Behind Every Successful Man

by Zukiswa Wanner

  Nobantu’s shoulders slumped, drained of all her anger. She could not believe it. Yes, she thought, this is romantic and she was pleasantly surprised by his logic. When had he become the romantic one? She had forgotten how sweet and thoughtful he could be when he applied himself. Sure, she didn’t appreciate being taken away from her business without so much as a by-your-leave, but here he was making a real effort to save their relationship.

  “What I think is that I love you, Andile Makana,” she said, smiling.

  * * *

  Later, much later, after they had gone shopping and had a home-cooked mess courtesy of chef Makana, who insisted that he would cook as they lay naked in bed, he asked her, “So how did you know about the advertising executives on coke?”

  She was almost falling asleep. “Huh?” she asked.

  “You know, when you were yelling at Xolani about smoking zol? You said to him that all the advertising executives on coke started by smoking zol. How did you know?”

  “Are you forgetting that I used to have lunch with Khanyi when I would drop by your offices and you were busy? Every time we went out she had some juicy gossip,” she said.

  Andile smiled. “I never realised that Khanyi was such a fount of knowledge.”

  “I wouldn’t say ‘knowledge’, it’s more like tabloid gossip. If the northern suburbs had a Daily Sun, Khanyi would be the publisher.”

  They both laughed.

  A YEAR LATER

  Chapter 20

  20

  The first year in business was a hard one for Nobantu. Although she believed in what she was doing, and was lucky to have the support of her family (and, of course, Ntsiki and Dave on the business front), there were many moments of self-doubt. She remembered how many times she had wanted to pick up the phone and call Andile, or, while lying next to him, just ask him some technical question on the finer points of the law in respect to labour, profits, taxation, et cetera. She had resisted. She had wanted to do this on her own. Instead of asking Andile, she had burnt the candle on both ends – reading up on facts and figures, sending emails to the relevant authorities. It was only then that she realised that SARS was the most efficient government department in the country – trust the government’s only efficient department to be the one that takes the people’s money for them.

  The original Soweto Uprising team – Lerato, Thando and Tshepiso – had been great through it all. So too had been their special “consultant”, Mxolisi, who a year later was still with the label and still “consulting”, although in reality he was working harder than anyone else. It was Mxolisi who had set up the new boutique they were opening, and he had ambitions of opening up similar shops in different parts of the country.

  The team had been as excited about the new boutique as Nobantu was, foregoing their Easter break so they could get the clothes for the opening delivered on time. She knew she had earned their trust as a boss and as a woman by the way she had handled the whole Lerato situation. They had known then that they could rely on her.

  For their part, they had earned their new roles as Production Managers and their salaries, which were now four times higher than those they had initially agreed to. She felt lucky that the people she had surrounded herself with had an enthusiasm for her dream that almost matched her own.

  Ntsiki and Dave hadn’t expected to get such a quick return on their labour, but needless to say they were pleasantly surprised. Ntsiki even offered to pay for lunch next time they went out, which was just an indication of how much she had made. Together they had facilitated the transfer of funds to CBOs in the Gambia, Saharawi, Djibouti, Central African Republic and Mozambique. If all went well, five more CBOs would benefit in the next financial year.

  The Cape Town trip had done much to reunite her with Andile and her subsequent return to the Morningside household was welcomed with joy by her children. However, going home was fraught with compromises. She would be the chief whip on the domestic front – the three months as sole parent had taken a lot out of him – but he, in addition to being more supportive of her business, would have to cut down on the golf games and the business powwows to spend more time with the family.

  * * *

  Today is the opening of her boutique in Melrose Arch. She feels she has made it, thanks in no small part to Penny, whose child has been a walking billboard for her label and who featured in the first adverts for Soweto Uprising to be aired on television.

  Soweto Uprising has become bigger than she ever expected. She has had to rent an adjoining building – although the original premises still serve as offices. Ah, the Deep. She smiles. The way she has worked on this project, she would have given Lee Haines a run for her money.Barker, too, for that matter. She now employs fifty formerly disadvantaged people from Soweto and Alex.

  She smiled again. How could she not smile on the day when Soweto Uprising was being officially launched in South Africa?

  She had to admit, even if she did say so herself, that her marketing strategy had been ingenious. With the help of Dave, they had managed to get the international celebrities – many at Fashion Week, and many more on Dave’s various international travels – excited at the idea of buying fashionable clothes for their children while, as one well-known female celebrity had said, her voice breaking, “helping those poor hungry children in Africa”.

  It had all begun with her Easter line. Romeo Beckham and his siblings had been caught by the paparazzi wearing Soweto Uprising as they walked Bond Street with their famous parents. Not long after, young Maddox Pitt-Jolie had been spotted by the National Enquirer wearing a Soweto Uprising T. Then Justin Combs, entering the restaurant named after him in Manhattan (with his famous father), had also been seen wearing a suit with a Soweto Uprising tag on the sleeve. And after that it had taken off. Will and Jada had ordered some threads for their children, and Gwen Stefani’s son, Kingston, had been spotted wearing a do-rag reading Soweto Uprising. The buzz word on the international kids’ market became “Soweto”. And when South Africans had seen Hollywood brats in Soweto Uprising, they too started begging for it.

  And that is how Nobantu came to find herself here. It was a Saturday afternoon and she was launching an internationally recognised children’s label in its home country. One would have thought that is where she would have started, but no. Her marketing strategy had worked wonderfully. There were throngs of anxious parents stuffed into Melrose Arch just dying to get their hands on her children’s clothes. Nobantu should have felt tired, but she felt exhilarated.

  * * *

  In the society pages a few Sundays later Nobantu read:

  Spotted Soweto Uprising label queen looking chic in a Sun Goddess with her good-looking kids wearing, what else, Soweto Uprising. Word has it that the Soweto Uprising label, that is this year’s must-have on the international youth market scene, has been labelled the ‘coolest label’ by Mzansi’s youth, beating out Nike and Billabong.

  She knew then that she had made it in her own right and not just as Andile’s wife. She rolled over to his side of the bed and kissed him as he snored gently.

  FINIS

  Acknowledgements

  My son, Jama Hintsa Mnukwa, is the child every writer wishes for – in bed by seven-thirty and tolerant of different people when his mother is away. I cannot thank him enough. In the same vein, I would like to acknowledge my good friends Maria and Geoff, and my cousin Naomi, who have become surrogate parents when I am away at different writers’ conferences/fairs/festivals. I can never thank you enough.

  Jozi’s writing fraternity and sorority have embraced me and given me their support and criticism (y’all know who you are – I just can’t mention you without seeming like a name-dropper!). I will, however, mention one name (but he is a Pretorian so it’s alright): my brother and friend, Siphiwo Mahala, an asset to the DAC and a Writer’s Writer.

  I would also like to thank my friend Chika, who always remembers me whenever she has anything that may be of the least bit of interest to me as a
writer.

  Finally, one cannot be an acknowledged writer in Johannesburg without the support of the many book clubs, newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations and, yes, the greatest podcast ever – Victor Dlamini’s.

  Thank you.

  About the Book

  Synopsis

  Nobantu has everything a girl could dream of: a brilliant businessman for a husband, two cheeky but adorable children, and two of the best friends a girl could ask for. And yet, on Nobantu’s thirty-fifth birthday, surrounded by glitz, glamour and fame, she realises Something important. What has happened to her ambitions? Her career? What has happened to Nobantu?

  About the Author

  ZUKISWA WANNER was born in Zambia to a South African father and a Zimbabwean mother. Her debut novel, The Madams, published in November 2006, dealt with racial role reversals in post-apartheid South Africa. Behind Every Successful Man was published in 2008 by Kwela Books. Men of the South was Zukiswa’s third novel and came out in 2010. In addition to writing fiction, Zukiswa has also contributed essays to Oprah, Elle and Juice magazines, and literary reviews and essays to Afropolitan and Sunday Independent, as well as the international online journal, African Writing. She is also a founding member of the ReadSA initiative, a campaign encouraging South Africa to read South African works.

  Praise for The Madams

  “Wanner’s commentary on adultery, BEE, HIV-status and middle-class attitudes on hired help is witty, thought-provoking, and she succeeds in creating credible characters that are easily identifiable in modern-day Mzansi.” – SAMANTHA PAGE, O Magazine

  “A hilarious yet realistic picture of our country and you feel you’ve met all these characters before.” – Drum Magazine

  “The Madams has put Zukiswa Wanner in a position that no other woman in South Africa has been in – she is the author of the first book of black chick lit . . . an enjoyable read in a genre that is sure to start blossoming soon.” – BRIDGET MCNULTY, KZN Literary Tourism

  “Flips the notion of white madam, black maid on its head.” – ZA@Play, Mail & Guardian Online

  “[Wanner] really knows how to keep her readers hooked . . . The Madams gets a 10 out of 10 . . . definitely a local must-have.” – REFILWE THOBEGA, Tonight

  “A cheeky and witty portrayal of post-apartheid racial role-reversal in the domestic sphere.” – Time of the Writer

  “Identities shift, clash and connect in this sharp-eyed and humorous look at the convoluted relationships that blossom in contemporary suburbia.” – Encounter Africa

  “A breath of fresh air in local literature, Zukiswa Wanner turns the tables in this wonderfully tongue-in-cheek tale in which a woman called Thandi, at her wits’ end, hires a white maid (who also happens to be an ex-con).” – True Love

  Imprint Page

  “I have been a woman for too long” by Criselda Kananda is published with the kind permission of the author.

  “Zundiqondisise” by Simphiwe Dana is published with the kind permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction.

  References to actual people or real events are intended only to give the work a sense of authenticity.

  Kwela Books,

  a division of NB Publishers (Pty) Limited,

  40 Heerengracht, Cape Town, South Africa

  PO Box 6525, Roggebaai, 8012, South Africa

  www.kwela.com

  Copyright © 2008 Zukiswa Wanner

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this electronic book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying and recording, or by any other information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

  Cover image by Johan van Wyk

  Author photograph by Lisa Skinner

  Cover design by Hanneke du Toit

  E-book design by Full Circle

  Available in print:

  First edition, first impression 2008

  ISBN: 978-0-7957-0261-7

  This epub edition:

  e-ISBN: 978-0-7957-0346-1