Her latest offering to South African readers, Destiny is by far the fastest-growing unique women’s publication to hit the shelves in years. Inspired by her holistic approach to reaching and capturing the modern professional woman, I too am proud to declare myself a Destiny woman.

Honouring the journeys and successes of young black businesswomen, Khanyi’s story eptomises the impact and influence that an increasing number of young black minds possess in the boardroom. Such stories give South African black businesswomen a reason to celebrate the evolution and evergreen future of this growing phenomenon.

From a comfortably humble upbringing, Khanyi’s unconventional climb to the top (as she modestly puts it) is an indication that sometimes career advancement is more of a calling than a choice. No stranger to setting trends, Khanyi became the first black evening newsreader on the former TV1. Her style and professionalism oozed into the living rooms of millions of viewers. Pretty impressive for a 19-year-old from KwaZulu-Natal. This was only the beginning of Khanyi’s remarkable journey. The dawn of democracy brought with it opportunities that had been far-fetched dreams for many young South Africans. While most were trying to find their feet, Khanyi grabbed what fate dished out for her with both hands. Anchoring the M-Net Pan African magazine show Front Row, many viewers stayed glued to their screens while Khanyisile Dhlomo gracefully conducted her exclusive interviews with internationally renowned figures from across the globe.

Unbeknownst to most of us, it was to be in publishing where Khanyi soared to new heights and became one of South Africa’s most influential women in media. Khanyi’s initial interest lay in fashion and beauty and she was determined to learn the ropes and her acceptance of the position of fashion and beauty assistant for True Love magazine was just the right platform.

“I decided to take the position and did quiet well through getting my hands dirty,” says Khanyi. This hands-on approach proved to be a great investment for Khanyi’s future. It is undeniable that knowing the ins and outs behind putting together a magazine was one of the contributing factors to Khanyi’s becoming one of South Africa’s most valued minds.

Another element to Khanyi that most young black professionals tend to turn a blind eye to is the value of a willingness to learn. Not afraid to ask questions, Khanyi absorbed most of her knowledge through the wisdom of those who have stepped in the path that she was heading. On the relaunch of True Love, Khanyi was offered the position of editor, which she accepted. “I took the position because I was passionate about the fact that they were packaging aspirational information for the black market,” says Khanyi. Her inquisitiveness paid off. In eight of the 10 years that Khanyi was editor of True Love, the magazine’s readership multiplied from one to a staggering 10 million. On the top of her game, Khanyi decided to go back to the drawing board and find more ways to develop herself. She chose to do this through studying. Taking a BA in communication and Industrial Psychology was a way for Khanyi to broaden her knowledge and fine-tune her skills and knowledge in the career that fate chose for her.

After a decade in the publishing game, Khanyi decided to take a well-deserved breather, taking up the position of heading up SA Tourism in Paris. Wearing the nation’s pride on her sleeve, Khanyi was ready to spread her magic across the borders. She adds that the main reason why she took the position was that it allowed her the opportunity to use her capacity in marketing as a brand manager of sorts. No-one better could have been chosen to represent the South African brand than Khanyi. On working for SA Tourism, Khanyi continued to do what she does best – leaving a memorable mark for the French to bask in. This memorable mark can be credited to the innovative campaign “L’appelle d’Afrique du Sud” (Call of South Africa), which was launched by Khanyi to alter South Africa’s image to the French.

“The French weren’t very aware of us as a leisure destination or as a really good and well-equipped business destination,” says Khanyi.

Her campaign was highly effective in communicating to the French, which has resulted in South Africa’s numbers in the French market growing impressively by approximately 15%. These figures are the ones that Khanyi knew before she left. It would not be surprising if they have escalated to new heights. For Khanyi, this experience was more than just a job; it was an opportunity for her to give back to the country that provided her with an abundance of opportunities. “I enjoyed immensely living in a new and different country and my experience was very successful,” says Khanyi. Having served her country well, Khanyi then decided to mature her business self. Having obtained a bursary to study for an MBA, Khanyisile Dhlomo was heading for Harvard. With an unlimited choice of places to study, Khanyi decided to head for the US because of the country’s enviable reputation for being the current world leaders in business.

“I think they invest a huge amount of time and money and the right amount of acknowledgment to research in business,” adds Khanyi. With that, Khanyi believes that US business pre-eminence will not remain the same for ever. During her studies, Khanyi felt that Africa was written off and that she did not learn enough about the continent from an American perspective. I was impressed and highly inspired by Khanyi’s knowledge and passion about the continent.

“I think with investors, and particularly the private equity part of investment just being so active and looking for new opportunities, Africa is starting to emerge as that untouched opportunity,” says Khanyi. She adds that with the resources that are provided by Africa and the altering international perception of continent, Africa is beginning to have a strongly felt presence on the international map. Khanyi believes that it is crucial for the whole region to grow as strong as South Africa so as to become viable as a market and as a player in the world. “Generally, we account for less than 1% of the markets of most companies because it’s really South Africa and now, slowly, Nigeria and to some extent perhaps Angola, but they have such a long way to go in getting their infrastructure right,” says Khanyi. Initially during her studies, Khanyi had not decided on what route she would take once she had completed her MBA. With so many ideas and even more industries to take over, making her way back into the media industry was more of a calling than anything else.

“I did a paper on the globalisation of the magazine industry for one of the courses I was taking. This assignment allowed me to look at all international brands that are available in various countries and how these brands have grown into being internationally renowned brands,” says Khanyi. “This really showed me how much I still enjoy this industry and how much I really wanted to be an entrepreneur in this industry.”

With that realisation, Khanyi started looking at opportunities to do something different in the magazine business. Her first personal assignment was observing her peers at business school; what they were reading and how they were reading it.

“I came to the realisation that most of the women were interested in business and politics and they would read business publications such as Newsweek and The Economist. In addition, these same women would read your health and beauty publications which were more targeted at refining their well-being and lifestyles,” adds Khanyi.

With that knowledge in hand, Khanyi came to the realisation that there was no publication in the world that catered holistically for the information needs of the professional women: a magazine that combined substantial and intelligent content with fashion, beauty and lifestyle. “While I was at Harvard, I tested the idea on focus groups here in South Africa. Seeing where people’s interests lay made me come to the realisation that women want to know more about business and how to be successful,” says Khanyi.

With that said, Khanyi also realised an important thing: that many women were crying out for information that was tailored towards many of them benefiting from employment equity and moving up the corporate ladder at a rapid rate.

“For me, starting this publication would be a way for me to create a mentorship structure for professional women in the country through helping them cope with all aspects of their lives,” adds Khanyi. On receiving much commentary from women who where hungry for such information, Khanyi then went on to launch her publishing house Ndalo Media and her Destiny magazine.

This, however, is not the end of the road for Khanyi’s reinvention plans for her career. With Ndalo Media up and running, Ndalo Investments is another tool in the pipeline, which will be an instrument for Khanyi tapping into other business ventures. Khanyi also believes that Destiny magazine has not reached its peak. With plans for extending its reach across borders, the world should gear itself for receiving more from this dynamic young mind.

“We have already distributed in other countries within the African continent, but that’s not the end of the road for Destiny. I think this publication has the potential to meet more women throughout the world,” adds Khanyi.

With the growth of young black South Africans making a mark for themselves within the business world, Khanyi Dhlomo is clearly a step ahead of her peers (though this is nothing new for her). With Destiny magazine every professional woman’s bible, it is no doubt that Khanyi Dhlomo has more to dish out for us, with a passion for the development of South African women in the boardroom. Drawing her inspiration from her parents and former president Nelson Mandela, Khanyi finds her strength to succeed in striking a balance between ambition and compassion – a recipe that has clearly contributed to her fulfilling her Destiny. ?

Sibulele Siko