Heart to Heart: Pontsho Manzi

Heart to Heart: Pontsho Manzi


It is with great honor and gratitude that I had the privilege of engaging in an enlightening conversation with one of the remarkable women shaping our world today. I am thrilled to introduce Pontsho Manzi, an exceptional individual who embodies a deep love for God and an unwavering commitment to her craft as the founder of Fabulous Woman Awards. In the following interview, we delve into the depths of her experiences, passions, and insights, offering a glimpse into the extraordinary journey that has led her to become the influential woman she is today. Join me as we embark on this heartfelt dialogue with Pontsho Manzi, a true inspiration to us all.

Inside Woman: Why have you made the Lord Jesus Christ your personal Saviour?

Pontsho Manzi: His promise to me is to give me a gift of eternal life according to 1 John 2:25. I am who I am because of His love and grace. I am at peace because I have a personal relationship with HIM and I have placed my personal faith and trust in Him.

Inside Woman: What do you find most valuable about your faith?

Pontsho Manzi: I have confidence and trust in the Lord. Trust commands rest. Rest commands results. I believe that God always helps if we ask, and all we have to do is SEE IT. We need to be careful that we do not ask amiss but ask the Holy Spirit to pray God’s will into our lives.

Inside Woman: How do you stay balanced and simply see yourself in the light of Christ?

Pontsho Manzi: I try to embody the qualities of a Proverbs 31 woman. A virtuous woman who is right with God. A woman who lives by love, has inner beauty, is loyal, kind, humble, authentic and a homemaker.

Inside Woman: What is it that you think we need to do as Christians to show people God's love?

Pontsho Manzi: To love and serve other people selflessly. To love without expecting something back or looking for honour from the others .To want the best for everyone without favouritism—not preferring some people more than others.

Inside Woman: What is one aspect of God’s character and the gospel you’ve learned about this past year?

Pontsho Manzi: God is faithful. He has promised that all things work together for good of those who love and serve Him faithfully (Romans 8:28). It may be difficult for us to see and understand how this is accomplished at times, but God has promised it, and He will deliver.

Inside Woman: Tell us about your immediate family.

Pontsho Manzi: I am blessed with a wonderful husband and two beautiful kids, a 5-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl.

Inside Woman: Can you tell us how long you have been married and how did you know that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with your husband?

Pontsho Manzi: I’ve been happily married for 8 years. Oh his smile….but I had to consult with my Father in heaven. I asked God if he is the one and he confirmed.

Inside Woman: Is marriage everything you thought it would be?

Pontsho Manzi: Absolutely, God is the foundation of our marriage. He has blessed me with an amazing hubby; he is my best friend, prayer partner, soul mate and advisor. I love being married.

Inside Woman: What keys have you found to making your marriage last all this years and to keep your family strong?

Pontsho Manzi: Prayer, communication, honesty, integrity, respect, date nights, romantic getaways and of course unconditional love.

Inside Woman: What do you love about being a mother?

Pontsho Manzi: I love being a mother because it gives purpose to my life. I love reading bed time stories for my kids. I love watching them sleep. Watching my kids play together for hours and hoping they stay best friends throughout their entire lives. I love baking cup cakes with them while mixing ingredients with their tiny little hands and all the love, hugs and little home -made gifts.

Inside Woman: With your amazingly full life, and all the wonderful work you are involved in, how do you keep your marriage and family strong?

Pontsho Manzi: I make time for family. I plan ahead for family trips and weekends away with hubby. Unfortunately one has to make the time to appreciate the things that make you the successful person that you are, and family is one of those things that you have to acknowledge and cherish.

Inside Woman: Tell us a little about yourself and your entrepreneurial journey.

Pontsho Manzi: I am a businesswoman, an inspirational speaker, facilitator, coach, image consultant and a mentor to the youth of South Africa, especially girls through my non-profit organization called FabGalz. I started my business at the age of 24 and have been involved in coaching and mentorship of young women and girls for the past 6 years.

As a businesswoman, I’m the managing director of Botlhokwa Group, a holding company for three subsidiary companies called Recrutrain (HR Consulting), FabImage (Image Consulting) and Bonisa Media (Publisher of Diary for Fabulous You and Fabulous Woman Magazine). I am also the author of Diary for Fabulous You, an inspirational diary for women and girls.

I founded Recrutrain, an HR consulting and training company with an impeccable 8-year track record for delivering innovative staffing and training solutions to both private and public sector organisations in South Africa and neighbouring countries in the SADC region. I am a qualified HR practitioner with a Degree in Human Resource Management. I am passionate about my work and my success is evidenced by the many positive comments by those for whom I have found employment for and those who attended my workshops, seminars and talks.

In 2011, I founded Bonisa Media as a publisher of the inspirational diary for women called Dairy for Fabulous You and the new Fabulous Woman Magazine that was launched on the 09th August 2012. Both these publications have been created as a platform to address women’s issues on a broader scale to extend my reach in touching women’s lives.

Inside Woman: How did you fund your business?

Pontsho Manzi: I took voluntary retrenchment package plus my pension pay out to start my business.

Inside Woman: Tell us about FabImage. What is and what exactly do you do?

Pontsho Manzi: FabImage is a Gauteng-based image consulting company that assists individuals and organisations with image makeovers, personal branding, impression management, power dressing and image management. I qualified as an image consultant with The Image Academy of South Africa (A Member of the Institute for Colour and Image Consultants for Men and Women in California, USA) in 2006.

Inside Woman: What can a woman, who is interested in enhancing her professional image, expect in a consultation with you?

Pontsho Manzi: Our first consultation involves conducting “personality profiling”. This is to understand your personality so that we can enhance your image accordingly. It is about getting the best from a woman according to her own personality.

Inside Woman: What kind of education, training, or other preparation do you need to get into an image consultant career?

Pontsho Manzi: You need to have a diploma in Image Consulting plus a passion for assisting others to look good. You have to have love for fashion.

Inside Woman: You are also a motivational speaker. What do you do to keep yourself motivated?

Pontsho Manzi: I meditate on the Word daily; I also keep a gratitude journal and always write positive affirmations about myself. I also use positive affirmations as my laptop password, iPad, Facebook, etc.

Inside Woman: You’ve launched FabWoman magazine on the 9th August 2012. Why do you think we need another women’s magazine in the market? How is it different from the other magazines?

Pontsho Manzi: Fabulous Woman is an inspirational women magazine with emphasis on spirituality. The magazine addresses the issues of women from the inside out. Most magazines currently focus on the outer appearance of women and miss out on the real issues that hamper women from being the best they were created to be.

Inside Woman: What does an editor-in-chief of a magazine do exactly and how do you go about becoming one?

Pontsho Manzi: An editor-in-chief is overall responsible for the final magazine copy that gets published. I am in charge of ensuring that the magazine stays true to its original mandate and continues to service the target market profitably. I have passion for the subject matter of the magazine and that goes a long way. A qualification in journalism will go a long way in setting someone up as an editor.

Inside Woman: What is your best piece of advice you can offer to the person who is trying to significantly improve their lives?

Pontsho Manzi: Go after your dreams with everything you have in you and never give up. Leave the rest to God.

Inside Woman: Are there any other major projects on your calendar for the coming year?

Pontsho Manzi: No, I have found my purpose in life and I’m fulfilled. I’ll be focusing on building Fabulous Woman Magazine, Diary for Fabulous You and FabImage brands.

Inside Woman: How important is it to have the support of matured Christian women surrounding you?

Pontsho Manzi: It is very important as these are women who pray with you and for you when times are tough. With so many challenges facing women, mature Christian women are invaluable in helping one stay focused on the important things in life.

Inside Woman: You also run a non-profit organisation called FabGalz to mentor girls. Why do you think it’s important to mentor young girls?

Pontsho Manzi: I believe that women are the cornerstone of a well-functioning society. It is important to pay attention to young girls so that we can have well-mannered, focused and confident women to nurture our communities.

Inside Woman: Many Christian women struggle with eating disorders and body image issues. You are beautiful, talented, and a confident woman with a lot to offer. Many women, however, struggle with self-confidence. What would you say to them?

Pontsho Manzi: I would say to them that you are “fearfully and wonderfully made”. God made no mistake when He created you and you should embrace yourself as a unique creature that God made for a purpose. Self-confidence comes from knowing that you matter to God first and those close to you.

Inside Woman: Let’s talk about woman to woman relationships. It seems that women (more so than men) tend to struggle with issues like gossip and backbiting, and are often too quick to take offense. How can we help women to curb those so called natural female tendencies to really have healthy relationships that last?

Pontsho Manzi: It all starts with finding your purpose and knowing that we were all predestined for different things in this life. If women realised that simple fact, they will understand that their success has nothing to do with another woman next to them. They will learn to compete with their old self and not other women. If the threat-perception is removed, then they will not find any joy in gossiping or backbiting.

Inside Woman: Many women these days are very aggressive and desperate when it comes to securing a husband. What can they do to trust God to orchestrate their love story, especially when “the clock is ticking”?

Pontsho Manzi: Spend time with God through prayer and tell Him the desires of your heart. Believe and trust that He will answer.

Inside Woman: Many women either dress in a way that draws inappropriate attention to themselves or in frumpy, out-of-date styles to conceal their beauty. In what ways can women balance clothing themselves in a way that is appropriate and God-exalting but also stylish and flattering?

Pontsho Manzi: That is a difficult issue to address without sounding judgemental. As an image consultant, your sense of dress should be about inspiring confidence by projecting your inner beauty outwards. A woman who understands this simple fact will be able to determine their own balance and dress “appropriately”.

Inside Woman: You are handling success well. If you could sit down with some of the young girls and give them advice, what would you say?

Pontsho Manzi: Never compete with other people. Run your race and compete only with yourself. Don’t look for fame, make a difference and touch other people’s lives.

Inside Woman: There are so many negative influences bombarding women from a very early age about what is acceptable, attractive and appropriate. How can women combat and avoid these poor influences to ensure that they are God instructed rather than world instructed?

Pontsho Manzi: They must learn love and value themselves.

Inside Woman: What is one life lesson you have learned and would like to share with others?

Pontsho Manzi: With God on your side, nothing is impossible!

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