Amanda Mlevu, Sunday Life Reporter
TWO years ago if you had told Ms Zolile Mtshayisa that she would be a successful entrepreneur, she would have laughed at you.
Ms Mtshayisa has somehow managed to weather the storm, transforming her life. The 23-year-old is a self-made woman who in the past had to quit jobs because she was sexually harassed by her former bosses.
“I was sexually harassed at work, every man I worked for wanted a piece of me, I am not the only one but what I did not accept was being objectified at work and I did not want to use my body as a transaction,” she said.
She said she worked as a salesperson in four shops and most of her former bosses did not just show interest in her but they also wanted to sleep with her.
“I will not share the names of the shops obviously, but what I can say is that they made my job and life very difficult, that’s when I decided to quit and do my own thing,” said Ms Mtshayisa.
After realising that working for other people would only make her feel uncomfortable, she joined INUKA, a Network Marketing Company that sells luxury high-quality cosmetic and fragrance products at wholesale prices to independent entrepreneurs.
“When I left my job early last year, I went to my brother’s house and I bathed with INUKA bathing salts and I fell in love with them from the get-go and I asked my brother to tell me where he bought them, that’s when I discovered that you can actually sell the product and earn money.”
Ms Mtshayisa said at the time she only had US$10 in her pocket and that was the money she used to buy two INUKA bathing salts which cost US$4,00 and she sold them to her friend.
“I sold bathing salts up until I had US$40,00 and that’s when I had to join the company and upgrade to selling perfumes, and lotions. Honestly, I worked very hard. This had to work for me because I had nowhere to turn to. My parents had a difficult time in providing for me,” said Ms Mtshayisa.
She said in one of the companies she worked for, they would ask her to go to her boss’ house and “get something” and when she got there the boss would demand a massage and would ask her for tea.
“This other company, the boss was too much, staff members would send me to go collect surf in his house and they would tell me that he was not around, but when I get there I would find him and it would be so awkward because he would be unprofessional. If I chose that path in life, I would also be counted as someone’s second wife but I have better plans for myself. I want to re-write O-level English that I have failed seven times and I am not about to give up, so I will push till the end.”
