Our Mangwanani River Valley branch manager, Nono, wanted to share her story…

I am Nono. My full name is Kedibone Nono Modise. I was born on the 26 October 1980. My journey with Mangwanani started in October 2004. I was then a very young woman, who had no idea nor experience when it came to giving massages. I had not worked for any other company, for that matter. Employment by Mangwanani was my first big break after what I had been doing. I was trained on massaging and customer care. Later, I was trained in various departments. Gradually, I learnt how the organisation works. As the years went by, I was promoted to various positions, from therapist to Jacuzzi attendant, to waitress. Eventually I was promoted to bus hostess. Still further along, I became a duty manager at the River Valley branch. I was moved to Mangwanani Indaba and given a general manager’s position for a night spa. Being a general manager enabled me to extend my home.

I am the last-born child of 3 siblings. I am the only breadwinner in the household. I would not have been able to accomplish all that I have, had it not been for the empowering from Mangwanani.

It was through Mangwanani that I was recognised and given the opportunity of showing my work ethic. I was given the first flight of my life when having to travel to other branches: to Cape Town and Durban. From then on, Mangwanani helped me to spread my wings. In 2011, Mangwanani flew me to the Netherlands. Mangwanani is a company that empowers and cares about people’s well-being and success. Were it not for employers such as Maeve, Erin, and Moira, who forever believed in me and encouraged me to grow, I would not be where I am today. These ladies are like sisters to me. They have brought out the best in me. They have encouraged me to be a bigger and better person. Mangwanani management enabled me to join the SETA service. Since then, I have accumulated a collection of meaningful certificates. I am also happy to say that, in 2017, I achieved my Generic Management NQF level 5, by dint of hard work and study.

With all that said, I could never be where I am today without Mangwanani. I am currently the branch manager of River Valley, and I am driving my second car ever. I have built my own house from scratch. I have managed to do all this on my journey with Mangwanani.

Mangwanani is not just a company: once you join the company, you automatically become family. I am saying this because, in 2017, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, together with thyroid cancer. The support I received from this organisation was priceless. No other company could have given me more care or support, both emotionally and financially. I knew then that I was not looked on as an expendable employee.

The same goes for all the other people working for the company; and for that I will forever be grateful. Erin − you always saw in other people what they did not see in themselves. You always knew what greatness the future had in store for me. You were able to leave your company in my hands and go to Durban. At first I wondered how could you trust me with such a big responsibility. However, you saw what you saw in me. You always encouraged me never to give up, even when I wanted just to give it all away. You also gave me the chance to prove myself. You are in large part the reason for where I am today. For that, I will forever be grateful. Not forgetting how you manage to have nicknames for all of us − you are such a beautiful soul. Maeve, what a blessing to have someone like you in my life. You have always supported me and guided me in every step that I took. As you always say, Mangwanani is like the university of life, where we learn many things. This is true. I have witnessed so much that I could write a book expressing how much I appreciate you. You will always be more than an employer to me. Because of you, I do believe that family is not only blood. Thank you.

How can I forget Sister Kim? Not only are you a nurse − you have been a steady shoulder to cry on: ALWAYS there when I needed you. I can always count on you to help me offload. You are someone I can cry to and not even once be judged.

Moira taught me that I need to take charge, to be strong and act accordingly; not forgetting that I need to know what I want. I reported to Moira when working at Indaba. Moira is a tough leader; however, I am grateful to her for modelling her fine behaviour.

Now, as a manager, I can overcome any obstacle that comes my way. Today I am proud to say that I can hold my head high, as a dynamic, empowered woman, who is not afraid of facing and tackling challenges as they come my way.

Thank you to my entire Mangwanani family!

We have a heartfelt story from Ntombincinci, hostess at Mangwanani Winelands near Stellenbosch. These are her words:

“My name is Ntombincinci born on the 20th of December 1979 and residing in Cape Town. I am a mother of three of which one has a disability. I was trapped in an abusive marriage simply because I feared if I left my husband, I would not be able to feed my three children.

Until one day I attended church in Wesbank, where I met a kind woman by the name of Nowethu who told me about Mangwanani. We exchanged numbers, and it was not long after that when I received a call from her telling me that Mangwanani was taking on new staff. I called Mangwanani, and I managed to secure an interview for myself. During my interview I made mention of my sickly child who constantly must go to the clinic for check-ups. Despite all of that, I was given an opportunity to join the team and started work in July of 2007.

In July 2008, I was able to leave my abusive husband and move in with my mother and three children and live a peaceful life compared to the life of crying I endured for years. Mangwanani changed my life for the better.

A special thank you goes to my manager Sis Nikiwe, the branch manager at Mangwanani Winelands. Every time I have gone to her crying. She has always encouraged me and given me hope and for that I will forever be grateful.”

It was during my college years, when I felt that I was at a cross-roads. I was studying full-time, working part-time, and I suffered with the kind of migraines that would put me out of action for a whole day at a time. Not to mention that I was trying to balance all the other things a typical 20-something-year-old woman has to deal with. I knew I needed something else in my life. Something was missing.

It’s hard to explain exactly how I felt; but after one short visit to a massage therapist, my life changed radically. Fast forward; and I’m now having at least one massage a month by a qualified massage therapist. The results are such that I preach the good word about the positive effects of massage on my life; and how we can help others. Here are the top five ways massage therapy changed my life. It can change your life too.

1) Massage has all-but cured my migraines. I still have the occasional migraine. For those who suffer from this debilitating condition, this will be a dominant and negative part of their lives. In all honesty, I can affirm that my migraines have become reduced to as few as one a month. In the past, I would have had at least one a week. Having relaxing massage has provided, for me, a great result.
2) Another huge positive is that I no longer have use any prescription medications. There are no side effects or chemicals to make allowance for in massage therapy. This natural and relaxing solution has helped me massage the stress out of my life.
3) Massage is well known to reduce the effect of stress. I have tested this for myself and would therefore recommend it to anyone feeling stressed.  Make a trip to the nearest spa; and book a relaxation session. Stress does not simply go away − it needs to be managed. I was not managing my own stress well. It was causing me to lose sleep.
4) Many everyday things were out of my control. Even skin conditions broke out. All of these problems are now a distant memory. Massage introduced me to a new and healthier way of life. Massage really opened my eyes to a whole new world of alternative medicines and treatments. I started looking at some of the other elements that are used, such as essential oils. I have searched for deeper and more meaningful reasons for all my various stress-related conditions. A focus on massage therapy does not only apply health benefits to the individual − there are a host of mental benefits too. Being able to focus better means that you can be more productive in your work life. Acute focusing sharpens your mind, helping your memory and giving you that ‘pep in your step’ that you see in some people, and so want for yourself. Massage has improved my confidence. This is something I really believe is worth mentioning.
5) Confidence goes hand in hand with many other benefits, as mentioned above. Massage is the single reason for my overall health improvement.

Massage therapy has made a significant and positive impact on my life. I can’t speak highly enough of it. Massage therapy can do wonders − take my word for it.  Book yourself a therapy session without delay, and discover this for yourself.