In honour of Women’s Month this August, Sarah Mackintosh chatted to Phelisa Mangcu, single mom,CEO and all-round super mom!
Phelisa is the Ugu South Coast Tourism chief executive officer and lives in Shelley Beach. She has four daughters aged 12, 17, 21 and 27, who she has raised alone for many years.
Phelisa got divorced when her eldest daughter was 15 and her youngest was just a baby. “Juggling with a teen and a baby was hectic. BUT you can’t do it by yourself, you need support,” says Phelisa. “I’ve always been a career woman and I have had support from my helper of 21 years – she helped throughout my divorce and she helped raised my kids!”
“You know one thing for sure – you have to balance things. You are a parent, a professional, a woman – you have to find a balance between these things. Finding that balance means you have to have support. You can’t do it on your own. That extra help allows you to do your work. Support is so important. This will allow you to take care of yourself, which is also important. You can’t do everything by yourself, or you will crack.”
“For me as a single parent, when I look back, I can say WOW we came from that and we are here now… without boasting I think I’ve done a good job! As a single working mother, I’ve done a lot…” says Phelisa.
Phelisa and her then husband moved to the USA in 1992, where their two eldest daughters were born. Having studied and worked there for seven years, South Africa eventually called them home in 1999, and Phelisa says she has no regrets. “I belong in South Africa. I wanted to make a meaningful contribution here, where it will be appreciated. This is our home.”
Lockdown love
Phelisa has had all her daughters at home over lockdown and she says there has been lots of eating and grocery shopping over this time – I’m sure many parents can relate!
“I’m grateful for good bonding time with all my daughters The kids have had to learn to understand each other. As a parent, you have to allow them to solve their own issues!”
Down Time
Phelisa loves to bake and cook – it’s what she does to relax. “Cooking is something that I do without any effort… it’s my hobby! That’s what I do to unwind.”
She also loves music and comes from a musical family, a talent that has been passed on to her daughters. My eldest daughter is in theatre and plays piano. My second daughter has the voice…” says the proud mom.
Career
Phelisa is the Chief Executive Officer of UGU South Coast Tourism. Her career in tourism started in Washington DC and New York, and after returning to South Africa she worked for the tourism unit at IDC and then at JHB Tourism until 2018, when Phelisa and her girls moved to KZN. “All my life I worked in the big city, and this was an opportunity to gain experience in coastal and rural tourism,” she explains.
Phelisa loves the lifestyle in KZN – she says it’s the same as JHB but with less traffic – and she gets to drive along the coast to get to work!
“Tourism is an economic driver worldwide – in KZN, tourism is one of the leading sectors and provides many jobs,” says Phelisa. “Our core business is to grow tourism on the South Coast. To make sure people come here and that we position the South Coast on the map. We basically have to develop programmes that attract tourists and unlock obstacles along the way – all in the name of growing tourism in the district and contributing to the economy.”
Phelisa says the lockdown has been a very difficult time in the tourism industry. “There is no certainty about when domestic tourism will open. The bottom line is that businesses are closing and people are losing jobs. Lockdown has impacted people severely. We hope that by September domestic tourism will reopen. If domestic tourism opens, the South Coast is the ideal place to be during social distancing – we have wide, outdoor spaces and it is a reasonably priced destination.”
“Tourism is a resilient industry. It will recover in time… People are frustrated, businesses are losing, but the moment domestic tourism opens, this will be the start of recovery. It will take time,” concludes Phelisa.
By Sarah Mackintosh.