Wendy brings home international flair

From beer making to modelling, businesswoman and mother of two boys Wendy Vesela-Ntimbani chatted to the Courier about her eclectic career choices.
From a little girl who used to play in the streets of Limpopo, Wendy went to the University of Johannesburg to study chemical engineering and interned at the South African Breweries manufacturing plant where she learned the art of making beer.
“I cannot say that I have always wanted to be a brewer but it was a great learning opportunity and I carried on working for them after my graduation,” said Wendy.
This Zimbali resident left South Africa with her husband Petr to live in the Czech Republic in 2007 and later to Switzerland because of Petr’s job demands.
“As much as I enjoyed learning about the different cultures there I am happy to be back in sunny South Africa. The winters in Europe are dreadful,” said Wendy.
She was introduced to the modelling industry during her days as a student and she did some work for companies such as Jet. When she was in Europe she ventured into the catwalk and even modelled underwear for Calvin Klein and Valentino gowns.
She said she had never considered doing modelling full time but did it in between working and studying towards her masters in business.
“Modelling can be very demanding just like any other career and I never wanted to get fully involved in it because my goal had always to be a businesswoman. So I needed to dedicate most of my free time researching my business ideas,” she said.
After being impressed by the convenience of online shopping overseas, Wendy decided to research whether the concept would work in her home country. When she heard that African states were planning to roll out free broadband to everyone by 2020, she knew that online shopping would be the future of South Africa.
“We are a really progressive country and even though South Africans are still not very trusting when it comes to giving out their personal information online, we are slowly moving to the direction of foregoing a trip to the shops unless it is really necessary.”
Her business, www.makoyabrands.co.za – an online store specialising in top overseas brands like Armani, Guess, Polo and Ralph Lauren – was officially launched after her move to Zimbali last year.
“I source clothing, handbags and shoes from my contacts in Europe and sells them online at discounted prices, sometimes up to 40% of the store price.”
She said she was slowly building a loyal client base and felt proud to be the first South African black female owner of a luxury fashion website.