Cola, Toyota, Unilever and South African Breweries, to mention a few. His work has been awarded both locally and internationally, and he’s proud to be part of the team that won 2 Cannes Grand Prix Lions, in 2014 and 2016. An industry loses creative trailblazer Molefi Thulo “It is with profound sadness that we share the news that Molefi Thulo has passed away. This ever humble, always inspirational human will leave a massive hole in the industry that he loved so much, and to which he gave so much.” 22:41 Marianna O’Kelly “Mariana O’Kelly is EVP/Executive Creative Director at Leo Chicago, where she leads creative for the entire Kellogg’s portfolio. With over two decades of global experience, she’s known for crafting emotionally resonant, culturally sharp work that drives impact. Previously Global ECD at Ogilvy, Mariana has won multiple Cannes Lions Grand Prix—including three in Audio—and more than 70 international awards. She served as Cannes Lions Jury President, was named one of Adweek’s Creative 100, and recognized by the Gunn Report as one of the top creative leaders in the world. Originally from South Africa, Mariana is also a passionate advocate for diversity in the industry, having led gender transformation efforts across agencies. She brings a human-first leadership style and a belief that great ideas should feel like authentic conversations. If she wasn't in advertising, she would renovate old houses or teach art to kids.” 24:47  The Adams & Adams Young Creatives Award is a prestigious South African accolade recognizing brand communication talent aged 27 or younger at the start of their careers. Sponsored by law firm Adams & Adams as part of the Loeries, it awards winners with a Gold Loerie, R50,000, and often a trip to the Cannes Lions Festival, highlighting the firm's focus on nurturing emerging talent and protecting intellectual property. It aims to encourage the next generation of brand communication leaders and protect the intellectual property rights of young innovators. Adams & Adams, a leading African intellectual property law firm, sponsors the award, aligning with their role as the official legal counsel to the Loeries. Adams & Adams has a long history of sponsoring the Loeries Young Creatives Award in South Africa, a prestigious award for individuals under 27 in the brand communications industry. Some search results also mention Adams & Adams being involved in "The CIPC IP Youth Awards" as of April 2026, reinforcing their continued focus on supporting young talent in creative and innovative fields. 25:47 The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is the world's most prestigious advertising and marketing awards, held annually in Cannes, France. Celebrating creative excellence across various disciplines, it brings together global talent to set industry benchmarks. 25:49 The Loeries Awards are Africa and the Middle East's premier initiative recognizing, rewarding, and fostering creative excellence across brand communication, advertising, design, and digital media. As a not-for-profit, they promote innovation, with winning a "Loerie" regarded as the highest regional honor, often referred to as the "premier awards”. It covers wide-ranging creative fields including film, radio, print, digital, design, PR, and live activations and acts as a standard for creative excellence, with winners featured in the Loeries Official Rankings. Entries are open to agencies, brand owners, and production companies. The Loerie Awards first took place in 1978 in Johannesburg . Television was introduced to South Africa relatively late in 1976, [1] and the delay was due to the political belief at the time that television was "undesirable". Once television had finally been introduced, the first television commercials commenced in 1978, and consequently, the Loerie Awards were introduced in the same year to promote the new medium of television advertising. ####LOADING ERROR#### 4 Time Stamps 00:00 JoziMyJozi Revival 00:42 Meet Melusi Mhlungu 02:34 Soweto and Nkandla Roots 04:22 Inspired by His Mother 05:41 Ads Between Soapies 09:17 Vega Breakthrough Test 12:19 FCB Mentors and Momentum 15:02 From Art to Copy 18:46 Ideas and Letting Go 22:37 Ogilvy and Young Lions 26:51 Award Winning Obsession 29:32 Lexus Radio Case Study 32:11 US Recruit and Miami Move 36:38 Leaving Home Fears 42:36 Creative Low and Breakthrough 46:17 Authentic Creative Process 48:10 Typical Americans Super Bowl 52:01 Devour Food Porn Ad 55:11 Decision To Return Home 56:43 Meeting Robbie Brozin 01:05:47 Letter To Jozi 01:08:16 Building JoziMyJozi Movement 01:12:57 Brand Identity And Trust 01:18:03 Early Pushback And First Wins 01:22:21 Optimism As A Superpower 01:27:29 Closing And Credits Back to top ^

the stories we tell ourselves, each other and the world LATEST EPISODES View More Listen Now The AfricanOptimist. A podcast to explore what's possible. The AfricanOptimist podcast explores what it takes to make your mark in a changing Africa. If you’re wondering what it takes to survive and thrive, join Sanja Gohre for bi-monthly conversations with the new doers and thinkers across the continent. Listen in as she talks with a wide range of people who shar e their journeys of triumphs and tribulations, tips and tricks, analysis and insight, and most of all, their inspiration on how and why they survive and thrive. About the host The AfricanOptimist podcast is hosted by Sanja Gö hre, a journalist and social scientist by training, born, bred and living in Johannesburg, South Africa. Curious about developments across the African continent, she talks to the thoughtful and the driven to find out how they are influencing their worlds. Find out more

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< Back to all guests #7 Sithuli Mbeje - on mobile abattoirs, bringing processing closer to home and doing what needs to be done 15 March 2024 FIND BELOW 1 Guest Bio 2 Episode Description 3 Show Notes 4 Time Stamps 5 Transcript 1 Guest Bio Sithuli Mbeje is a South African food technologist with over a decade of experience in the food and retail industry. He has a background working with major local and international food companies, specializing in research and development, and particularly in new product innovation. He is the founder of AfriFood Technologies, a company focused on developing solutions for a more sustainable food future. His innovative approach to food waste and supply chain efficiency aims to transform market access opportunities for emerging farmers and food entrepreneurs. According to Mbeje, creating shorter supply chains by bringing processing closer to the source, results in the creation of local food systems, reduced food waste, and better value for small scale farmers and consumers, as well as the entire food value chain. AfriFood Technologies’ signature product is a mobile abattoir designed to support the implementation of circular food economies in rural communities. This innovation addresses challenges in remote areas by providing a more accessible and efficient meat processing solution. Sithuli was a winner in the 2021 Mail & Guardian's Greening The Future Awards and was a participant in the SAB Foundation's Tholoana Enterprise Programme, an intensive 18-month mentorship and development programme for entrepreneurs. 2 Episode Description In Episode 1, disruptive thinker and author Efosa Ojomo highlighted that the potential for prosperity in Africa lay in finding solutions to persistent problems and in doing so, creating new markets. In this episode, we shine a light on Sithuli Mbeje’s journey to developing a mobile abattoir - his response to the problems faced by livestock farmers across Africa when they want to convert their cows to meat. In graphic details he outlines the different steps involved in this process, both in the large industrial abattoirs, as well as his much smaller and compact roving mobile unit. In our conversation he speaks about what gave him the idea for a mobile abattoir, how it fits into his philosophy on food waste and food security and how it is still possible to create value even if you do not follow a linear growth model. He highlights how mobile abattoirs can also serve an important role during outbreaks of foot and mouth disease, a recurring problem across many countries in Africa, as well as in conservation projects that rely on collaborative efforts between farmers and conservation agencies. He speaks of his drive to combine knowledge gained from years in the food processing and retail space with his understanding of food practices back home in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, to create new food processes and systems to ensure a more sustainable meat supply chain across Africa. 3 Show Notes [00:03:35] Checkers is a large supermarket chain that is part of the bigger Shoprite Group . Shoprite Group is Africa’s largest fast-moving consumer goods retailer. Its core business is in food retailing, complemented by furniture, pharmaceuticals, hospitality, ticketing, digital commerce, and financial and cellular services. Checkers 'boasts three store formats - supermarkets, smaller-format convience stores, large-format hyper stores - and an award-winning grocery delivery service.' [00:03:35] Foot and mouth disease is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of livestock that has a significant economic impact. The disease affects cattle, swine, sheep, goats and other cloven-hoofed ruminants. It is a transboundary animal disease (TAD) that deeply affect the production of livestock and disrupting regional and international trade in animals and animal products. The disease is estimated to circulate in 77% of the global livestock population, in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, as well as in a limited area of South America [00:08:20] KwaZulu Natal's carcass grading system [00:15:22] Meat Naturally ' brings together livestock farmers, NGOs, meat buyers, and stakeholders in the meat value chain. By providing education, farming resources, grazing expertise, and market opportunities, Africa’s rangelands and wetlands are being restored every day'. [00:17:28] Offal , also referred to as variety meats is the name for internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal. Worth a read: The Offal-Eater’s Handbook: Untangling the Myths of Organ Meats [00:18:06] KwaZulu-Natal is one of 9 provinces in South Africa. It covers an area of 94 361km ² , the third-smallest in the country, and has a population of 11 065 240, making it the second most populous province in South Africa, with just over half its population living in rural areas. [00:03:35] Haggis is a dish made from the liver, stomach or heart of sheep or cows. Whatever meat is used is usually mixed with onion, oatmeal and suet before being boiled in the animal’s stomach. Haggis recipe . [00:20:37] Woolworths SA is South Africa’s largest retailer with more than 700 store locations throughout South Africa and 10 other African countries. Known by locals as 'Woolies', it is known for its high quality and equally high prices. The retailer also has a multichannel focus, with an online presence across its major brands. It is part of Woolworths Holdings Limited, the South African-based retail group. The company also owns a clothing and homeware retailer and has stores in selected African countries and the Middle East. [00:43:48] Karan beef ' is one of South Africa’s leading suppliers of beef products and continuously sets the benchmark for excellence in the local beef industry'. 4 Time Stamps [00:00:00] Pull quote and welcome to the AfricanOptimist podcast [00:02:39] What is a mobile abattoir? [00:03:41] Exploring the traditional meat processing journey [00:08:20] The different grades of meat in commercial meat processing [00:10:43] The downside of commercial abattoirs [00:14:41] How mobile abattoirs benefit local livestock farmers and the environment [00:17:46] Reducing waste by using mobile abattoirs [00:21:30] The founding moment of the mobile abattoir concept [00:24:21] Linear vs circular economies [00:25:49] The workings of a mobile abattoir [00:30:42] The challenges while creating the mobile abattoir [00:33:09] Early Memories of ceremonies and slaughter [00:37:10] Future of AfriFood Technologies [00:39:22] The need to upskill communities in agro-processing [00:42:10] Resistance from commercial farmers [00:44:28] Reflections and Advice 5 Transcript africanoptimist ep7 Sithuli Mbeje Transcript .pages Download PAGES • 348KB Back to top ^

< Back to all guests #13 Claudia Castellanos - The blow by blow account of how you dust off an old family recipe and build it into a super hot brand, while being fair to suppliers and the planet 18 July 2025 FIND BELOW 1 Guest Bio 2 Episode Description 3 Show Notes 4 Time Stamps 5 Transcript 1 GUEST BIO Claudia Castellanos is the co-founder and CEO of Black Mamba Foods , an international food brand that was launched from the tiny kingdom of Eswatini in southern Africa. Eswatini, previously known as Swaziland, is a lush landlocked country known for its rich cultural heritage, world-renowned festivals and its monarchy, one of the last absolute monarchies in the world. Claudia is a Colombian who came as a volunteer to Eswatini in 2008, fell in love with the country, lost her heart to Joe (born in Eswatini) and has stayed there ever since. Together the couple co-founded and run Black Mamba Foods, a brand with a strong social and environmental ethos that manufactures and distributes specialty food products worldwide. The company sources its fresh ingredients (mainly chillies and herbs) from Guba , a local permaculture training organisation that manages a growing network of smallholder farmers. In this three-legged partnership, Black Mamba gets organically grown ingredients, the farmers get a sustainable income, and the local ecosystems get restored with the use of regenerative agriculture methods. This brand, from a small country, packs a mighty punch, supporting over 1,000 individuals from rural communities. Through Black Mamba , Claudia has become a vocal activist for transforming food ecosystems with a simple yet powerful premise: food can only be truly good if it’s good for you, good for the planet, and good for the people who grow it and make it. Previously, Claudia worked in trade marketing and sales for Danone in Italy, and for Technoserve as a consultant, entrepreneurship coach and mentor. She holds an MBA from ESADE Business School and a Finance and International Relations major from Universidad Externado de Colombia. She is a fellow of Vital Voices (an organisation that works to elevate women’s leadership around the world) and The DO (a global platform for accelerating a new economy that is sustainable, innovative and equitable), a member of EY Winning Women (worldwide network of successful and inspiring women entrepreneurs) and of Ecco (Eswatini Climate Coalition). In 2020, Claudia received the Women in Africa Award for her work with Black Mamba . 2 EPISODE DESCRIPTION We hold a delightful conversation with entrepreneur and self-proclaimed food rebel Claudia Castellanos who takes us on the rollercoaster ride of growing an international business that started with her and her husband’s first sale of 400 bottles of chilli sauce from a tiny stand at a music festival in Eswatini, southern Africa. Have you ever had a secret family recipe that wowed all who got a taste of its magical concoction and thought - let’s package it, and sell it, and wait for the orders to roll in? When Claudia got a whiff of her husband Joe’s own forgotten chilli recipe, and a sniff of his compelling name of a potential brand for said recipe, Black Mamba , her marketing ears perked up and she thought exactly that. What follows is nothing short of a gutsy tale of what it really takes to turn a single recipe, on a fat-stained paper, into an international, super hot brand with a venomous bite. This, despite insisting on local production, permaculture training, organic certification, glass bottles, pure ingredients, fair prices and facing revolving staff at retailers, naysayers who don’t get it, crazy deadlines and serious competition from rows and rows of other chilli sauces sitting neatly on supermarket shelves. I have never thought of selling anything I have cooked or baked (though have thought many times of my mother-in-laws sought-after Christmas biscuits), and yet there were lessons here even for me - it’s about life, choices, serendipity, hard hard work, a never say die attitude and dare I say it, a good dose of optimism in a world not slanted in that direction. Claudia was very generous in her sharing of every detail. It is a rare insight into how a couple who knew nothing about retail, and manufacturing, in a country not known for its chillies, managed to build something truly special. If you need a touch of inspiration, and a load of really well-earned and practical business advice - this episode is for you! 3 SHOW NOTES 03:10 Eswatini is a small, lush landlocked country in southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides, except in the northeast, where it shares a border with Mozambique. In 2018, the country formerly known as Swaziland officially changed its name to the Kingdom of Eswatini. This change was made to honour the country's 50th anniversary of independence from British rule and to reflect the nation's indigenous name, which translates to ‘land of the Swazis’. The greatest Queen Mother and Regent in Swati History was Queen Labotsibeni Mdluli, fondly known as Gwamile, the ‘Indomitable One’. She was an astute leader and diplomat, and unbeknownst to many, was part of the founding of South Africa’s political party, the ANC (then known as the SANNC) and helped fund the launch of its newspaper, Abantu-Batho . 07:30 MBAs Without Borders (MWB) is an international non-profit charity that empowers social entrepreneurs in developing countries by recruiting top global MBAs to provide on-the-ground consulting to small business owners and non-profits in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The programme embeds MBA graduates' business acumen and skills into local organizations, including NGOs, social enterprises, and development programmes. They provide consulting services to help these organizations improve their management, financial capacities, and access to capital, ultimately promoting economic growth. 07:53 Gone Rura l was founded by the late Jenny Thorne in 1992 (who first started small income-generation projects in the 1970s) with the mission of creating economic empowerment for rural women in Eswatini through basket weaving. It offers home-based work to over 700 rural artisans in often remote communities, and provides market access, product design, materials and training to the women in order to earn an income for their beautiful traditional handcraft. The brand has gone on to become globally recognized for producing high quality table ware, contemporary home products, lighting and woven wall art. 11:22 Technoserve is ‘a pioneer in leveraging the power of business and markets to create sustainable pathways out of poverty. At TechnoServe, over ’90% of our staff are from the countries where they work. This local expertise allows us to apply world-class analysis within the local context, designing and delivering tailored interventions. Our embedded approach addresses real adversity faced by real people, wherever they are.’ 12:37 ‘Le Cordon Bleu ’s name (blue ribbon in French) and logo are a direct reference to the French order of knights of the Holy Spirit, founded in 1578, also known as 'Chevaliers du Saint Esprit', whose members wore a medal suspended on a blue ribbon. The feast that followed the knighting ceremonies had a reputation for being very grand, and the food spectacular. Le Cordon Bleu school’s prestige in Paris in the early 20th century contributed to the expression of being a 'Cordon Bleu', meaning a talented chef. As Philéas Gilbert wrote in La Revue Culinaire in 1939, the lessons at Le Cordon Bleu symbolise culinary talent pushed towards utter perfection. It all began in 1895, when journalist Marthe Distel founded the first weekly culinary magazine of the period, La Cuisinière Cordon Bleu . The magazine had 20,000 subscribers. Marthe Distel rapidly came up with the idea of inviting subscribers to take part in free cuisine lessons, with chefs demonstrating recipes. The magazine reflected the great French bourgeois cuisine of that era but also demonstrated an openness to world cuisines as it was published in several languages.’ 14:07 The Bushfire festival is a diverse, inclusive and family-friendly music and arts festival set in the beautiful farmland and mountains of the peaceful Malkerns Valley in Eswatini. It is one of Africa’s largest multicultural gatherings. The first festival was held in 2007, with the goal of creating a platform for artists and addressing social and environmental issues. The festival's founders, Jiggs and Sholto Thorne, envisioned it as a vehicle for creative activism, encouraging dialogue and action on pressing challenges. The festival was sparked by small gigs at House on Fire , an event space built on the Thorne family farm. 22:38 Pick ’n Pay is a major retail business in the fast-moving consumer goods industry, operating over 2,279 stores across multiple formats in eight countries across Africa. It offers a wide range of products, including food, groceries, clothing, and general merchandise, across various store formats like supermarkets, hypermarkets, and online. The company has a significant presence in South Africa and other African countries, including Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Eswatini, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In 2025 Pick n Pay had a total of 570 supermarkets, including company-owned, franchise stores, and hypermarkets. They employ 90,000 people across their company-owned and franchise operations. This number includes both Pick n Pay and Boxer employees. 24:08 Swazi Candles is a manufacturing company established in 1982 in Eswatini. Their ‘core business is candle making, both traditional paraffin wax as well as soya candle tea lights’. They are known for their vibrant use of colours and their unmistakeable patterns. Their colourful, handmade product range also features wax encased LED lights, pure vegetable glycerine soaps and maroela oil body balm. They export to over 20 countries. 27:14 Fair trade is trade between companies in developed countries and producers in developing countries in which fair prices are paid to the producers. ‘ Fair trade traces its roots to 1946 when Edna Ruth Byler, a volunteer for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), visited an MCC sewing class in Puerto Rico, where she discovered the talent the women had for creating beautiful lace and the extraordinary poverty in which they lived despite their hard work.’ 29:10 USAID, an acronym for the United States Agency for International Development, was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to administer civilian foreign aid programmes. It emerged from the merger of several existing foreign aid agencies and was tasked with promoting global economic prosperity, strengthening democracy and providing humanitarian assistance. . On 20 January 2025, US president Donald Trump issued an executive order to reevaluate and realign United States foreign aid, freezing all foreign aid for a 90-day review, effectively terminating many USAID projects around the world at short notice. 29:12 The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub (USAID TradeHub) engaged with partners across the region to increase sustainable economic growth, global export competitiveness and trade in targeted southern African countries. It supported these objectives by increasing exports from southern African countries to South Africa and the United States (under the AGOA ), boosting capital and technology flows from South Africa to other southern African countries and providing targeted trade facilitation support to Zambia. The USAID TradeHub worked with market actors to identify and resolve enterprise constraints and to implement sustainable solutions through market-based trade and investment facilitation services. The hub was based in Pretoria, South Africa, with resident representatives in Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia. The programme worked with Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini and Zambia. 29:58 Burger King partnered with Black Mamba in 2012. 32:09 MasterChef Australia is an Australian competitive cooking reality show based on the original British MasterChef . The original MasterChef cooking competition series was created by British film director Franc Roddam, inspired by a desire to prove that the UK had talented home cooks. The first series aired on BBC in 1990, and the show has since become a global phenomenon with numerous international adaptations. Roddam conceived the idea after hearing people in Hollywood mocking British cuisine. He wanted to showcase the culinary skills of home cooks in Britain. The original series focused on amateur cooks competing to be crowned Britain's best. MasterChef has since been adapted in over 65 territories worldwide. 32:27 A bakkie is a colloquial term used in South Africa for a pickup truck. It's a very common and widely used term that originates from Afrikaans, where bak means ‘container’ or ‘tray’. 34:37 In South Africa, SPAR is a retail chain with a network of independently owned stores that operate under various formats like SPAR neighbourhood stores, SPAR Express (often at petrol forecourts), KWIKSPAR (convenience stores) and SUPERSPAR supermarkets. It is part of SPAR International, a global organisation that originated in the Netherlands in 1932 as DESPAR and followed a cooperative model aimed at leveraging collective purchasing powers for better deals. South Africa was the first country outside of Europe to join in 1963. 34:38 Checkers is a well-known supermarket chain in South Africa, owned by sister retailer and discount chain Shoprite since 1991. It was founded in 1956 by Norman Herber in Johannesburg and was later expanded and made successful by Raymond Ackerman. Checkers has 308 Checkers and Checkers Hyper stores in southern Africa, specifically in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. Shoprite Group owns Checkers since 1991, and is ‘the largest South African retailer by market capitalisation, sales, profit, number of employees and customers.’ It operates in nine other African countries, employing 163,000 employees across 3417 stores. 35:04 Food Lovers Market , originally known as Fruit & Veg City, is a South African retail company with over 100 stores across southern Africa. Brothers Brian and Mike Copping opened their first Fruit & Veg store in Cape Town in 1993 and have overseen its expansion over a period of 30 years. It is a family business that transformed from a single fruit and veg store into South Africa's largest privately-owned retailer. The company incorporates sister brands like Food Lover's Eatery, FreshStop, FVC International, Seattle Coffee Company, Diamond's Discount Liquor, and Market Liquors. 40:18 GUBA - short for Grow, Unite, Build Africa - is ‘a social enterprise organisation dedicated to the advancement of diaspora Africans and Africans back home through various socio-economic programme and initiatives’. It was established in 2009 in Malkerns in Eswatini. At the heart of their work is permaculture ; a thinking tool for designing low carbon, highly productive human & environmental systems. Their focus is on abundant food systems, appropriate technologies, social innovation and support for local entrepreneurship. 40 :32 Regenerative agriculture , while having gained modern prominence recently, has deep roots in ancient and indigenous farming practices. It's a holistic approach to farming that emphasizes rebuilding soil health, increasing biodiversity, and improving water cycles, aiming to create a more sustainable and resilient food system. While the term itself is relatively modern, the underlying principles have been employed by various cultures for centuries. 40:38 W orld Vision is a Christian organisation that ‘empowers people out of poverty. For real. For good. Since 1950.’ The organisation was founded by Bob Pierce three years after he gave his last $5 in his pocket to help care for an abandoned Chinese girl in 1947. Originally based in the state of Oregon, the organisation at first focused on missions service for emergencies in East Asia. Today World Vision has ‘become the largest Christian international non-governmental organisation working in nearly 100 countries worldwide.’ It prides itself on protecting children and their rights in places where others dare not or cannot offer assistance. 57:12  HACCP, short for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, is the internationally recognised risk-based system for managing food safety throughout the food supply chain - from food production and preparation processes, to packaging and distribution. It's a globally recognized method used to identify, evaluate, and control potential hazards throughout the food production process, from raw materials to consumption. Essentially, HACCP helps prevent, reduce, or eliminate biological, chemical, and physical food safety hazards. HACCP was initially developed in the 1960s by the Pillsbury Company for NASA to ensure the safety of food for astronauts. 01:00:00 Clicks is a retail-led healthcare group that was founded in 1968 by Jack Goldin in Cape Town, South Africa. Initially conceived as a drugstore, restrictive legislation in South Africa prevented the immediate realization of Goldin's vision for pharmacies within the stores. It wasn't until 2004 that the first Clicks pharmacy opened after legislation changed to allow corporate ownership of pharmacies. Today, Clicks is a leading health and beauty retailer with over 945 stores and over 730 pharmacies in southern Africa. Makro South Africa was established in 1971, the first Makro store to be opened outside of Europe after the founding of Makro by Dutch Conglomerate SHV Holdings and the German company Metro AG. It began as a wholesale operation, requiring a card for bulk purchases, but has since evolved into a retail giant open to the public. Makro became part of Massmart in 1990, which was later acquired by Walmart in 2011. 01:02 Partners in Food Solutions is an independent nonprofit organisation that links corporate volunteers from their consortium of food companies with promising entrepreneurs in 12 African countries. The nonprofit is committed ‘to improving food security, nutrition and economic development in Africa by empowering their employee volunteers to share expertise and a combined 700 years of food industry experience with dynamic and promising food companies throughout Africa'. 01:02:03 Gus le Breton's AfricanOptimist interview . 01:04 Mr Price Home is a division of Mr Price Group , which opened its first store as a clothing store in Klerksdorp in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1985. It added the Milady’s women clothing brand in 1987, the group’s linen chain Sheet Street in 1996, opened Mr Price Home in 1998 and Mr Price Sport in 2006. It acquired homeware retailer Yuppiechef in 2021 and athletic apparel retail chain Studio88 in 2023. The group runs 3030 stores across 9 divisions, with 2771 in South Africa and a further 259 across Africa. 01:07 Kentucky Fried Chicken is a chicken fast food brand started by Harland Sanders in the United States, who in old photos is recognisable by the white goatee, glasses and unique bow tie. After serving in the army (presumably up to the rank of Colonel) and trying his hand at several careers, he began running service stations in Nicholasville and Corbin, Kentucky. There, he started serving his fried chicken to interstate travellers, eventually perfecting the pressure cooker method and his ‘secret recipe’ of 11 herbs and spices. When he turned 40 in 1930, he bought a roadside motel in Corbin, and began serving his southern style chicken in its 6-seater restaurant. The first franchise opened 22 years laster in Salt Lake City in Utah. The original KFC bucket of chicken was created in 1957. KFC South Africa first entered the South African market in 1971 when it opened its first restaurant in Orange Grove in Johannesburg, after the CEO of KFC’s holding company visited the country to go on safari. It was one of the first fried chicken brands to establish a presence on the continent. Initially, KFC had a mix of company-owned and franchised outlets. However, due to US legislation in 1987, the company had to divest its 60 company-owned stores to a South African holding company. The franchised outlets were not affected by this divestment. KFC reacquired its former assets when sanctions were lifted in 1994. Today KFC has the widest global footprint of any fast food brand with 30,000 restaurants in 150 countries. 01:19 Sarah Dusek's AfricanOptimist interview 01:19: 56 A case for Optimism , a beautifully penned piece of writing by previous WIRED editor Kevin Kelly on the value of and the necessity for optimism. I found this piece after thinking of the AfricanOptimist brand name, and love that Kelly nails it with these words: ‘In the long run, optimists shape the future.’ As Kelly says it, to be a pessimist is easy, because you judge based on the past, but optimists are truly the doers and makers of the future. 4 TIME STAMPS 00:00 Introduction to the African Optimist Podcast 00:23 Claudia Castellanos: The Birth of Black Mamba 01:21 Values Over Profit: The Philosophy Behind Black Mamba 02:52 Claudia's Journey: From Colombia to Eswatini 12:04 The First Recipe and Launch at Bushfire Festival 21:19 Building the Brand: Challenges and Successes 31:01 Expanding Distribution and Overcoming Obstacles 39:34 Sourcing Chillies from Smallholder Farmers 42:36 High Value Crops and Farmer Partnerships 43:59 Initial Farmer Reactions and Market Access 46:38 Challenges and Solutions in Crop Production 54:50 Scaling Production and Food Safety 01:09:41 Recipe Development and Product Innovation 01:17:10 Future Challenges and Optimism 5 TRANSCRIPT AfricanOptimist ep13 Claudia Castellanos TRANSCRIPT .pdf Download PDF • 127KB Back to top ^ More on Claudia Castellanos and Black Mamba Claudia Castellanos on LinkedIn Black Mamba website

< Back to all guests #12 Dr Thebe Ikalafeng - The African who travelled from his small town in Kimberley, to the top of Kilimanjaro, to the rest of the continent. 5 December 2024 FIND BELOW 1 Guest Bio 2 Episode Description 3 Show Notes 4 Time Stamps 5 Transcript 1 Guest Bio Thebe Ikalafeng is an award-winning pan-African marketer and brand strategist, who is widely recognised as the leading advocate of a brand-led African renaissance. He believes Africa’s brands - and all they represent about the innovative spirit, resilience and creative nature of Africans across the continent - are particularly effective in creating a positive image of the continent and are fundamental to its economic growth. Thebe kick-started his career in marketing with multi-national Colgate-Palmolive in New York, following the completion of his BSc in Business Administration (cum laude) in 1992, and his Master in Business Administration at Marquette University in the United States in 1993. In February 1994 he returned to South Africa to work for the Colgate-Palmolive office in Johannesburg, and worked for Sun International, among other corporates, before becoming the Chief Marketing Officer for Nike in Africa in 1996. At Nike he would go on to win numerous local and international awards with the Johannesburg-based ad agency The Jupiter Drawing Room for their pioneering Nike campaigns that promoted South Africa’s Rugby World Cup winners, the Springboks. Thebe left Nike in 2002 to start his own company the Brand Leadership Group , the first African-founded specialist branding agency that to this day is committed to ‘building, growing and protecting brands in Africa’. Under his leadership, the company has shaped the identities of major organisations and institutions, including MTN, Transnet and the African Union, as well as several African governments. He went on to establish Brand Africa in 2009 as a ‘non-profit non-governmental vehicle to proactively drive a brand-led African agenda’. Brand Africa officially launched in 2010 with the Brand Africa Forum, hosted by Brand South Africa, to ‘assess and leverage the impact the equity of the first World Cup in Africa for the African brand’. Since then, the non-profit focuses on promoting and celebrating African excellence to counteract the negative and misinformed stereotypes and perceptions that continue to damage the continent economically. Its flagship programme, the annual Brand Africa 100 : Africa's Best Brands' initiative , ranks the most admired brands across the continent, and analyses their popularity against their global counterparts. The research, in partnership with Kantar and Geopoll, is the only and most cited study and reference of brands in Africa and has become an influential annual benchmark of excellence for brands operating on the continent. In 2020 Thebe founded the Africa Brand Leadership Academy (ABLA) to identify and grow a network of talented youth leaders to create lasting social impact and contribute to the growth of the continent. In 2021 he completed his Master of Laws (LL.M) at the University of Turin in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property (WIPO), the United Nations special agency on Intellectual Property. He subsequently created Africa Intellectual Property Partners , a law advisory practice that ‘protects, manages and enforces’ intellectual property rights in Africa. Thebe has been a frequent speaker at forums such as the World Economic Forum and the African Union, where he advocates for an ‘Africa first’ approach, urging African leaders to create their own narratives about their people, places and products, and to determine their own agenda. He has received over 75 awards for his contributions to branding and leadership since he was first awarded by Marquette University American Marketing Association for marketing excellence upon graduation in 1992. His many accolades include being recognised as one of the ‘100 Most Influential Africans’ by New African Magazine in 2013 and 2015, and one of ’50 African Titans’ by the UAE’s Networking Group in 2022 and ‘Most Reputable Africans’ by UK’s Reputation International in 2023. In 2021 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from South Africa’s Financial Mail and in 2022 the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa. He was was honoured as one of ‘100 Most Influential Creative People of African Descent’ by the United Nations in the International Year of the Creative Economy for Sustainable Development in 2021. In 2023 Thebe received an EMY Africa Special Recognition Award in Ghana for driving a brand-led African agenda and in 2024, Thebe was awarded two honorary doctoral degrees, from the University of South Africa and the University of Johannesburg respectively, for exceptional contributions to branding in Africa. He has served on diverse private and public sector boards for over 25 years, including Mercantile Bank (15 years), South African Tourism (10 years), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) (10 years) and Foodcorp (3 years). He is a member of the Sol Plaatje University council, PSI board and WWF Nedbank Green Trust. In his book, The Traveller , launched in October 2024, Thebe writes about the evolution of his marketing career, from his early studies to the ‘great African adventure’ that led him to ‘discover the true spirit and identity of the continent’ when he travelled to every single country in Africa. Globally he has travelled to 120 countries and every continent in the world, from the Arctic in Greenland to Antarctica. These travels have been beautifully captured in an online archive of photos, alphabetically organised by country and include adventures like trekking with the rare silverback gorillas on the Virunga mountains in Rwanda and Uganda and summitting Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mt. Sinai in Egypt and Mt. Elbrus in Russia. 'While it sounds exciting to say I've travelled from the Cape to Cairo, and from the South Pole in Antarctica to the North Pole in Greenland, there was ultimately a greater purpose. As Jessica Nabongo, who travelled to every UN member country in the world noted, few black people have taken these roads less travelled. 'We're so used to seeing the world through the lens of white men,' she said. 'There's obviously some uniqueness in the experiences that we have, as we exist in the world, as very different people.' (Thebe Ikalafeng, excerpt from The Traveller ) 2 Episode Description Meet the founder of Brand Africa, Dr Thebe Ikalafeng. Once decked out in immaculate corporate suits, he is now a walking celebration of African creativity and haute couture, a mentor to many a young talented creative bubbling up through the entrepreneurial ranks and a passionate promoter and protector of all things branded African. Much is written and broadcast about this award-winning marketer. But now he has written a book in which he is the teller of his marketing tales and his turn away from corporate and big brand marketing towards marketing an entire continent. This episode delves into some of the key moments that marked this journey. We cover his pursuit of excellence from an early age, his ‘almost career’ as an accountant, studies in the United States before South Africa became a democracy and why when destiny calls, your only job is to listen and follow. We explore his time as Nike’s Chief Marketing Officer for Africa, and why he turned his back on some big money in the corporate world to focus solely on promoting African brands. We then dig deeper into what a brand-led African Renaissance means, why it is so important for African leaders to ‘put Africa first’ and rally behind a 'Buy Africa Act' that is currently in draft form. We also cover the founding of his organisation Brand Africa , and the insights of its flagship programme, the Brand Africa 100 survey (and how he created it from scratch) and why the survey consistently has shown ‘how Africans say one thing, and do another’ instead of buying African products. He emphasizes the importance of visiting African countries for oneself, and why he decided to visit every single country on the continent following a conversation with Samsung Africa CEO KK Parks. Thebe does not suffer fools lightly and looks to a future filled with action, rather than backward, in regret. Asked about where he gets the energy from to do what he does, he laughed and said, ‘You sleep when you’re dead.’ He is a whirlwind of action, who epitomises his own mantra. Through his travels, his organisations, his insights and regular talks, Thebe has shown us all another side of what happens up and down the continent, and is one of the most passionate and knowledgeable advocates for African brands you will ever meet. Settle in for a fantastic listen to the life of the Traveller of Africa and the globe, Dr Thebe Ikalafeng. 3 Show Notes 00:00:53 The Springboks - known locally as The Bokke (Afrikaans for The (Spring)Bucks) - is the name of the South African national rugby team. They made their World Cup debut in 1995 when the newly democratic SA hosted the tournament in their country. The team, under the captaincy of Francois Pienaar, defeated the All Blacks in the final (15-12), a moment which is remembered as one of the greatest in SA's sporting history. The movie Invictus , starring Matt Damon as team captain Pienaar and Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, captured the run-up to the winning moment. The movie was based on the 2008 book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation by British journalist and author John Carlin. 00:01:53 GQ Magazine (South Africa): Industry Icon of the Year 00:02:07 Thebe's Instagram account 00:02:15 Thebe Ikalafeng launched his book The Traveller in October 2024. 00:03:35 The Jupiter Drawing Room closed its doors after 30 years in business and helped launched a 100% black owned agency called Black Powder (as in 'gunpowder') shortly after. 00:05:21 'Chariots of Fire' Nike ad 00:05:27 Rassie Erasmus is the coach of South Africa’s national rugby team, the Springboks. Erasmus played for the Springboks as a loose forward in 36 Tests between 1997 and 2001 and also captained his country on one occasion, against the Wallabies in 1999. He is renowned for his innovative coaching strategies and passionate leadership, which culminated in South Africa's 2019 Rugby World Cup victory. 00:05:46 Graham Warsop was the founder and chair of the Jupiter Drawing Room and was inducted into the Loeries Hall of Fame in September 2013 for the contribution he ‘made to the South African industry over the past 25 years, and the role that he has played in shaping its reputation globally’. 00:06:30 Keith Rose founded Velocity Films with US producer Barry Munchick in 1990, a production company that was responsible for some of South Africa’s most memorable ads , including the iconic Chapman's Peak ad for Mercedes-Benz , and the mouse on the steering wheel ad for BMW . 00:07:42 1981 Academy Award winner Best Original score, Vangelis' Chariots of Fire 00:08:18 Thebe was awarded for his 'Aptitude in Marketing' at the American Marketing Association Awards for Students at Marquette University in the United Sates in 1993. 00:10:33 Mandela walking with his wife Winnie Mandela on the day of his release from prison on 11 February, 1990 after 27 years of being imprisoned fo r opposing South Africa's apartheid system. 00:11:25 Urgency around 1994: On the 27 April 1994 South Africans voted in the country's first democratic elections in which South Africans of all races could vote. In that election, Nelson Mandela was sworn in as president on 10 May 1994. 00:14:39 South African Breweries Limited (SAB Limited) and hotelier, Sol Kerzner, partnered to create Southern Sun Hotels (Southern Sun), the largest hotel group in the southern hemisphere at the time. Southern Sun commenced operations with six hotels, including the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel in uMhlanga Rocks, Durban, and was subsequently involved in the development of many of the most prestigious hotels of the era, including the Cape Sun, Sandton Sun and Sun City. Southern Sun expanded through the acquisition and development of hotels in South Africa and neighbouring countries, throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. The casino interests of Southern Sun, including the newly built Sun City operations, were separated from its hotel business into what later became Sun International. 00:17:39 MTN is Africa’s largest mobile network operator providing voice, data, fintech, digital, enterprise, wholesale and API services to 288 million customers in 17 markets. 00:18:07 Vodacom is a leading African connectivity, digital and financial services company. The Group, including Safaricom, serves over 200 million customers spanning the consumer and enterprise segments. From its roots in South Africa, it has grown to include operations in the DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Tanzania. Its mobile networks cover a total population of over 500 million people. Vodacom is majority-owned by Vodafone (65.1% holding), one of the world’s largest communications companies by revenue. 00:22:12 Unisa's roots (and by extension, that of higher education in South Africa) date back to 1873 when the University of the Cape of Good Hope was founded, initially functioning as an examining body in the British colony for higher education. In 1916, the university changed its name to the University of South Africa and in 1918 it relocated to Pretoria. In 1946, it became one of the first public universities in the world to teach exclusively by means of distance education. 00:22:21 Standard Bank Group is a commercial bank headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. The bank was founded in 1862 as a South African subsidiary of the British overseas bank Standard Bank, under the name Standard Bank of South Africa. Standard Bank Group is the largest African bank by assets and earnings. and has a presence in over 20 sub-Saharan African countries, four global centres, and two offshore hubs, with a focus on emerging markets 00:22:58 Professor Stella Nkomo is a Professor in the Department of Human Resource Management in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of Pretoria. She holds an MBA and Ph.D. in Business Administration. Professor Nkomo is a former Scholar-in-Residence at the Bunting Institute of Harvard University and Visiting Scholar at the Tuck Business School of Dartmouth College (USA). Her internationally recognized research on diversity, human resource management, and leadership and in organizations has been published in numerous journals and edited volumes. 00:23:24 AfricanOptimist Episode #1 Efosa Ojomo - About the 'Prosperity Paradox', disruptive & market-creating innovations and why capital has to be patient in Africa . 00:25:50 Professor Barney Pityana is a South African human rights lawyer and theologian who served as the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Unisa from 2001 to 2010. He was one of founding members of the South African Students' Organisation, and an important figure in the Black Consciousness Movement with Steve Biko, a popular voice of Black liberation in South Africa between the mid 1960s and his death in police detention in 1977. 00:26:09 The FIFA 2010 World Cup was held in South Africa from 11 June to 10 July 2010. 00:26:18 “The African story, like its history, has always been left to the world to interpret and shape. This initiative is about Africa shaping its own destiny,” said founder of the Brand Africa initiative, Thebe Ikalafeng. Brand Africa Forum Press Release, 2010 on the inaugural Brand Africa Forum in 2010. 00:26:46 Jay Naidoo is a prominent South African anti-apartheid activist, trade unionist, and politician. He played a crucial role in the struggle against apartheid as the founding general secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and later served as a minister in Nelson Mandela's government. 00:27:34 London-based Kantar is the world's leading marketing data and analytics business and an indispensable brand partner to the world's top companies, including 96 of the world's 100 biggest advertisers. 00:28:26 brand-led African Renaissance Ikalafeng, T. (2021). Inspiring a brand-led African revolution . In Dinnie, K. “Nation Branding – Concepts, Issues, Practice.” (Third Edition). United Kingdom: Routledge., pp AND Ikalafeng, T. (2021). Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands – A 10 year Reflection on Brands that are driving the African Renaissance. In:Kgomoeswana, V. ”Africa Bounces Back.” South Africa: McMillan., pp 427 – 434 00:29:18 Anholt & Co. is Simon Anholt’s government advisory practice. Over the last twenty years, the firm has worked with the presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and governments of over 60 countries, cities and regions, as well as their tourist boards, trade and investment promotion agencies, cultural departments and other state and non-state bodies, helping them to engage more productively and imaginatively with the international community. 00:31:28 Dangote Cement is a Nigerian Cement manufacturer and is the largest cement manufacturer in sub-Saharan Africa. It is known for quality, innovation and a strategic approach to sustainability Dangote Cement Plc (DCP) is a Nigerian cement manufacturer and distributor that operates in many countries across Africa Dangote Industries Limited is a diversified and fully integrated conglomerate with an annual group turnover in excess of US$4 billion (2016) with vibrant operations in Nigeria and Africa across a wide range of sectors including cement, sugar, salt, condiments, packaging, energy, port operations, fertilizer, and petrochemicals. Aliko Dangote, a Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, is the founder and CEO of the Dangote Group conglomerate Aliko Dangote, Africa's richest person, founded and chairs Dangote Cement, the continent's largest cement producer with a real time net worth of $11.1 bn 00:32:20 Brand Africa 100 - view the Top 100 most admired brands in Africa in 2024. Brand Africa was launched in 2010 with a Brand Africa FORUM, an international gathering of global and African decision makers, thought-leaders, influencers and youth on 16 September 2010 in South Africa immediately post the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The agenda of the first Brand Africa FORUM was to assess the impact of and leverage the equity of the first World Cup in Africa for the African brand. 00:32:46 GeoPoll 'provides remote, mobile-based research solutions throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and is the global leader in revolutionizing data collection across the three continents. Since their inception in 2012, when they pioneered the first mass survey in the Democratic Republic of Congo via text message, GeoPoll has continuously evolved to deliver unparalleled data quality to humanitarian organ izations, governments, and leading brands.' 00:35:38 Dr Ali Mazrui was a Kenyan-born American academic, professor and political writer on African and Islamic studies and North-South relations. With a Kenyan government scholarship, he completed his BA with distinction from Manchester University in Great Britain in 1960, his M.A. from Columbia University in New York in 1961, and his doctorate (DP hil) from Oxford University (Nuffield College) in 1966. After his studies he became Head of the Department of Political Science, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Dean of the Faculty of Law at the Makerere University in Kampala. He was forced into exile in the US in 1973 and worked at Stanford University for two years before moving to the Political Science Department at the University of Michigan, where he stayed for 17 years. In 1989, he was appointed to the Albert Schweitzer Chair in the Humanities at Binghamton University where he founded the Institute of Global Cultural Studies, of which he was the Director until he retired on 1 September 2014. He was a prolific writer, find a list of some of his writings here . He was awarded the Order of Companions of O.R. Tambo in Silver for ' his intellectual contribution focusing on Africa, Islam and North-South relations, and for putting the African continent on the pedestal, unearthing and laying bare the grandeur of Africa.' Ali Al'amin Mazrui died in New York, at the age of 81. 00:37:00 ' Agenda 2063 : The Africa We Want' is the African Union blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa. 00:38:09 The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was signed in Kigali, Rwanda on 21 March 2018 , during the 10th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government. The agreement was brokered by the AU and was signed by almost 50 AU member states. The signing ceremony was described as a historic moment for the continent. The agreement entered into force on May 30, 2019. 00:38:44 Th e original Buy American Act was passed in 1933 and applied to Federal Government buys for its own use, and applications within the US borders (i.e., an overseas naval base would not be under this provision). The law was primarily created in an att empt to restart the United States economy following the great depression. The Build America, Buy America ( BABA) act was enacted in 2021 as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). 00:39:29 The book Epic in America was written by James Trulow Adams , an American writer and historian. He popularized the phra se the American Dream in his 1931 book The Epic of America . 00:40:30 How we got to Made in China 00:42:2 Amapiano is a South African music genre that combines elements of house, jazz, kwaito and lounge music . Amapiano originated in the townships of South Africa in the 2010s. The word amapiano is Zulu for 'the pianos'. 00:42:35 Maxhosa Africa is a South African knitwear brand founded in 2010 by Laduma Ngxokolo, originating in 'the desire to explore knitwear design solutions suitable for amakrwala (Xhosa initiates). The vision began by creating a modern Xhosa-inspired knitwear collection suitable for this market. Laduma, having gone through this process, felt compelled to develop premium knitwear in celebration of traditional Xhosa aesthetics.Through accessing and playing with the astonishing power of traditional Xhosa beadwork patterns, symbolism and colours, MAXHOSA AFRICA was born. The brand opened its first boutique in New York in February 2024. 00:42:45 Missoni is an Italian luxury fashion house known for its colorful knitwear designs founded by Ottavio and Rosita Missoni in 1953. 00:43:42 WIPO was established in Geneva in 1967 and provides services that enable creators, innovators and entrepreneurs to protect and promote their intellectual property (IP) across borders and acting as a forum for addressing IP issues. 00:45:31 Thebe founded the African Brand Leadership Academy in 2010 to ' sharpen brand leadership skills required to respond to African conditions'. 00:45:56 The Africa Intellectual Property Partners practice 'helps established and emerging businesses, creative community and individuals in Africa and beyond to identify their valuable brand assets, enforce their rights, and protect them against predatory, abusive and illegal abuse; to develop strategies to leverage and maximise those rights, and to develop policies for their acquisition, use and management. 00:49:43 The book The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty , was written by Clayton Christensen, Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon who posit that the right kind of innovation not only builds companies—but also builds countries. The Prosperity Paradox identifies the limits of common economic development models, which tend to be top-down efforts, and offers a new framework for economic growth based on entrepreneurship and market-creating innovation. Interested in more, listen to AfricanOptimist Episode #1 Efosa Ojomo - About the 'Prosperity Paradox', disruptive & market-creating innovations and why capital has to be patient in Africa 00:50:37 For more than 20 years, the Edelman Trust Barometer has 'studied the influence of trust across society — government, media, business, and NGOs — to shape conversation, drive results and earn action '. 00:55:34 L. Ron Hubbard was an American author and founder of Scientology, a controversial religious organization. His book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health introduced his theories on the human mind and spirit. 00:55:47 Erma Bombeck 'became a household name in the 1970s and 1980s. She spoke for the women of an entire generation, revealing that being a housewife and a mother came with its own sets of concerns, and wasn’t necessarily a glamorous occupation. She wrote with hilarity and wit'. 00:56:48 KK Park served as the first president of Samsung Africa's headquarters for three and a half years . During his tenure, he began projects to help the company achieve its corporate social responsibility goal of impacting the lives of five million people across Africa by 2015 . 00:57:27 An excerpt from Thabo Mbeki's opening speech at the Tourism Indaba held in 2003 in Durban. 'It would be very foolish for me to try to teach you, the delegates, anything about tourism. Rather, I would like to speak to you as a tourist - the beneficiary of the services that you offer. You will pardon me if I speak too much about South Africa. But it may be that what I might say might be of more general application. To let you into a secret, with the request that all of you keep this strictly to those of us who are in this hall, I have been considering asking our government to give me sabbatical leave for one year. I would then use these 12 months to tour South Africa and Africa. I would travel incognito, necessarily using an assumed name, which would be Wolfgang Schmidt, born somewhere in Bavaria, in the Federal Republic of Germany.' Mbeki goes on to what can only be described as a love letter to Africa, by listing all the places he would want to visit if he could go on sabbatical. Do yourself a favour and read the whole speech. It makes you understand how one-sided the regular reports on Africa are, and why Thebe took the decision to go see the continent for himself. 00:58:26 Chinua Achebe was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as a central figure of modern African literature. His first novel and magnum opus, Things Fall Apart (1958), occupies a pivotal place in African literature and remains the most widely studied, translated, and read African novel. Read this beautiful tribute from one of my favourite online platforms to understand his place in literature and the power of his voice and this , which I am so happy I stumbled upon. 4 Time Stamps 00:00 Introduction to the African Optimist Podcast 01:12 From Promoting Africa 01:33 Affirmations of African Identity 02:25 The Journey of Self-Discovery 02:55 The Book: A Different Perspective on Africa 03:31 Marketing Mastery with Nike 05:16 Iconic Campaigns and Creative Risks 07:41 A Passion for Marketing 09:32 Life and Studies Abroad 11:04 Returning to a New South Africa 12:36 Following One’s Destiny 16:39 Corporate Offers and Entrepreneurial Decisions 20:23 Building African Brands 26:06 Branding Africa: The World Cup and Beyond 27:06 Redefining Africa's Agenda Through Branding 28:20 The Power of Brands in Shaping National Identity 29:54 Challenges and Opportunities in Branding Africa 32:11 Establishing the Brand Africa 100 Metric 34:51 The Gap Between Trust in African Products and Buying African Products 37:58 The Importance of Intra-Africa Trade 40:00 Learning from Global Branding Success Stories 43:21 The Role of Intellectual Property in African Branding 45:11 Personal Contributions to African Branding 48:28 The Need for Political Will and Local Agenda-Setting 56:03 Thebe’s Journey Across Africa and Its Impact on him 59:53 Countering Negative Narratives with Optimism 01:01:51 Conclusion 5 Transcript africanoptimist Transcript ep 12 Thebe Ikalafeng .pdf Download PDF • 134KB Back to top ^ More on Thebe Ikalafeng Contact Follow on Instagram Read more on Thebe Ikalafeng's website Videos Why Africa isn't where it ought to be and what we need to do , Thebe Ikalafeng, TEDxAccra 2021 Watch the launch of the 2024 Brand Africa 100 event, presenting South Africa's Best Brands and the Top 30 Brands that have shaped South Africa's identity and competitiveness over the past 30 years. Watch an interview with Thebe at the launch of Brand Africa in 2011. Watch a collection of video interviews with Thebe on his website. Magazine DREAM IT, DO IT, Thebe Ikalafeng's African Odyssey , Your Luxury Africa, pp16-19, July 2023, Portraits by Trevor Stuurman Book HE SAID IT highlights from the episode 'There were no surprises. There were affirmations. There were validations in my travel across the continent, and the affirmations were, we’re a truly proud people. We are an entrepreneurial people, we're a creative people, we're a welcoming people . I felt validated as an African.' 'I said, ‘Let's just make it simple. Let's ask Africans a simple question: What is your most admired brand? And we focus on admiration because admiration is anchored on a couple of things. Love what you love. Trust what you trust, and respect what you respect. That's admiration. So the things you admire, you admire them because you love them, you trust them and you respect them. So we said, let's use that as a metric, a simple metric.' '64% of Africans believe in Africa, but only 20% buy Africa. So that stat to me has never escaped me from the time it started, 'cause it said, Africans say one thing, but they do another .' And Jay Naidoo said at that forum, ‘Everybody has got an agenda for Africa, but Africa doesn't have an agenda for Africa.’ 'All summits about Africa should be held in Africa. We should be going there, to their countries, to talk about what we can get out of them. They should be coming to ours on what they can get out of us, and it should be in equitable relationships. Right now, it's not equitable.' Our job is to listen and our job is to watch. And our job is to read, because destiny is incredible. Destiny attracts you. There's a pull to destiny. You don't have to do much, you just have to follow. 'The African Union Building was built by the Chinese. The African Union programme is funded over 70% by the West and the East. There is no way in hell we're in charge of our agenda. Until we can create our own money, we'll never be able to change what I'm talking about. ' 'I've always been the same person. I've never changed. I don't sell my achievements. I focus on results. I focus on change and results and telling stories that contribute to a better society. ' Listen to the full episode:

< Back to all guests #3 Sipamandla Manqele - Exploring African wholefoods, being seen as a 'fallen soldier', adding Africa to the global banquet table and connecting conscious consumers with small-scale producers 14 January 2024 FIND BELOW 1 Guest Bio 2 Episode Description 3 Show Notes 4 Time Stamps 5 Transcript 1 Guest Bio Sipamandla Manqele is a food alchemist, transforming wholesome African ingredients into delicious, nutritious - and convenient - products that are good for both people and the planet. With her company, Local Village Africa (co-owned with partner Mmabatho Portia Morudi), she is contributing to creating a more sustainable and equitable food system, one plate at a time. The company sources and distributes a variety of African ingredients, including legumes , local honey and ancient grains , and produces a range of products from gluten-free flours , superfood powders and snack bars from the same ingredients. The long-term aim is to create a network of African agripreneurs to supply equitably sourced and sustainably grown indigenous African ingredients, which Local Village Africa then processes and packages into products for discerning consumers. It’s a win-win situation for both ends of the value chain, as the company connects mindful consumers with ethical producers, while promoting demand for more resilient crops and sustainably produced food from the continent. Local Village Africa works with cooperatives and small-scale farmers and offers training, support and access to new markets. The company creates products that cannot be found in mainstream retail spaces, and process the indigenous ingredients into convenient cans or packets for easy consumption. Their signature products can be found on their online shop and at various health shops, including Jacksons Real Food Market and Food Lover’s Market . They have also managed to gain shelf space at selected Dischem and Checkers stores in South Africa. Before Sipamandla took a partner on board, she was included in the Mail & Guardian's 200 Young South Africans to watch in 2019 , a nod to Local Village Africa’s potential and inevitable growth. Both business partners are part of a growing group of passionate advocates pushing for the importance of indigenous African crops for Africa's food sovereignty and development. And for African food to take its rightful, hitherto often neglected, place at the Global Banquet Table. 2 Episode Description In this episode, Sipamandla Manqele shares her journey in building the business ‘Local Village Africa’ and outlines the challenges that startups like her face, and how she solved for them. During the conversation, she speaks passionately about the value of indigenous African foods. She makes a convincing argument for why we should source, but more importantly, process, local ingredients so that they become convenient to use and easy to incorporate into our daily living. A lot of R&D has gone into Local Village Africa’s products, and in this episode, Sipamandla shares what she found, and what she has produced as a result of her investments in time and money. All we can say is: Watch this space. 3 Show Notes 02:04 Local Village Africa 04:13 Quinoa is considered a seed but is eaten like a grain. It is a highly nutritious crop containing more protein than most other plant foods. It orginates from the Andes, where it is referred to as the ‘golden grain of the Andes’ or the ‘mother grain’. FAO The International Year of Quinoa 2013 04:14 Soy ‘The dramatic and sustained exponential growth in world soybean production is unequalled by any other crop in the world.’ 04:15 Maize and Grace: History, Corn, and Africa's New Landscapes, 1500-1999 04:23 Black-eyed bean (also known as black-eyed peas or cowpeas) 04:24 Bambara / Nyimo / Izindlubo . ‘Legume crops such as Bambara are a cheaper source of protein, and it is one of such crops that can provide the much-needed protein and other important nutrients such as zinc and iron to low income groups of people in the country. …Bambara groundnuts out-yield other grain legume crops, such as groundnuts, in less favourable environments. Moreover, its resistance to the effects of climate change and its ability to yield reasonably well when grown in unfavourable environments, and without artificial fertilizers means that it is particularly suitable for the low-input agricultural production systems in the drought-prone regions where it is mostly grown.’ An underutilized Leguminous Crop for Global Food Security and Nutrition. 05:11 Cassava 05:17 South Africa’s Heritage Day 24 September 05:32 Visual representation: What are the most produced cash crops in Africa? Here are the 5 most produced cash crops in Africa 05:54 Teff is one of the earliest domesticated plants. Teff is native to the Horn of Africa , and one of the earliest domesticated crops, with estimates on its domestication as far back as 4000 B.C. The name teff is thought to come from the Amharic word for 'lost' because the seed is easily lost due to its small size. Did the Dutch 'steal' this African food? 05:59 Injera is an Amharic term for Ethiopian bread similar to a pancake, made usually from teff. Injera is thin, prepared from teff flour, water and starter (a fluid collected from previously fermented mix) after successive fermentations. It is a traditional common ethnic staple food consumed in all parts of Ethiopia and Eretria and some parts of Somalia. Whose Injera is it anyway? 07:16 The Bamana people, also known as Bambara (video link) are one of the largest Mande ethnic groups in West Africa, residing primarily in Mali with smaller populations in neighboring countries. Renowned for their strong cultural identity, agricultural prowess and artistic expression, the Bamana have played a significant role in shaping the history of the region. 08:12 ‘Pap en Vleis’ - A South African favourite dish, consisting of a stiff maize porridge and grilled meat 08:55 How Sushi went global Japanese marketing of Sushi and a History of Sushi 10:40 Local Village Africa canned foods and snack bars 11:56 Lusikisiki is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. According to 2020 statistics, Lusikisiki has a poverty rate of 73%, which is higher than the provincial average of 67%. This means that nearly three out of every four people in Lusikisiki live below the poverty line. Lusikisiki is part of the Wild Coast coastline , ‘renowned for being one of the most beautiful places on the planet’. 13:08 Madumbe or Taro root : Before the Columbian exchange of crops, it was the most widely grown food crop on the planet and also known as the world's oldest crop 14:20 Nigerian author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 14:57 Fonio - ‘the seed of the universe’. The Fonio Cookbook . In this landmark cookbook, chef Pierre Thiam, a native of Senegal, celebrates fonio, an ancient "miracle grain" of his childhood that he believes could change the world. 16:02 How did the Russia - Ukraine war trigger a food crisis? 16:32 The Strange History Of Potatoes And The Man Who Made Them Popular 18:49 Morogo recipe 18:32 Sadza recipe 18:36 Umqa - Hearty easy quick pumpkin recipe (video) and Umqa video goes viral 19:22 Melon (egusi) seeds soup recipe from Nigeria 20:28 Baobab 20:29 Amaranth 26:37 Costs and Benefits of oligopolistic competition in South Africa 26:44 Spaza shops are small informal neighbourhood convenience stores, often run out of homes. A guide to launching a Spaza shop business 27:50 Melrose Arch is an upmarket mixed , office, retail and accommodation precinct in Johannesburg, South Africa 28:12 Rosebank Sunday Market is a modernised flea market that trades on Sundays from the upper parking lot of the Rosebank Mall, found in Johannesburg, South Africa 33:41 Food Miles / The Food Miles Calculator / The Farmer’s Perspective. Bridging the Last Mile to Market 34:21 Driven to Waste: The Global Impact of Food Loss and Waste on Farms / Save one third: tackling food loss and waste in Southern Africa and beyond 34:30 Facing the Facts: Challenges and constraints facing small-scale agricultural productivity in South Africa / The FAO Smallholder Farmers Data portrait The smallholder farmers' dataportrait is a comprehensive, systematic and standardized data set on the profile of smallholder farmers across the world. (In Africa: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania) 38:23 Former South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd is often quoted as telling Parliament in 1954: “Blacks should never be shown the greener pastures of education, they should know that their station in life is to be hewers of wood and drawers of water.” though I cannot find the original speech online. Grateful if anybody can send it through if they have it. 42:02 Hibiscus / The month of the hibiscus 43:14 South African Food regulations / Food Advisory Consumer Services Summary / the South African Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act: Regulations: Governing hygiene requirements for food premises, the transport of food and related matters / Starting a food business in South Africa / People’s Food Sovereignty Act 46:48 Recipes from Local Village Africa 46:58 Chef Mokgadi Itsweng and her Veggielicious cookbook 47:28 African Banquet table book 47:34 Cassava 49:40 Triple Bottom Line / 25 Years Ago I Coined the Phrase “Triple Bottom Line.” Here’s Why It’s Time to Rethink It. 53:10 The Gini Coefficient was developed by Italian statistician Corrado Gini (1884–1965) and is named after him. It is typically used as a measure of income inequality, but it can be used to measure the inequality of any distribution – such as the distribution of wealth, or even life expectancy. 54:22 UCT - University of Cape Town / University of KwaZulu-Natal / University of Fort Hare - all in South Africa 01:01:03 Food Lover’s Market 01:03:03 Jackson’s Real Food Market and Eatery 01:03:04 Farm Table 01:03:10 Local Village Africa Online Shop 01:03:13 Faithful to Nature Online Shop 4 Time Stamps 02:36 Understanding Local Village Africa 03:47 Exploring Local Village Africa’s range of African indigenous products 04:50 Background on Indigenous Foods in African communities 06:08 The Significance of Sourcing Ingredients from Africa 07:57 The Absence of African Foods in the Global Banquet Table 10:30 09:52 Promoting Traditional Indigenous Foods 11:45 The Origin and Early Beginnings of Local Village Africa 15:29 The Challenges and Successes of Promoting Indigenous Foods in Retail 22:40 The Importance of Community Development and Local Farming 33:35 The Decision to Not Become a Large-Scale Farmer 34:05 Tackling the Last Mile: From Farm to Table 34:51 The Vision and Strategy: Bridging the Gap 35:04 Empowering Communities: Training and Development 36:11 The Importance of Small Scale Farmers 36:27 Challenges in Working with Untrained Farmers 36:36 The Power of Partnership in Business: Splitting Efforts for Success 37:38 The Complexities of working with Communities 38:11 Breaking the Cycle: Overcoming the Poverty Mindset 38:45 The Local Village Africa Approach to Empowering Communities 40:57 Sourcing Farmers in Other Countries 43:00 The Entrepreneurial Journey: Challenges and Learnings 45:40 Targeting the Conscious Consumer 49:36 The Triple P Business Model: Balancing Profit, Planet and People 53:54 Advice for Young Entrepreneurs: Embracing Humility and Patience 59:57 The Future of Local Village Africa: Vision and Goals 01:01:15 The Ups and Downs of Entrepreneurship 01:02:53 Where to Find Local Village Africa Products 5 Episode Transcript AfricanOptimist#3 Sipamandla Manqele Transcript .pdf Download PDF • 133KB Back to top ^ Recipes from Local Village Africa Greek Sorghum Risotto with Parsley Pesto, Feta, Olives Bambara Nut Chilli Con Carne Further interesting background info The Lost Crops of Africa Vol I GRAINS (free view or download) From the book description: " When experts were asked to nominate African food plants for inclusion in a new book, a list of 30 species grew quickly to hundreds. All in all, Africa has more than 2,000 native grains and fruits—"lost" species due for rediscovery and exploitation." The Lost Crops of Africa Vol II VEGETABLES (free view or download) The Lost Crops of Africa Vol III FRUITS (free view or download)

< Back to all guests #10 Gus Le Breton - on influencing EU law, the challenges of processing wild-harvested fruit, the future power of baobab harvesters and the need for ‘courage, my son’ 18 June 2024 FIND BELOW 1 Guest Bio 2 Episode Description 3 Show Notes 4 Time Stamps 5 Transcript 1 Guest Bio Gus Le Breton, widely known as the African Plant Hunter , is a distinguished botanist, entrepreneur and conservationist specializing in the diverse flora of Africa. With a deep passion for indigenous plants, Gus has spent decades exploring and documenting Africa's rich botanical heritage, focusing particularly on the medicinal and nutritional properties of native species. As the Board Chair of the African Baobab Alliance, Gus Le Breton leads initiatives to promote and protect the iconic baobab tree, known for its extraordinary health benefits and ecological importance. Under his leadership, the Alliance fosters sustainable harvesting practices, supports local communities, and drives international awareness and market development for baobab products. He is also on the board of Trustees of the FairWild Foundation , responsible for the the FairWild Standard . The standard ‘has 7 Principles and 24 Criteria addressing three themes: the ecological, socio-cultural and business requirements for sustainable wild collection’. Gus' extensive knowledge and commitment to sustainable development have earned him recognition as a leading voice in the conservation of African plant life. Through his work, he continues to champion the economic potential of indigenous plants, aiming to create sustainable livelihoods while preserving Africa's natural biodiversity. 2 Episode Description It is hard not to think of the Greek myth of Sisyphus when you listen to Gus Le Breton tell the unfolding story of the production and sale of the African indigenous baobab fruit. Much like the Greek king Sisyphus who was condemned by the Greek god Zeus to keep rolling a stone up a hill only to see it roll back down again when he reaches the top, Gus seems to face a new challenge just as he deals with an old one in this telling of his baobab tale. At face value, this episode seems like an entrepreneur’s story of how to create and export an indigenous food. But it is so much more than that. It is the open account of the struggles and successes of an almost 30-year journey to make the unique African baobabs (a keystone species of the planet) economically viable, in the hope that this can reduce poverty for its wild harvesters and lead to the long-term preservation of this ancient resource. It is also a masterclass in the details of what it takes to get to market, influence legislation and create demand for what nature has to offer, but many take for granted. And unlike Sisyphus, Gus did manage to successfully push some big boulders over the hill, and also loves his work and does not see it as punishment, but his cautionary tale still holds. Perseverance is key. A note on Sisyphus In 1942 French writer Albert Camus used the myth of Sisyphus in his book with the same name ‘Le Mythe de Sisyphe’ to illustrate how absurd and meaningless life is. In it he marvels how futile the human need is to find meaning in one’s life, given the ‘unreasonable silence’ of the universe in response. In a surprising twist however, Camus ends on an optimistic note, as satisfaction can be found in the task itself, and not in a short-term outcome. ‘The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart.’ Camus writes. ‘One must imagine Sisyphus happy.’ 3 Show Notes 00:00:53 Giants of Africa - The Little Big Baobab Book by Dr Sarah Venter 00:01:07 ‘The Panke Baobab in Zimbabwe , which had a circumference of 25.5 m (83 ft 7.9 in) and had nearly 400 m3 (14,126 cu ft) of wood and bark, was at least 2,450 (±40) years old when it collapsed and died in 2011. This not only makes it the oldest hardwood tree to be accurately measured but also the oldest known angiosperm (flowering plant).’ 00:01:16 A guide to South Africa's biggest baobabs: The quest for quiet giants . 00:01:27 The Legend of the Upside-down Tree 00:01:35 A Savannah is a grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees 00:01:46 The three-minute guide to the Boabab fruit 00:02:07 About Gus Le Breton 00:02:30 The African Plant Hunter Youtube channel 00:04:38 Traditional uses and local perspectives on baobab (Adansonia digitata) population structure by selected ethnic groups in northern Namibia and some modern uses 00:13:06 Beauty in Baobab: a pilot study of the safety and efficacy of Adansonia digitata seed oil 00:14:44 Safire is the Southern Alliance for Indigenous Resources 00:15:46 'On behalf of this network, the French NGO CRIAA (later Phytotrade) commissioned specialist research into the properties of the oil. Through this process, MDA was alerted to the potentially high commercial value of marula oil as a cosmetic oil, giving scientific weight to the marketing claims regarding marula’s magical properties, also highlighting commercial potential in the pharmaceutical and food industries. This included the fact that the marula fruit contains up to four times the Vitamin C of oranges, and the oil has a range of properties that make it attractive to the cosmetics industry: Marula oil is naturally processed. This high-stability lipid is under research and development for the natural products and cosmetic sector.' in 'Bridging the Gap: A Strategy for the Commercialisation of Marula Products from the Wild: Creating Incomes for the Rural Poor’ , 2001 00:16:23 Southern African Marula Oil Producers Network - no online presence found for the network, but they features in this interesting presentation: 1st Regional Workshop on Marula Sector Development , November 2019, by Cyril Lombard. Also worth a read; there's lots to learn in this pdf: ’ Catalysing Market Development ’ chapter 9 00:16:35 Marula Natural Products 00:16:53 Body Shop make-up made with marula oil 00:17:41 The Gods Must Be Crazy is a film by South African director Jamie Uys (1921-1996) that came under fire for its stereotypical portrayal of ‘Bushmen’, now referred to as San. In the film, a pilot carelessly throws a Coke glass bottle out the window, and it lands in the middle of a community of San in the Kalahari desert of Botswana. What unfolds is the effect that the one and only Coke bottle, symbolic for throwaway consumption culture, has on this nomadic community, depicted in the film as a group without any violence, crime, punishment or ownership. Read interviews with the director about the 1984 here and here to make up your own mind about some of the criticisms of the movie at the time. 00:21:35 EU Novel Foods Regulatory Framework . Also quite interesting, a short comparison of food regulations around the world . And, some European companies planning to launch in the US or Singapore before EU , because the approval process is quicker and more efficient. 00:21:55 A GMO , or genetically modified organism , is a living plant, animal or microorganism that has been subjected to biotechnology. GMO developers use biotechnology to alter that living organism's fundamental characteristics. Biotechnology includes techniques such as using synthetic genetic sequences to change the organism's genetic material (i.e. DNA or RNA), or forcing the combination of very unrelated organisms that would not normally reproduce in nature. 00:26:06 Phytotrade Africa 's aim is to create social and economic value through the sustainable use and conservation of southern African plant biodiversity. 00:26:45 The European Food Safety Authority is an agency of the European Union set up in 2002 to serve as an impartial source of scientific advice to risk managers and to communicate on risks associated with the food chain. We cooperate with interested parties to promote the coherence of EU scientific advice. We provide the scientific basis for laws and regulations to protect European consumers from food-related risks – from farm to fork.’ 00:28:52 The European Food Safety Authority introduced a separate category of Novel Foods based on a traditional food 00:31:36 Wild harvested means the gathering of plants that have grown without human intervention. These ingredients are found in the wild, often in their native origin. Without resources like temperature control, fertilizers and pesticides, wild grown plants must use their own defences for survival. Read: WILD CHECK - assessing the risks and opportunities of trade in wild plant ingredients, 2022 FAO report . ‘Thousands of consumer products around the world contain ingredients obtained from wild plants. Wild harvest accounts for some or all of the harvest of the majority of plant species in trade (between 60-90 percent). Wild-harvested plants often come from the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth and many have been used traditionally or by local communities for generations. While these products have global markets and provide critical sources of income, they can also have deep ties to particular cultures and places.’ (Opening of Executive Summary) 00:32:42 The Fair Wild Foundation’s mission is 'to enable transformation of natural resource management and business practices to be ecologically, socially and economically sustainable throughout the value chains of wild-collected products. Our vision is a fair and wild world where biodiversity is conserved through sustainable harvesting; collectors, workers, and their communities are respected and treated fairly; and resilient businesses participate in responsible value chains'. Excerpt from the 2023 report on Fair Wild Standard.' Read the 2023 updated Fair Wild Standard . 00:34:12 ‘So you want to be a baobab processor?’ Part 1: Understanding Your Market ; Part 2: Powder Processing ; Part 3: Oil Processing 00:40:44 African Baobab Alliance 00:41:17 Emerging research on the benefits of baobab 00:45:14 Amarula is a cream liqueur made from the marula fruit, and is sold in over 100 countries in the world. 00:48:26 Whitley Neill Whitley Neill Gin is a premium gin brand crafted in small batches using a combination of traditional and exotic botanicals, including juniper, coriander seed, angelica root, cassia bark, orris root, and citrus peel, along with less common botanicals such as cape gooseberries and baobab fruit. One of the distinctive features of Whitley Neill Gin is its African-inspired botanicals. 00:51:48 The Acai palm is a species of palm tree cultivated for its fruit (acai berries), hearts of plam (a vegetable), leaves and trunk wood. 00:52:36 Check out ‘Revitalise’ , which uses baobab puree in this smoothie 00:53:02 Look out fo this baobab Twinings superblend tea 00:53:38 'Baobab (Adansonia digitata L., Malvaceae) is a multi-purpose tree species native to Africa. Its fruit pulp of the African baobab has very high vitamin C content, fifteen times that of orange, and can be used in seasoning, as an appetizer and to make juices. Seeds contain appreciable quantities of crude protein, digestible carbohydrates and oil, whereas they have high levels of lysine, thiamine, Ca and Fe. They can be eaten fresh or dried, ground into flour and thus added to soups and stews. Processing eliminates a number of anti-nutritional factors present in the seed. Also, watch: Baobab’s superfruit, Africa’s gift to you 00:54:38 The science of superfoods: Really beneficial, or just marketing? 01:04:12 Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international agreement which aims at sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way. It entered into force on 12 October 2014. Access and benefit-sharing (ABS) refers to the way in which genetic resources may be accessed, and how the benefits that result from their use are shared between the people or countries using the resources (users) and the people or countries that provide them (providers). 01:09:38 The African Baobab Alliance 4 Time Stamps 00:00 Introduction to Baobab and Initial Reactions 00:38 Welcome to the African Optimist Podcast 00:51 The Baobab Tree: A Natural Marvel 02:06 Gus le Breton: The African Plant Hunter 03:52 Challenges in Commercializing Baobab 05:23 Early Efforts and Setbacks 07:11 The Struggle with Industrial Agriculture 10:31 The Journey to Market Baobab 20:16 Navigating Regulatory Hurdles 31:46 The Importance of Wild Harvesting 34:04 Processing Baobab: Challenges and Solutions 38:36 Challenges of Traditional Baobab Processing 39:43 Ensuring Quality and Standardization 40:35 Formation of the African Baobab Alliance 42:11 Collaboration vs. Competition 44:11 Creating Demand for Baobab 48:14 Marketing Challenges and Success Stories 54:37 The Superfood Debate 57:13 Importance of Research and Consumer Awareness 59:25 Fair Trade and Value Distribution 01:07:29 Future Prospects and Investor Insights 01:08:38 Final Thoughts and Encouragement 5 Transcript AfricanOptimist ep10 Gus le Breton .pdf Download PDF • 141KB Back to top ^ More on Gus Le Breton Website The African Plant Hunter Business Gus is the Founding Partner of B'Ayoba , the only baobab producer in Africa to be Fair Wild -certified. He is also the Founding Partner of Katavi Botanicals , KAZA Natural Oils , Hutano Foods , River Brewing Co , Victoria Falls Distilling Co . Videos The African Plant Hunter Youtube channel ‘So you want to be a baobab processor?’: Part 1: Understanding Your Market Part 2: Powder Processing Part 3: Oil Processing Other Articles Director's Report on the Wild Plants Dialogue , African Wildlife Economy Institute, 2022 Bridging the Gap: Phytotrade Africa's experience of the Certification of Natural Products , by Welford and Le Breton, Forests, Trees and Livelihood s, 2012 Africa’s “forgotten” food crops key to support climate-resilient, healthy and profitable food systems , Food Ingredients Food, 2023 Baobab trees all come from Madagascar – new study reveals that their seeds and seedlings floated to mainland Africa and all the way to Australia , The Conversation , June 2024 How We Made it In Africa This episode is featured on the online business publication How We Made it In Africa . Read all about it here .

< Back to all guests #15 Melusi Mhlungu - What do a Creative Optimist and a South African Optimist have to do with the City of Jozi? 11 April 2026 FIND BELOW 1 Guest Bio 2 Episode Description 3 Show Notes 4 Time Stamps 5 Transcript 1 Guest Bio Melusi Mhlungu is an award-winning creative with a career spanning global agencies such as David Miami, Ogilvy Chicago, and Johannes Leonardo in New York, where he spent seven years honing his craft. His work has earned recognition at Cannes Lions, The One Show, D&AD, Clios, Sport Clios, and the Loeries, where he was named the 2016 Young Creative. Over the years, Melusi has brought bold ideas to life for leading brands including Vodacom, Toyota, Old Mutual, FNB, DStv, KFC, Cadbury, Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Burger King, Nando’s, NBA, Goodbye Malaria, Adidas, Uber, and Instagram. He is now the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of We Are Bizarre , and a founding partner of Jozi My Jozi , a movement dedicated to making a meaningful difference in the lives of the people of Jozi. 2 Episode Description After a long break, I am cranking up the AfricanOptimist podcast again. I have spent the last while working on the ‘economic engine’ (thanks coach Karl Gostner!) behind the podcast, my business ‘StoryBanking’. But I have missed the people who are shaking things up all around us, so am back with the headphones, recording and listening to some pretty amazing stories. I waited quite a while for this first interview. The aim was to start with something that involves something bigger being built than a business or service. Something that could set the tone for the rest of the interviews going forward, based on community and a fighting spirit. When I stumbled upon JoziMyJozi , I knew I had found it. A movement ‘of the people’, with a vision to fix something that many had abandoned as ‘broken’. And a relationship between two men, that gave birth to it. In this episode, founding partner Melusi Mhlungu describes the moment on Constitution Hill when the seeds were sewn for the creation of JoziMyJozi as a brand that nobody owns. He shares a love letter to his home town Johannesburg that inspired the branding of JoziMyJozi , and why the movement took a decision to ‘start with the actions’ (not brag about what they were intending to do, but to just ‘get shit done’). He explains why patience is the superpower of the motley crew of JoziMyJozi doers, and how when they got a no, they just carry on, not waiting to get a yes. The episode is infused with Melusi’s infectious and enduring optimism, about life, South Africa’s youth (‘people who are not stuck in the reality of now’) and ultimately, South Africa’s City of Gold. If you feel down about Joburg, and the world in general, this episode is for you. People here can ‘geshido’!™ 3 Show Notes 02:05 Soweto was established in 1904 as a ‘ghetto’ for black people, moving people away from Johannesburg’s city centre after the bubonic plague had broken out in the town centre, in an area known as Brickfields. Once the brick makers had been removed 25km south, to Klipspruit, the area was fenced and razed to the ground. With the creation of Klipspruit, Soweto was born. And it is in Klipspruit where South Africa’s Bill of Rights has its roots. In 1955, several thousand people from around the country gathered to ratify the ANC’s Freedom Charter , a document setting out the ordinary aspirations of black South Africans for equal rights in the land of their birth. Much of what was contained in the Freedom Charter made it into chapter 2 of South Africa’s Constitution, its Bill of Rights, and many other areas of the constitution. In late 1954 and early 1955, roughly 10,000 'Freedom Volunteers' were dispatched across South Africa to collect 'freedom demands' from township residents, villagers, factory workers, and people in rural areas. Submissions were received in various formats, including written documents, letters, scraps of paper, and reports from local meetings detailing the desires of the people. Sub-committees of the ANC's National Action Council gathered these varied demands, sorting them into categories and synthesizing them into a draft charter. On June 25–26, 1955, around 3,000 delegates gathered in Kliptown, Soweto, to approve the final document, which was read aloud, clause by clause, and approved with shouts of "Afrika!" and "Mayibuye!". The resulting Freedom Charter , with its famous opening, "The People Shall Govern!", was not officially adopted by the ANC until 1956, but its legitimacy stemmed directly from the "bottom-up" submission process. ( I have never been able to ascertain what happened to those hundreds of pieces of paper. If you know, let me know!) Today Soweto is a vast neighbourhood, where more than one million people live. It’s an area of 200km², with over 355 000 households. It was only in 1963 that it adopted the name Soweto, an acronym for South Western Townships. Many an extraordinary South African was born here. 02:16 Melusi created two back-to-back Super Bowl commercials, a rare achievement. It’s such a big deal, because the pinnacle of American Football is also the pinnacle of TV ads, with over 100 million people watching the ads before the game even airs. The first was ‘ My Boyfriend has a food problem’ (2019), created for the frozen meals brand Devour. It details the woes of a long-suffering woman addressing her boyfriend’s addiction to ‘frozen food porn’. The ad sought to position the product as an intense and alternative to standard frozen food. A ‘clean’ version needed to be created for the Super Bowl broadcast and a longer ‘uncensored’ online version to generate buzz. The campaign included a " 1-83-FOODPORN" hotline . Here’s local coverage of the ad: ‘Melusi Mhlungu wins big with Super Bowl food porn ad’ The second ad was called ‘Typical American’ (2020), and redefined stereotypes by showing ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things, aiming to unify a polarized nation. The 60-second spot featured scenes of heroism and community service - like firefighters and volunteers - to showcase American spirit. If you want to hear the back story to these two ads, listen to the next episode with Melusi Mhlungu, due mid-April 2026. 02:40 Nando's is a South African-founded international restaurant chain famous for its Afro-Portuguese flame-grilled peri-peri chicken. Originally founded in 1987 as an out-of-the-way Portuguese restaurant called Chickenland in the south of Johannesburg, it specializes in chicken marinated for 24 hours in spicy chilli sauce, served in various heat levels with sides like chips and coleslaw. The name and flavour peri-peri are inspired by the African Bird's Eye Chilli (PERi-PERi (pepper-pepper)), which Portuguese explorers brought to Mozambique in the 16th century. The restaurant was developed further from its Chickenland origins by Robbie Brozin and Mozambique-born Fernando Duarte, who together purchased a 67% stake in the restaurant, where they frequently had lunch. In 1990, they bought Chickenland entirely, rebranded it as Nando’s, and brought in other partners, including the Enthoven family who acquired a 30% stake. Nando's is known for its ‘home away from home’ atmosphere, featuring southern African art and music, and it often brands itself through witty, humorous advertising. It operates over 1,000 restaurants in 35 countries and has a significant presence in the UK and Australia, (obviously) besides its extensive presence in South Africa. NOTE: In 2025, Melusi’s agency We Are Bizarre, was appointed as the new lead creative agency for Nando’s South Africa. The agency won the pitch to handle the Through-The-Line (TTL) creative business for Nando's South Africa, marking a significant change in the brand's agency lineup. This move follows the departure of M&C Saatchi Abel, which had been the ATL lead agency since 2015, and the end of VML South Africa's ten-year partnership with Nando's in May 2025. We Are Bizarre confirmed the appointment on social media, thanking the Nando's team for ‘choosing to flame-grill your brand with our fire’. 02:41 Robert Brozin , known as ‘Robbie’ to most, is a South African entrepreneur, businessman and co-founder of the Nando's international restaurant chain. Robbie was born in 1959 in Mpumalanga, South Africa. After stepping back from Nando’s in 2020, Robbie’s passion for making a difference grew. He now champions changing lives at Nando’s; co-founded Goodbye Malaria; is a Constitutional Hill trustee; is helping to secure the future of Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital; and is part of the JoziMyJozi team who are working hard to revitalize Johannesburg. Robbie’s philosophy of having fun while making money and changing people’s lives is at the heart of his personal philosophy. 03:13 Long-time creative guru Brett Morris is executive creative chair at the Nahana Communications Group. His work in advertising has been recognised numerous times at major award shows including Cannes and by his peers in the industry. In 2014 Brett was appointed Group Chief Executive of Nahana Communications Group and has since been voted by his peers as most admired agency leader in Johannesburg for five years in a row and three times across South Africa. He was a mentor to Melusi in the early days of his career, and is a long time friend. 03:41 Constitution Hill is a former notorious prison complex in Johannesburg, South Africa, that was transformed into a human rights precinct and living museum . It houses the highest court in the country, the Constitutional Court, serving as a powerful symbol of South Africa's journey from apartheid-era oppression to democracy. In 2024, Constitution Hill was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site , offering a living museum experience. Visitors can tour the Old Fort, Number Four (native jail), and the Women's Jail, where leaders like Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi were held. 03:47 The Flame of Democracy at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg is an eternal flame lit on December 10, 2011, to mark the 15th anniversary of the signing of South Africa's Constitution. It symbolizes freedom from oppression and serves as a reminder of constitutional rights, situated in the stairwell of the former Awaiting Trial Block , a prison section built in 1928 where thousands, including activists like Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and Robert Sobukwe, were detained. The flame was officially lit by former Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe on December 10, 2011. It was brought from Qunu in the Eastern Cape (Nelson Mandela's home) to Johannesburg to signify the transition. The flame serves as a focal point on Human Rights Day, Freedom Day, and other significant national days to remind citizens of their rights and the responsibility to uphold democracy. 03:51 Preamble to the Constitution of South Africa We, the people of South Africa, Recognise the injustices of our past; Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity. We therefore, through our freely elected representatives, adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to Heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights; Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law; Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person; and Build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations. May God protect our people. Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika. Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso. God seën Suid-Afrika. God bless South Africa. Mudzimu fhatutshedza Afurika. Hosi katekisa Afrika. 08:25 Anglo American plc is a major British multinational mining company headquartered in London, recognized as one of the world's largest producers of platinum, diamonds (via De Beers ), copper, nickel, iron ore, and metallurgical coal. Founded in 1917 in South Africa, it operates globally, focusing on mining resources essential for modern life and industrial growth. It was founded by Ernest Oppenheimer and historically had deep ties to South African mining, later shifting its headquarters to London in 1999. The company operates in Africa, South America, Australia, North America, and Asia. It is a leading producer of platinum (approx. 40% of global output), diamonds, and holds significant copper, nickel, and iron ore assets. It has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and a secondary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. 09:19 JozimyJozi 23:20 Adam Craker is the Chief Executive Officer at IQbusiness, the largest South African management and technology consulting firm and a majority-owned subsidiary of JSE-listed Reunert Group, since July 2023. As an ‘activist CEO’ Adam is an ardent lobbyist for government and business collaboration, though he places the emphasis on education as the key ingredient to drive an inclusive future for all South Africans. Adam has forged strong partnerships between IQbusiness and various NGOs and social enterprises, such as SmartStart, Tomorrow Trust, Harambee, Partners for Possibility and the National Mentorship Movement to act as catalysts for positive trends in education and self advancement. Three social enterprises resulted under Adam’s leadership as CEO – the COBRA Initiative, SAtion and JoziMyJozi. 25:32 The Mandela Bridge is located in the heart of the City of Johannesburg, serving as a bridge between the vibrant student precinct of Braamfontein and downtown Joburg. The area is part of a massive rejuvenation drive, filled with sites of cultural and historical significance, with the bridge being the conduit for all traffic to and from the area. The Mandela Bridge was recognised as being 'an outstanding civil engineering achievement' by the South African Institute of Civil Engineers. It cost R38 million and is the largest cable-stayed bridge in southern Africa. The vast quantities of construction materials that went into its creation underpin what a feat of engineering it is. It took 4,000 cubic meters of concrete, 1,000 tons of structural steel and 500 tons of construction steel to realise the seemingly weightless pinnacle that gleams with the promise of the new. The bridge is 284 meters long, 42 meters high at the north pylon and 27 meters high at the south pylon. 25:53 ABSA originally stood for Amalgamated Banks of South Africa , formed in 1991 through the merger of UBS Holdings, Allied Bank, and Volkskas Group to unify its operations across the continent. While it was formerly known by this acronym, the entity now officially operates simply as Absa Group Limited or Absa Bank Ltd, having rebranded from Barclays Africa Group in 2018. The name reflected the merging of several large financial institutions and is a major South African financial services provider based in Johannesburg that offers retail, business, corporate, and investment banking services. In 2004, Absa was the first of the big four banks to sell a direct stake (10%) to a Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) consortium (Batho Bonke). It utilizes data to track the health of the SME sector, providing crucial insights into economic trends. With over 41,000 employees it is one of the largest branch networks in South Africa. 28:00 Bea Swanepoel is the founding CEO and former leader of Jozi My Jozi , beautifully described as ‘the coalition of the willing’. As of early 2026, she transitioned to leading the national expansion of the JoziMyJozi model as CEO of NewCo Trust which will focus on the rollout of the Jozi model to other South African cities. She previously worked as a project manager at Anglo American , where she was involved in managing the company’s move out of the CBD, which sparked her dedication to revitalizing the city centre. 32:42 Despite the hardship, African youths are the most mentally stable in the world. (Significant sub-title: 'Wealth isn’t necessarily a benefit when it comes to mental health, a new report released in February shows, and nowhere is this more evident than in Africa.' If you look at the key factors affecting youth mental health, this finding is not surprising: * Key factors affecting youth mental health include family relationships, spirituality, early smartphone usage, and ultra-processed food consumption.) ( Instagram post ) 4 Time Stamps 00:00 Welcome 01:23 Love Letter to Johannesburg, the City of Gold in South Africa 02:52 Meeting Robbie Brozin 05:25 Choosing to Come Home 11:38 The Letter Becomes a Brand 14:21 Movement for the People 19:03 Designing an Imperfect Logo 22:23 Actions Before Promises 24:19 Early Doubts and First Wins 28:54 Optimism as a Superpower 33:49 Closing and Next Episode Back to top ^ The indomitable Melusi Mhlungu, Founding Partner of JoziMyJozi and creative force behind its branding. His journey from being entranced by adverts between soap operas as a kid to having two back-to-back commercials air at the the US Super Bowl can be heard in the next upcoming episode on the AfricanOptimist podcast.

< Back to all guests #2 Jacendra (Jesse) Naidoo - About the most exciting time of his life, bringing an engineer's approach to waste, thoughts on Shared Value vs Shareholder Value and a mention of the New Capitalist Manifesto 14 January 2024 FIND BELOW 1 Guest Bio 2 Episode Description 3 Show Notes 4 Time Stamps 5 Transcript 1 Guest Bio Jesse Naidoo holds a Master in Business Leadership from the Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) , an academic college within the University of South Africa (Unisa). He has over 20 years of corporate experience in various senior executive positions in telecommunications, engineering, telecommunications engineering consulting, project management, relationship sales, sales management, commercial management, marketing management and business management. In 2011 he started Clothes to Good (CTG), a multi-award winning clothing recycling company that creates jobs, starts micro-businesses and empowers the unemployed, with a special focus on people living with disabilities. In addition, Jesse is actiely pursuing the use of digital technology that will enable CTG to track the life of every item, from the point of collection to its recycled, upcycled or downcycled state. In the long run this means that producers can be held more accountable to fund the recycling of textile waste. He is also eagerly awaiting the technology that is becoming available in the emerging field of biochemical fibre recycling processes , which will reduce the complexity of textile recycling by breaking textiles down into their separate (mostly non-organic) components. The more this complexity is reduced, the more recycling will increase. 2 Episode Description Where others see mountains of waste when looking at discarded clothes, Jesse Naidoo sees major opportunities. Opportunities to resell, upcycle, downcycle and anything else that can be engineered to extend the life of garments and keep them away from landfills - the world’s oldest form of waste disposal. In this episode, Jesse shares his journey from the heart of South Africa’s corporate world, to building a social enterprise dealing with textile waste. Jesse takes us on the step-by-step journey of a pair of recycled pants, and the kind of business thinking required to make the recycling of pants a sustainable activity. He questions the longevity of the continued dominance of shareholder value, and discusses the alternative of ‘shared value’ that can result in a more circular economy. 3 Show Notes 04:57 Centurion lies outside of Midrand, halfway between Johannesburg and Pretoria, in the Gauteng Province. 25:07 Clothes to Good partner Afrika Tikkun 25:55 Unbelievably, South Africa has no definition or legal framework for social enterprises or social entrepreneurship in the country. Read more in this 2016 ILO scoping study , the useful 2016 UCT Guide to Legal Forms for Social Enterprises in South Africa and in this 2018 GIBS report . 31:27 The Orange Farm community is a semi-rural, undeveloped area 40km (25 miles) south of Johannesburg. It is one of the largest informal settlements in South Africa, with most estimates giving a population of 1 million people. For more info, read this . 34:03 H&M and Clothes to Good 'Mother of Children with Disabilities Micro-Business Programme 36:49 Nim Nims were created at the Tommy Hilfiger Design Sprint Challenge . In 2021 Clothes to Good was awarded the audience prize at the Tommy Hilfiger World Frontier Fashion challenge . It was also shortlisted as one of the top six programmes from 430 applications from around the world. 44:56 South Africa's unemployment statistics Q2 2023 ; Unemployment rate in South Africa from Q1 2019 to Q2 2023 by age group 46:00 Friedman introduced his theory on shareholder value in a 1970 New York Times article, titled, A Friedman Doctrine: The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Its Profits . Worth reading! 54:47 Umair Haque's The New Capitalist Manifesto, building a disruptively better business was published in 2011 and is both a critiqe of the current capitalist system as well as an exploration of alternative ways of conducting capitalism in the future 53:38 Original 2011 Harvard Business Review article , Shared Value - how to reinvent capitalism and unleash a wave of innovation and growth by Michael Porter and Mark Kramer 4 Time Stamps 02:46 Jesse’s early corporate career in the early 1990s 09:25 The need to keep products out of landfill 10:11 The extent of the dumping problem globally and the realities of microfibre pollution found in our bodies. Global commitment to eliminate production of plastic in fashion by 2050 13:36 The kilogram - the unit of measurement for textile waste and its power to eventually hold producers accountable 16:30 What happens to a pair of pants handed in to H&M 16:59 First audit to see what can be reused 19:53 Recycling plastics into paving blocks 21:23 New developments in sorting 23:54 40% of clothes can be reused in current form 24:01 Clothes to Good’s three dreams: creating micro-businesses, creating employment for people with disabilites, and creating processes that are good for the environment 25:15 Creation of micro-businesses for mothers of children with disabilities 27:15 The difference between a social enterprise and the traditional approach to business 31:17 Stigmatised mothers of children with disabilities running their own microbusiness 35:55 Next steps: upcycling and downcycling 41:23 Challenges of funding 43:05 The growing interest and involvement of youth in this sector 5 Episode Transcript AfricanOptimist#2_Jesse Naidoo_Transcription .pdf Download PDF • 130KB Back to top ^ Videos Jesse's TEDx Johannesburg talk The fashion revolution: turning trash to treasure The Story of Clothes to Good Levi's & Clothes to Good collaborate for good Watch Jesse @09:22 in CNN's African Designers making sustainability fashionable Some interesting background info Designing Climate Compatible Industrial Strategies for South Africa: The Textiles Value Chain , South African Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies Series, August 2022 Textile recycling processes, state of the art and current developments: A mini review , in Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy , Special Issue: Recycling, Vol 37, issue 2, 2019 Connect with Jesse and Clothes to Good

< Back to all guests #1 Efosa Ojomo - About the 'Prosperity Paradox', disruptive & market-creating innovations and why capital has to be patient in Africa 14 January 2024 FIND BELOW 1 Guest Bio 2 Episode Description 3 Show Notes 4 Time Stamps 5 Transcript 1 Guest Bio Efosa Ojomo ( @efosaojomo ) is a renowned Nigerian author, researcher and speaker . He is a leading expert on disruptive innovation, which he defines as innovations that create new markets and make existing products and services more accessible and affordable in low and middle-income countries. He is the director of the Global Prosperity research group at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation , a think tank based in Boston and Silicon Valley, and is a senior research fellow at the Harvard Business School. He is also a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Innovation . In January 2019, Ojomo and late Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen published The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty . The book outlines a powerful framework for creating prosperity, and concludes that the key to economic development is not to focus on copying the developed world, but rather to identify and invest in disruptive innovations that can create new markets and opportunities for the poor. In a review, the Wall Street Journal wrote that the book provides ‘a better way to fight poverty’ as it returns ‘the entrepreneur and innovation to the centre stage of economic development and prosperity’. His work has been published and covered by the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, The Guardian, Quartz, Forbes, Fortune, The World Bank, NPR, and several other media outlets. He has presented his work at TED ( a 2019 TedTalk on corruption and innovation which has garnered over 2 million views), the Aspen Ideas Festival, the World Bank, Harvard, Yale, Oxford, and at several other conferences and institutions. Ojomo is a recipient of the 2020 Thinkers50 Radar award , the world’s most reliable resource for identifying, ranking, and sharing the leading management ideas of our age. The award is given to emerging management thinkers who have the potential to shape the future of business at an event that is described by the Financial Times as ‘the Oscars of management thinking’. Efosa graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in computer engineering and received his MBA from Harvard Business School. His influence extends beyond the business and academic realms, as his work continues to inspire individuals and organisations to embrace the principles of disruptive innovation as the key driver of global prosperity. 2 Episode Description Did you ever come across that popular optical illusion, which invited you to look at a black and white picture, and then prompted you to describe what you saw? Did you first see the old woman or the young woman? (read this for a little background on this phenomenon) This is what this week’s episode reminded me of. Efosa Ojomo invites us to look at emerging markets, and concedes we can see them one way (let's call it, ‘the old woman way’) but then challenges us to look at the same picture in a different way (the ‘young woman way’), to understand what market-creating innovations can do to create a different outcome for countries and their people, in short, to enable them to prosper. In the episode he discusses the principles of The Prosperity Paradox and explains why ‘sustaining’ and ‘efficiency’ innovations don’t lead to inclusive prosperity, but ‘market-creating’ innovations do. He uses clear examples to illustrate what is possible if policy-makers, investors, companies and individuals (entrepreneurs) change their approach to struggling economies and invest long-term in solving a problem. He highlights the limitations of common economic development models, which tend to be top-down, and offers a new framework for economic growth. 3 Show Notes 03:32 The White Man’s Burden by William Easterly 05:34 Awarded the Nr 1 Management Thinker in the World Professor Clay Christensen 13:33 Author Karen Dillon 18:17 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference WWD23 20:24 Richard Leftley and MicroEnsure 20:28 The Story of Tolaram’s Indomie Noodles (video) 23:19 About Tolaram 27:13 Efosa Ojomo’s TED talk: Reducing corruption takes a specific kind of investment June 2019 and TEDxBYU A Counterintuitive Solution to Poverty: Stop Trying to Eradicate It , March 2019 34:12 Research by Lant Pritchett 38:12 Richard Leftley and MicroEnsure in Africa 43:24 MasterCard Foundation Africa Growth Fund 4 Time Stamps 02:49 Efosa Ojomo tells the background story to his book The Prosperity Paradox 06:35 Why Efosa moved to the United States 08:18 Why the story of a young girl carrying water at 3am changed Efosa's trajectory 11:01 The genesis of The Prosperity Paradox 16:24 The importance of understanding the key categories of consumption and non-consumption 17:54 Explanation of three different types of innovations: ‘sustaining’ innovations, ‘efficiency’ innovations and ‘market-creating’ innovations 22:14 The inspiring story of Indomie Noodles and how they created a new market in Nigeria 24:52 The need for countries to take ‘internal risks’ and invest in key infrastructure themselves 29:23 Barriers to consumption and how they represent opportunities to companies and entrepreneurs, not obstacles 32:42 Push vs pull investments and how pull investments create a whole new ecosystem around a newly created market 34:59 How to approach the reality of the existence of a small middle-class in a country 38:00 What it looks like when a country commits and invests long-term 42:18 Why capital coming into Africa needs to be patient 44:25 What young African leaders and individuals can do, to contribute to creating market-creating innovations 46:05 Efosa’s next book 47:03 How optimistic is Efosa? 5 Episode Transcript AfricanOptimist#1 Efosa Ojomo Transcription .pdf Download PDF • 125KB Back to top ^ More on Efosa Ojomo: Ted Talks by Efosa Ojomo (videos) TED talk: Reducing corruption takes a specific kind of investment, June 2019 TEDxBYU talk: A Counterintuitive Solution to Poverty: Stop Trying to Eradicate It , March 2019 Articles by Efosa Ojomo The process of market creation demystified , by Efosa Ojomo Our latest research - Accelerating the adoption of solar energy in Nigeria: A market-creating strategy , by Efosa Ojomo & Sandy Sanchez What is disruptive innovation? by the Clayton Christensen Institute Books by Efosa Ojomo