"Give the farmers market members a place to sell their organic fresh produce."

By Thembelani Mkhize

The first time I met Senzile Madlala I had to wait about two hours to decide whether to give her my book or my CV. She told her staff to make me a free cup of coffee while I waited at one of her restaurants Midmar View Express in Mpophomeni. To be honest I would’ve given up if I wasn’t so focused on finishing a drawing. By the time she got there my shading was so on point that I had got about four people who had asked me to do their drawings. That was about 2 years ago. The last time I met Senzile was last week and though I waited another hour or two I wasn’t just Thembelani the Artist looking for a Job it was Thembelani Mkhize the Journalist interviewing her.

On the day we met after she saw the art I was working on she asked me one simple question “how much are you’re worth" now at the time I had no idea how to answer that question. My art was like a hobby that barely made me any money but after she got her hands on me and mentored me for a while. After a few months, I was charging her for graphic design work that I had done for her many businesses.

Senzile is an infamous Foodie and perfectionist. She loves the healthy lifestyle and encourages everyone she works with to be vigilant when working and setting spaces for people she hosts whether it be an event or at the restaurant when working with “the Boss lady” you might move a single table about twelve times just to get it at the right position. One of her restaurants the Midmar View Express is a local favorite and a lot of people enjoy their shisa’nyama weekends with them. Apart from the restaurants, Senzile runs Il’e nail and beauty Spa which was located in Mpophomeni but has since moved to Pietermaritzburg. The other Midmar View Restaurant is located at the Midmar nature reserve and they host all kinds of functions from weddings to conferences and parties.

Senzile prides herself on being a social entrepreneur. Her community work echoes around Msunduzi and the midlands. Her foundation IIMBEWU has done a lot of community work including the Mpophomeni Farmers Market, sponsoring the very first Howick 10km marathon, and hosting a free lunch for the elderly in December to thank them for their support. Senzile prides herself on being a tough no-nonsense businesswoman but also a caring mother. Her kids are active in some of her businesses and they help out during holidays and at certain events.

In the future, Senzile is looking at going into catering consulting to assist black businesses with the accreditation process. She has done her HACCP training and is looking to branch into the new field after she is done with the unpredictable world of restaurants. “I’m also looking into contract catering in the years to come. I think it’s time I play with the big boys” says Madlala. With regards to her community work, Madlala wants to see Iimbewu’s farm stall in Edendale up and running to give the farmer's market members a place to sell their organic fresh produce.

Since Iimbewu launched the farmers market in Mpophomeni the township economy has certainly taken a new shape. Companies like Emphare Organics run by Pha Mabaso got their 1st break at the Farmers Market along with Mpophomeni horseback tours and the 10km Marathon run by Sabelo Xaba. The network that was created by Iimbewu also lead to the successful execution of the Biomimicry workshops in Mpophomeni, one of the executives from Iimbewu connected me to set up the workshops and we've been working together since then.

Her advice to women on the month we celebrate them is to love themselves “a lot of women nowadays want to be men so they forget how special it is to be a woman, I fear that no one will teach our kids the power of a mother when everyone is so focused on trying to correct the mistakes of the father".