Rirhandzu Manganye

Rirhandzu Manganye - Marketing Manager at Debonairs Pizza

“Back in the day, I believed that anything was possible, and I was not afraid to ever try. Fortunately, I am back in that headspace again and through my actions I hope I can encourage everyone to go for it, whether it be career goals or personal goals… GO.FOR.IT!”

Q1: When did you join The Grind? How did you get to know about the Foundation?

A1: I joined The Grind at the back end of 2019. I was introduced to The Grind by Itireleng Kubeka, whom I had met at an SSP event that we were both volunteering at. At the event, we were paired to work together in interviewing the potential incoming SSP students and parents and in between the breaks, we chatted, where she asked me about how I heard about the SSP event and I asked the same and that’s when she mentioned The Grind. She continued to tell me a bit more about the Foundation and mentioned the fact that the Foundation was bringing on board some women and of course I enquired some more, she encouraged me to join and here we are!

Q2: Tell us about your career journey and where you are today.

A2: I have been working in marketing for almost 8 years – working in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) & Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) spaces. In doing so, I have worked within big multinational companies (Unilever South Africa & Pepsico South Africa) and currently working at Famous Brands Limited.

At the various companies I have grown and worked my way through from Assistant Brand Manager, to Brand Manager and at the beginning of this year, I was promoted to Marketing Manager.

Throughout my brand marketing journey, I have been fortunate enough to have worked on some amazing brands such as Cornetto, Rich ‘n Creamy, Gino Ginelli, Knorr soups, Simba Chips, Fritos and currently I am working on Debonairs Pizza.

Having started my career in the FMCG space, I wanted to try something different as that’s the great thing about the marketing world - there are different industries in which one can explore. Each industry comes with its own set of challenges and requires you to think differently which constantly keeps me on my toes.

Q3: What personal sacrifices have you had to make in your career?

A3: Right at the very beginning, at the age of 21, I had to forego my comfort zone and move away from my family to go live in a different city on my own to chase my dream. I would say that was when I knew how far I was willing to go to pursue what I had dreamed about. As the years have gone by, it has been a series of similar sacrifices where it has been a matter of how much am I willing to forego my comfort zone in order to achieve my dreams and live out what I have envisioned for myself. In foregoing my comfort zone, I have had to grow up quite quickly in my professional and personal life.

Q4: Looking back on the past 2 years, what has been the impact of Covid-19 on you and your family, as well as the way you work? 

A4:  In the beginning it was quite an adjustment as I had to rely heavily on technology to be able to keep in touch with my immediate family. During the hard lock down, it was hard not to be able to visit my parents and siblings as and when it pleased me, but as the Lockdown restrictions eased, the time spent with them was cherished a lot more. With the use of constant video & phone calls, we checked in on each other daily which brought us closer as we didn’t want to take it for granted that we were all fine in our different locations, given the numerous deaths we encountered as a family.

Q5: How do you see the industry in which you work change post-Covid?

A5: As a result of COVID, we have had to:

 Be creative about how we tell our stories through our TV ads to suit the current times and occasions that the brand plays in;

 Make choices on which mediums to invest in, in order to reach our target audiences in a cost effective way;

 Consider the mindset that consumers are in and find a way to make the brand offering relevant even in the tough times; and

 Assure and communicate the safety precautions taken by the brand and employees (be a responsible “citizen”).

I believe the above will continue to happen as that is the nature of the industry, we need to remain relevant with the evolving consumer who is navigating the changing times. COVID has heightened the need to be agile.

Q6: What would you like to be remembered for - what type of legacy would you like to leave?

A6: I would like to be remembered for being the woman who went for it! Somewhere along the way of adulting, I had started to doubt myself and didn’t have as much self-belief as I used to have when I was younger. Back in the day, I believed that anything was possible, and I was not afraid to ever try. Fortunately, I am back in that headspace again and through my actions I hope I can encourage everyone to go for it, whether it be career goals or personal goals… GO.FOR.IT!

Q7: As we wrap up the year and reflect on where we are, are you happy with what you achieved this year?

A7: I am actually pleasantly surprised at what I have achieved and can attest to the fact that hard work and self-belief are a great recipe for success! In the coming year, I look forward to learning more and travelling internationally again.

Q8: Which fictional character do you resonate with, and why?

A8: I resonate with “Shuri” from Black Panther (she is the Princess of Wakanda). I resonate with her because she is wise beyond her years, fun and very reliable, of which I think are great qualities to have as a young professional.

Grind Feed: Rirhandzu Manganye