After a demanding day filled with traffic, meetings and endless email notifications, a glass of sweet Rosé wine and a bubble bath sure sounds like a great way to relax.
We chat to Delush Wines Ambassador Nomfundo Mlaba about the decadent deliciousness of wine, the path to self-discovery and her secret to success…
Having grown up in Ezibomvini, a rural area in Pietermaritzburg – Mlaba grappled to form a balance between home life and school.
Her guardians ensured that she attend a great school, however, Mlaba found herself struggling to reconcile her self-identity, as
She admits that she often assimilated to different environments and recalls trying to define her identity around friends and at school.
Self-enlightenment dawned on her when she began her journalism studies at the Durban University of Technology.
At the tertiary institute, Mlaba worked on creating a balance and understood that it started with self-acceptance.
“In university, you get to meet a lot of different people from different backgrounds so I did not have to be one way with one group and another way with others,” she says.
The moment that changed her outlook drastically was at a news reading internship.
The Gagasi FM manager informed her that there are different dimensions to a person and that she didn’t have to torment herself with the girl-next-door/ It-girl tug of war.
“He told me that I could be however I want to be any day,” she
sa ys.
Since then she has never looked back.
Incidentally, Mlaba entered the Delush Wines competition by scrolling through her Instagram feed and stumbling on a post inviting people to enter.
Even though Mlaba does not usually enter competitions the person suggested she had nothing to lose.
“After she told me I had nothing to lose I entered and did not think I would hear back from them but surprisingly I did,” she recalls.
After being shortlisted, a giddy Mlaba hopped on a plane to Johannesburg for a Delush Wines interview.
“People thought that I had been to Johannesburg before but I had never been, I am just a farm
bumpkin so I had never really gone anywhere or been on a plane before,” she confides.
Mlaba laughed at the fact that she was the last to be interviewed, stating that the judges had left the best for last!
“I was also the last to be called when they were announcing the top three,” she admits.
The winner was announced live on Metro FM…
Unfortunately, the day before she left Johannesburg, she had met in a car accident. The announcement
The
Delush is a new wine brand that hit the shelves
“Also everyone knows I’m a wine drinker so this position is fitting,’ she said.
She adds that her personal style and bubbly personality makes her the perfect fit for
Mlaba considers herself a Fearless Tastemaker because she does not sit back and wait for things to happen; she simply makes things happen.
“The brand is aimed at the young, spirited and energetic consumer who has an individual sense of style and live their lives with flair and gusto,” says Koos Visser, marketing manager for Orange River Wines.
Delush has made formidable inroads into the wine market, with its stylishly bold packaging and approachable flavour profiles appealing to new and existing wine drinkers.
The young mother admits that she has faced a lot of challenges but chooses to work hard because of the support she receives from her loving family.
A trendsetter at heart, she encourages youth to explore the media industry regardless of how the industry is
Nosipho Nyide
