STAYING AHEAD OF THE CURVE
“There’s a growing crop of women DJs but the industry is not growing fast enough; that’s the one thing I want to change. DJ Cndo and I shouldn’t be the only ones dominating the game. Some people ask if I’m not afraid of competition. For me, I feel like we need to grow our industry and make it credible, which is where Fuse Academy comes in. And then there is her thriving accessories business, with a particular focus on watches and earrings. “At Era, I have a team of four. My vision is to have a store like Mimco, which I look up to in terms of its business model, and designer brand Kate Spade, which does amazing handbags, accessories and clothing items.” But, for the businesswomen, the vision doesn’t end there. She says she hopes to employ thousands of women – and just women, in fact, through Era, so that it can make a lasting contribution to the country.
“I see myself walking into a big company of 5 000 women working for Era. As a business, we are four years old. We manufacture watches and bracelets, but we sell inspiration. The reason behind the name is we want to communicate the concept of time to women and how important it is for us to understand what we can do with our time. Women are becoming more powerful in this era. This is why we sell our products with a card that says ‘Wearing this product is a promise to yourself to know that you amazing.’ Through era, we want to make women aware of the times they’re living in and to take props for doing well,” she says.
In front of me is a woman who is clearly passionate about her businesses, and I have no doubtthatherambitiousplanswillcometofruition. “We’re learning as we go, but it’s been such an amazing journey. I know our vision will manifest. Soon, Era will be in the same league as the likes of Michel Herbelin because of its brand power and aspirational value. The watches retail for R500 to R599 and the support we get from our clients is humbling. Women truly are hustlers of note!” is that I will always be in good relationships,” says the mother-of-one. Before I leave, I return to a subject that makes Zinhle instantly smile. She truly adores her little angel, Kairo. What is the one lesson she wishes to pass on to her adorable baby, who’ll soon grow into an impressionable girl? “I want to teach Kairo self love because you can’t expect love when you don’t have it within yourself. It’s not an easy one; my greatest objective is for her to never ever think her father is a bad person. In order for that to not happen, I must show her that Kiernan is a great person. I need to tell Kairo of all the positive things that happened between us because looking back, only five percent of our time together was a mess.
Other than that, we were happy and those are the times I hold on to and wish to tell Kairo of one day. I can’t amplify the short time he and I fought; that wouldn’t be fair on Kiernan and Kairo. I will tell her the truth about what happened and I need her to understand that her father chose happiness. In the end, he met someone that he loves, and that is okay. Yes, he didn’t do right by me with how he handled the matter but he isn’t a bad person.
It dawned on me that given the same situation, I don’t know how I would’ve reacted. We don’t judge people by their actions – we judge by their situations, because until you have faced the same thing, you don’t know that if you had faced the same situation what would you have done. If the circumstances were different – for example, what if I was the one who had met someone else and faced the decision of telling him - how would I have handled the situation? “Kairo is too young to understand anything now but she’ll know the truth one day when she’s old enough. I want to raise her to be an independent, smart and kind women who is happy and content with herself,” says Jiyane.
After spending a day with the famous DJ, I now understand why she cut her hair eight months ago, and goes make-up free as much as she can. She’s ready to tackle a new chapter with gusto.