One of South Africa’s wealthiest women, Dr. Nobuhle Judith Dlamini has encouraged women and young people, times without number, that if you set your mind on something… anything, and consistently work towards it, you will bring it to fruition.
Who better to give such advice than a medical doctor, author of four books, holder of a Master’s degree and three PhDs, a mother, a wife, a grandmother, a women empowerment champion, an accomplished educationist, investment banker, philanthropist, and a successful businesswoman, who even at 65 years, shows no signs of slowing down?
Dr. Dlamini owes this success philosophy to his parents; primary school teacher, Rita, and businessman, Thomas, who from early on made her believe that she could be anything she wanted, despite growing up at the peak of the apartheid regime;
“I grew up in Westville, near Durban, at a time when it was a crime to have my complexion. Yet I was raised by parents who encouraged me to pursue my education and who told me I could be anything I chose to be.”
Dr. Judy Dlamini
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Dr. Judy Dlamini’s early career and entrepreneurial journey?
For high school, Dlamini attended Marianhill High School but later transferred to Vryheid State High School where she sat her Matric exams.
General Practitioner
Dr. Judy Dlamini’s persistent work ethic saw her balance life as a young mother, a wife to her high school sweetheart, and a support system to her recently widowed mother to train as a medical doctor at the University of Natal (today’s UKZN), graduating in 1985.
“I got married when I was in fourth year, had our son when I was in fifth year, so by the time I got my certificate to be a doctor I already had a marriage certificate and a birth certificate. It was hard, but nothing worth anything is easy.”
After completing her medical internship at the King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban, Dr. Dlamini opened a family practice in uMlazi, a big township in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Dlamini describes her general practitioner days in uMlazi as some of the best times in her life save for the one time she was mugged, at gunpoint, outside the practice.
This robbery, prompted Dr. Judy to sell the practice, sell a bakery business they had next to the practice, sell the building, and move from the township to upmarket Durban.
She then specialized in occupational health by obtaining a Diploma in Occupational Health from the University of the Free State in 1996, thereafter consulting on occupational health for various South African corporations such as; Divpac (of Nampak Group), Rainbow Chicken, and National Ports Operations.
While in her 40s, Dr. Dlamini returned to class and graduated with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Wits University in 1999.
More academic achievements would follow when she graduated with a Doctorate in Business Leadership from the University of South Africa (UNISA, 2014) and a 2018 Certification in Innovation & Entrepreneurship from Stanford University.
Other academic accolades include an honorary Doctorate Degree in Business from Nelson Mandela University (2018) and an honorary Doctorate Degree in Economics from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal (2019).
The world of business
After completing her MBA, Dr. Dlamini shifted her career from the medical field to business.
She joined the corporate finance division of HSBC Investment Bank in Johannesburg where, for two years, she worked as an investment banker, specializing in transport and energy sectors.
In 1996, Dr. Judy Dlamini founded Mbekani Group, a diversified business empire with interests in the importation of surgical instruments and consumables, facilities management, security services, tourism, pharmaceuticals, and commercial properties.
Entities under Mbekani Group include; Mbekani Health & Wellbeing (Pty) Limited, Masibulele Pharmaceuticals (Pty) Limited, and Nonduna Investments.
Together with her husband, they founded Sifiso Learning Group which operates the Future Nations Schools, Sifiso Education Properties, Sifiso EdTech, and a publication company, Sifiso Publishers.
She is co-owner of Luminance, a luxury multi-brand fashion chain that stocks over 50 international designer labels including; Givenchy, Stella McCartney, Oscar de la Renta, Alexander McQueen, Giorgio Armani, Tom Ford, and Balenciaga.
The Luminance high-end stores in Hyde Park, Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton, and Menlyn Park Mall, Pretoria also stock some authentic South African labels such as; MaXhosa, David Tlale, and Clad Chic.
Dr. Dlamini also owns Jimmy Choo stores of the luxury fashion brand that includes handbags, leather goods, scarves, and fragrances.
Dr Dlamini made much of her fortune from the exponential growth of Aspen Pharmaceuticals shares in the 2000s and 2010s.
She played a key role in the formation of Imithi and led the negotiating team that onboarded Imithi as Aspen’s black economic empowerment (BEE) shareholder.
She was appointed to the Aspen board in 2005, serving for 10 years, including as board chair.
Her immense experience in the medical and business worlds has seen her serve as a board member in some of South Africa’s billion-dollar multinationals and funds including; Anglo-American plc, Discovery Holdings Ltd, Woolworths Holdings Ltd, Northam Platinum, Imithi Investment (Pty) Ltd, GijimaAst Ltd, and SA SME Fund.
She has also served as Board Chair for Aspen Pharmacare Limited, Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, CEPPWAWU Development Trust, and The GBVF Response Fund1.
Having said in a past interview that she will never retire and intends to keep her brain and body functional to the end, here is Dr. Dlamini’s take on keeping the fire burning even after achieving so much in life;
“I have learnt so many things. It starts with having an ambition, pursuing excellence through investing in your education, staying focused, and working hard. Failures are there to teach you something, learn from them. Giving up on your dreams is not an option. Achieving one dream is only a start, create more dreams and work hard at achieving them. Don’t allow anyone to tell you what you can or cannot achieve, limits exist only in our minds. More importantly, never sell your soul for anything, nothing and no one is worth it. Ethical and servant leadership is what the world needs to close the gaps that exist in societies”
Dr. Judy Dlamini
Dr. Judy Dlamini’s imprint on South Africa’s education sector
Dlamini’s family suffered a major tragedy in 2012 when they lost their 27-year-old son, Sifiso Nxasana to ill health.
In his memory, Dlamini and her husband co-founded Sifiso Learning Group, the holding company that operates Future Nation Schools, a group of private schools that charge affordable fees for lower-income groups.
In 2018, Dr. Judy Dlamini was elected the first black female Chancellor of the University of Witwatersrand. She is to serve a 6-year term with a possibility of one renewal.
In 2020, she founded the Female Academic Leaders Fellowship (FALF) organization to support black and mixed-race women in academia. As of 2024, more than 60 women are beneficiaries of the Chancellors fellowship program.
Beyond business
Family
Dr. Dlamini is married to Sizwe Nxasana, a decorated finance/accounting professional who founded the first black audit firm in KwaZulu-Natal in 1989.
He is also the founding partner of accounting firm, SNG Grant Thornton and previously served as the CEO of Telkom SA for 8 years and the CEO of FirstRand Banking Group for 10 years.
The power couple have two children; the late Sifiso Nxasana, and daughter, Nkanyezi Makhari Nxasana who is the Director/CFO of Sifiso Learning Group.
Books
Dr. Dlamini has authored several books, namely; Equal but Different (Life Stories of 14 Women Leaders, borne out of her PhD thesis), The Other Story (based on chats with African Achievers from different sectors).
Others are; Grow to Be Great (co-authored with Lebohang Masango, the book shares the life journeys of 24 African leaders), and Doctor of Hearts-The Biography of Bongani Mayosi (Co-authored with Dr. Kopano Matlwa Mabaso).
Philanthropy
In 2009, together with her husband, she co-founded Mkhiwa Trust, a Public Benefit Organization (PBO) that the family uses to run philanthropic programs centered on rural development, health, and education.
Controversy
In 2013, Dr. Judy Dlamini and Luminance co-owners; Khanyi Dhlomo and Venetia Dhlomo found themselves at the center of public outcry when it was revealed that their Luminance luxury goods store in Hyde Park, Johannesburg was partly financed by a R34.1 million (about US$ 4.5 million) loan from the National Empowerment Fund (NEF).
NEF is a government agency whose mandate is to promote black economic participation with financial and non-financial support.
Much as NEF acted within its mandate, the public outrage saw Dr. Judy Dlamini, through her private company, acquire the outstanding debt and repay the NEF loan in full, perhaps to protect her non-controversial image.
Awards and Recognitions
For her work in business, women empowerment, and philanthropy; Dr. Judy Dlamini has been recognized with awards such as; The African Economy Builder Lifetime Achiever Award (2016), The CEO Global Award for Africa’s Most Influential Woman in Business and Government (2016), Fabulous Woman Award (2016).
Others are the UNISA Leadership in Practice Award (2018), AWCA Woman of Substance (2018), BBQ Platinum Award (2019), Gender Mainstreaming Role Model – Beacon of Africa award (2019), EY World Entrepreneur (2019), and Golden Door-Rex Karmaveer Gold medal (2020).
In 2022 she was on the Forbes 50 Over 50 List of Africa’s Female Powerhouses.
In an entrepreneurial world where women are still heavily marginalized, Dr. Judy Dlamini is among the many women fighting every day toward balancing gender in boardrooms and executive committees in corporations across the globe.
