Ayanda Mdluli

Juggling motherhood and a successful business is a challenge increasingly tackled by ambitious women. Meetings, networking sessions, the day to day running of a business versus ensuring that the children and household are well taken care of is like working two full-time jobs.

Some people can do it and some people cannot. One of the individuals who is getting it done is Meisie Nkosi, one of the 12 contestants in the Big Break Legacy reality television show. She is an award winning entrepreneur from Witbank, Mpumalanga.

Balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship is just one of the many challenges female businesswomen in South Africa have to deal with. Also there are many black women in the corporate world who are single parents and have found a way to crack it so they can provide a lifestyle for their children that many people in the community can only dream of.

However, Nkosi says she is lucky to have a supportive husband who is also a businessman. “He supports me in everything I do,” she says.

On top of being a businesswoman and a mother, she is also a makoti (new bride) whenever she is at her in-laws. She cooks, cleans and helps out with all the other chores required of an African bride.

As she tries to strike a balance between family life and business, she hopes that she will get maximum exposure for her business and win the Big Break.

To Nkosi, it is about more than just the R5 million investment prize that the winner will get at the end of the show. It is also about getting her name out there and opening up opportunities to be successful in the world of business.

Nkosi is the owner of Bella Bonni, a four-star guest house with conference facilities situated in her home town. Her businesses are based in Witbank, while her family lives in Waterkloof, Pretoria and she alternates as much as she can between the two.

She is away from her children a lot but wants to see them prosper and have every opportunity to succeed. Her son has just completed matric and is looking to further his studies this year.

She gives the following reasons as to why she is so intensely involved in her business: “It’s every mother wish to see their kids go to school every morning and attend parents’ meetings. With me it’s the other way around, I have to go to gala dinners and networking sessions to ensure that my business stays alive.

“This year I’m in the Big Break and I have decided to concentrate on the R5m investment prize which will help grow my business if win,” she adds.

She has also won awards over the past few years in the tourism industry. In 2007, she received the Emalahleni Best Entrepreneur Award and was a finalist in the SABC Shoprite Woman of the Year award.

In 2008, she was won the First National Bank woman leader of the year in tourism and cemented her tally of achievements with the 2009/10 provincial winner of Mpumalanga.

With these awards and various achievements under her belt, she is sure to make a lasting impression on the show.

Catch Nkosi when the Big Break Legacy airs on Thursday.