Patricia Raphesu: A woman with a purpose
There are three things that Patricia Raphesu lives by: Integrity, Honesty and Caring for the Individual.
POLOKWANE – Patricia is a motivated and independent person, something she learned in boarding school. “It toughens you up, you learn a lot about yourself when you’re on your own,” she says. She worked in several government departments despite studying education at the University of Limpopo.She was born in Sebayeng Village where she started primary school, then attended a Roman Catholic Mission Boarding School before moving to St Mary’s in Pretoria. “My father worked extremely hard to put me in that school and I was the only black girl in my class,” she says.
Her career began in the classroom but she transitioned into the corporate world when she began working in local municipalities and various departments in Pretoria, including social development, trade and industry as well as Government, Communication and Information Systems (GCIS) where she was a director for three years. She returned to Polokwane after experiencing financial difficulties.”I’m not afraid to tell people that I went through debt counselling and if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be in the position that I am in now,” she explains. She worked for the Department of Treasury in senior management.
“I was very open about being against corruption and I was notorious for that,” she said.
Her financial woes ignited her passion of wanting to help others with their finances and educating people about using their money wisely and she left the department earlier this year and started her own business ventures. She is involved in her family business, Global Corporate Brokers, which deals with all things finance, she has a consulting firm which deals with corporate solutions and has also been in the frontline of developing a children’s park located in Ntsima Village between Turfloop and Solomondale. Tuntula Leisure Park is a waterpark and leisure area and will offer all kinds of recreational activities. “This is my main focus right now because there is nothing of its kind near or around Polokwane and I took that gap in the market and began development,” she says. The park will be opening soon.
Patricia draws inspiration and motivation from her father, who is her role model. He is one of the hardest working men she knows, having come from a poor background and working to make sure he provides well for his family. “He is a very ethical person and I will always look up to him no matter what,” she says.
She loves to read and watch Undercover Boss on TV as she says she learns from it in terms of management and managing your business properly. She has three daughters, whom she home-schools, and is also a grandmother. Her main passion is to begin a Personal Financial Coaching business where she will host workshops and guide women financially. “Life happens, we need to acknowledge it and face it head on. I am so excited, if I get this right, I can change the lives of others and that is what it is all about,” she concluded.
