The Hair Advisory Board

Amonge Sinxoto

Driven by her desire to make a positive impact amongst the African Youth, Amonge Sinxoto is the Founder and Communications Manager of Blackboard Africa - a youth-led non-profit organisation that aims to empower the next generation of leaders through mentorship and leadership development.

She is a We Are Family Foundation 2019 global teen leader, was awarded the Allan Gray Fellowship in 2020 and Golden Key membership in 2021. Amonge is also a published writer in BBC's Rethink book with Penguin Random House UK. She is a social activist and an accomplished public speaker who has given her voice to prestigious platforms such as; Global Citizen, TEDx in her talk entitled "From Social Media to Social Impact", Breaking Down Borders Africa, Google, UNICEF's Voices of Youth and Black Girls Rock roundtable with former US First Lady, Michelle Obama.

Bawinile Kwela

Meet Bawinile Kwela, the Marketing Manager for the Hair and Face Category at Unilever. She holds a BSc degree from Stellenbosch University, she's a qualified winemaker and she's the force behind a wide range of well-established global and local brands such as PONDS, TRESemmé, Organics and Dove. Bawi has extensive experience in FMCG marketing, having handled brands like Purity, Domestos, Handy Andy, OMO, Knorr and Hellmann's to name a few.

Her passion for making brands grow is evident in her work but beyond that, she strives to give back to the community and grow young talent. Bawi knows the beauty and personal care industry like the back of her hand and it comes as no surprise that this powerhouse knows how to achieve results.

Candice Thurston

Candice Thurston is the founder of Candi&Co, a salon group launched in 2014 that focusses on curly and afro-textured hair. For over 7 years, Candice has been part of the leadership driving the hair revolution and has been a loud voice challenging the hair norms of society while also investing in training, salon owners and product development.

Her mission is to de-racialise, destigmatise and revolutionise hair and beauty notions by focussing on the science of hair and the formation of all textured hair. She wants to ensure that all people from all races and cultures feel beautiful and confident. She is fuelled by passion, personal experience and says "I want women to know, self-love starts with loving your hair, your skin and everything that makes you unique.”

Candice's experience in the beauty and haircare industry started long before she decided to spread her wings and venture on her new journey. As a mixed race woman, she started understanding hair textures from a young age where she styled the women in her life's hair who had various textures. From here she was determined to one day give Black and Coloured woman a product and salon experience that was professional, respected them and understood their hair needs.

Candice has looked after major brands such as Axe, Shield, Dove and worked on hair brands such as Dove hair, Sunsilk, Organics and other Unilever international hair brands as the Senior Brand Manager. A proud moment for Candice was working on the 2010 World Cup marketing campaign and managing the MTN South Africa Consumer portfolio from 2010 till 2013. She then ventured into launching Candi&Co. that now boasts ten salons.

Candice is an honours graduate and holds a Chartered Marketer Degree from GIBS. Candice has paved the way for many women who aspire to be hairstylists by giving them the training they needed to upskill themselves.

Lebohang Masango

There are not enough words to describe Lebohang Masango's talent. She's an award-winning author and poet, published social anthropologist and PhD candidate with her Master of Arts degree conferred by the University of Witwatersrand. Her academic research about school girls and afro-textured hair led to her bestselling children's books, Mpumi's Magic Beads (David Philip, 2018) and Mpumi and Jabu's Magical Day co-authored with Prof. Claudine Storbeck (David Philip, 2020) which are all about adventure and friendship in the big city.

As an Anthropologist, Lebohang is published in Connected Lives: Families, Households, Health and Care in Contemporary South Africa, edited by Nolwazi Mkhwanazi and Lenore Manderson (HSRC Press, 2020) and Anxious Joburg: The Inner Lives of a Global South City edited by Nicky Falkof and Cobus van Staden (Wits University Press, 2020).

Some of her career highlights include hosting and reciting poetry in the South African government's official Women's Day 2021 broadcast and being commissioned to write "A Purposeful journey”, the official poem of the South African Reserve Bank's centenary. She has won a Gold Mama Africa Award at the Promax Africa Awards 2020 for her poem titled "Ten Thousand Stories” in collaboration with MultiChoice.

She has also been awarded the 2018 South African Independent Publishers Award for Children's Books, 2019 South African Literary Award for Children's Literature, the 2019 Exclusive Books IBBY SA Award for Best Writer and a 2020 gold Pendoring Advertising Award in the Publication Design – Whole Design category for her debut book. Outside of her very busy career, admiring the beauty of afro-textured hair is one of her wellknown passions.

Malaika Mahlatsi

Malaika is a hard-working woman with many titles to her name. A geographer by profession, she is a pan Africanist feminist, an award-winning writer, a columnist, political commentator and the author of critically acclaimed bestselling Memoirs of a Born Free: Reflections on the Rainbow Nation and the recently published Corridors of Death: The Struggle to Exist in Historically White Institutions.

She is also the director of her own company, Pen and Azanian Revolution (Pty) Ltd, through which she has worked with governmental and private sector companies including the National Treasury, JSE-listed MMI Holdings and Absa. Malaika, a member of the Society of South African Geographers, is the former youth representative in the SADC Food and Nutrition Security Committee. She also served as the Secretary-General of the African Youth Coalition, established in 2013 by the Thabo Mbeki Foundation. She currently works as a Senior Specialist Researcher in government.

Mati Mwamuka

Mati Mwamuka is a seasoned business manager and financial/auditing services specialist with more than 12 combined years of experience as a charted accountant, audit manager, franchise owner and business consultant.

Mati worked in corporations such as the Industrial Development Corporation and COVA Advisory, while also being the franchisee and business owner of Candi & Co. Bluehills. When she isn't out and about handling financial matters, she's out there sharing beauty trends and her knowledge on the current conversations around women and hair.

Nyaki Tshabangu

Nyaki is a founder of Natural Hair Co. a digital platform and e-commerce store with a focus on building a community of conscious consumers while also marketing and promoting natural hair products. She is passionate about marketing and retail and spends her time coaching other entrepreneurs on how to use digital to scale their own online businesses.

She holds a degree in Project Management and Construction. If asked, she would call herself a builder as she is building an empire within the beauty industry. Watch this space as she is set on ensuring the collective ownership of major existing and upcoming beauty brands in Africa.

Onke Dumeko

Armed with years of experience in FMCG, retail, media, publishing and the public sector, Onke Dumeko has established herself in diverse industries as reflected in her uniquely eclectic experience. As a multi-award winning media maven, her strategic approach to marketing, communications, publishing, partnerships and production has culminated in the success of her strategic advisory firm, Nondubeni.

Commonly known as "Forever Onke", she is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the culture-shifting and critically acclaimed thebar. Magazine and producer of the online talk show and podcast series, The Forever Onke Show - a platform geared towards eliciting the infinite possibilities in everyone.

Sizakele Dlamini

Sizakele Dlamini is a business owner and chartered accountant who is passionate about women owning their space in the world. Sizakele comes from the mining industry (an extremely male-dominated industry) and, despite the narrative, has proven her strength, determination and skill. Not only has she built a reputation for herself, but she continues to encourage women to do the same by spreading confidence and touching the lives of women through the boards on which she currently serves.

In January 2020, she left her full-time corporate job to take over the Candi & Co Menlyn branch to have a bigger impact on women and their confidence. We admire her dedication to making a difference in women's lives.

Sphelele Mjadu

She has over 15 years’ experience as a Brand Public Relations Strategist, spanning across global beauty giants. She’s got a passionate approach to communications that is purpose-driven and does more good. She has pioneered several award-winning campaigns.

In 2017, she was recognised with the DESTINY Magazine’s Power of 40 Award. She’s a critical and strategic thinker that strives for insights, and work that delivers true human purpose in today’s world of brand communications.

Tlatsa Molefe

Letlatsa embraces the beauty of different cultures and appreciates the unique quality it brings to his vision as a hairstylist. By nineteen he had started his hair journey at the Soft-Sheen Carson hair academy where he obtained top cutting techniques. His artistry has been recognised by various magazines and he has been featured in many hair and beauty columns.

Letlatsa has been styling hair since 2003 and owned and operated his own salon for the past six years. He has worked for Mzizi Hair and Mosdifinite Hair. He has also competed and placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd in various hair cutting and styling competitions. His distinctive edge and his immense talent led him to owning Sonnymagic Hair (franchise). Letlatsa works collaboratively with clients to find a look that will enhance their natural beauty and elevate their confidence. He is committed to ensuring that every client leaves feeling even more beautiful than when they
walked in.

Zulaikha Patel

Zulaikha Patel is an internationally known anti-racism and social justice activist who first grabbed the world's attention when she became the symbol of the fight against institutionalised racism at Pretoria High School for Girls. At the age of 13 she led a protest for the decolonisation of hair policies in schools, which was followed by several protests across South Africa in schools such as Lawson Brown High School.

In August 2016 she co-founded the Black Magic Movement which aims to celebrate and restore pride in the Black community. This movement gave Black scholars a voice on current affairs such as the #StopRacism campaign at Pretoria Girls High. This campaign successfully led to more inclusive hair standards for schools across the country and she went on to be recognised as a LEADSA YOUTH HERO.

Zulaikha has been recognised internationally by BBC under the 100 Women List which highlights the most inspirational and influential women around the world, CNN under #AfricanGirlsRock, locally under the Avance Media 100 Most Influential South Africans and on the New African 100 Most Influential Africans. She has also received recognition from public figures such as Dr Angela Davis and Solange Knowles. Her work to bring about social change and justice has grown extensively from when she was 13.

She has advocated for human rights, anti-racism and gender equity on international platforms such as the Africa Oxbridge Dialogue, Ake Festival, Uppsala University, AfricaForPalestine, United Nations Human Rights Office of the Commissioner, Howard University and the Clinton Global University Initiative. Zulaikha has a TED TALK titled Dare To Disrupt encouraging youth to take to the forefront of social change.

Most recently, she published her debut book #My Coily Crowny Hair! which is a celebration of Afro hair and Africaness which has become a best seller nationally in several book retailers. She is currently a university student studying a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Political Studies.

Introducing Our Hair Advisory Board Team