Author honoured as a strong woman
Her breakthrough came the day she discovered her purpose in life.
Lucia Mabunda is an influential woman to celebrate this month.
She is the author of The Confident Entrepreneur, an entrepreneur, a life and business coach and a motivational speaker. She is a former scientist who boldly quit her job to follow her heart in business.
She is the founder of the Lucia Mabunda Foundation. She serves on a number of boards, including Rob Ferreira Hospital’s, Wiggle Media’s and Elawini Luxury Lifestyle Estate’s. She is the current business development executive for Brandhill Africa.
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“A highlight for me was when I won awards and got recognition for what I did. I recently won my first award as an author during the African Honoree Authors Awards. I’m very proud of myself and happy to have achieved this in two years after launching my book. This is an indication of how much the book has helped entrepreneurs to build successful businesses, not only in South Africa, but on the African continent,” she said.
Mabunda survived domestic violence, like so many other women have to do at some point in their lives.
“I was abused in my first marriage. This took away my self-worth, my identity and my ability to do things, and it dehumanised me. I can say that it took God to help me deal with it and restore me, because that is where I plea all my cases. I trusted God enough to know he has a bigger purpose with my life, and going through all that would one day help someone who is hopeless and think they can’t make it through,” she said.
To eradicate the scourge of gender-based violence in society, Mabunda believes that government should empower women to be independent and make their own decisions.
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“At that moment, my fears, uncertainties and doubts disappeared, and I was able to resign from my job as a scientist to follow my passion as an entrepreneur. That’s when I started playing my part of being part of the solution, creating jobs for the unemployed,” she said.
Asked how she felt about being chosen as one of the women to celebrate this month, Mabunda said, “Celebrating our own people gives others hope. People generally need role models that are real and that they can relate to, people whom they see on a day-to-day basis.
“Personally, that gives me hope that one day I can be like them. I prefer to have role models that I can reach out to and have them as my mentors and coaches, rather than people I see on TV with whom I might never even be able to engage,” she said.
Mabunda aspires to be a better version of herself and to leave a positive part of herself for every person she encounters, to encourage and give them hope.
“Everything that I achieved and everything that I am has nothing to do with my qualifications or background, but it’s pure grace from God. The Lord said, ‘For I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” (Jeremiah 29:11).
She said commitment, persistence, resilience, consistency and, most importantly, investment in oneself are words for success. She urged the women of the province to empower themselves, to read books, to learn new skills and to implement them.
