Johannesburg | Basetsana Kumalo has spent three decades refusing to stay in one lane.
Since winning Miss South Africa in 1994, she has moved through television, media production, fashion, property and mining, building a business career defined by reinvention.
Her first move into business came at the tender age of 20, when she launched a media production company. That decision set her on a path marked by major wins and setbacks, including five gruelling years breaking into the male-dominated mining sector.
“When things got tough in mining, I thought about quitting, but I told myself: ‘Basetsana, you do not have the choice or an option to quit. You have a responsibility to use the platform, use the stage for the greater good,'” she says. “And so, we charged along.”
Ahead of her appearance at the MANCOSA Jacaranda FM Business Breakfast next week, Kumalo shared five business lessons that have shaped her longevity as an entrepreneur.
Basetsana Kumalo’s business lesson: Let passion carry you through hard seasons
Kumalo says belief in the work matters most when business gets difficult.
“You have to have the passion for your business, because when the going gets tough, that’s what’s going to drive and motivate you to keep going,” she says.
For an entrepreneur, she argues, passion provides the motivation to keep going when the easy wins disappear.
Business leadership lesson: Surround yourself with sharper people
Good leadership, for Basetsana Kumalo, means knowing when to step back from the spotlight.
“Surround yourself with people who are smarter, sharper and brighter than you. That’s what it takes to be a leader,” she says.
She adds that the best hires bring their own talent while buying into the shared vision. For Kumalo, building the right team remains central to sustainable business growth.
Basetsana Kumalo on business growth: Reinvest before you reward yourself
Profit, Kumalo argues, should strengthen the business before it funds personal rewards.
“Make sure that you reinvest in the business. Once you make some profit, don’t go out and buy a Lambo; reinvest in your business,” she says.
“That’s how you are able to scale up. That’s how you grow your business and have sustainability and longevity.”
This principle reflects a broader lesson from her business career: growth requires patience, discipline and a willingness to put resources back into the company.
Entrepreneurship lesson: Remember the bigger purpose
Kumalo ties her daily motivation to job creation rather than personal milestones.
“You have to wake up in the morning and say to yourself as an entrepreneur, I have an opportunity to create jobs,” she says. “That inspires me every day to wake up, dream big, and work hard.”
For Kumalo, entrepreneurship is therefore about more than building personal wealth. It is also about creating opportunities and using business as a platform for a wider purpose.
Career longevity lesson: Stay true to your course
Her final piece of advice sounds simple but carries the weight of a career spanning television, fashion, media and mining.
“Stay true to your course,” she says.
For Kumalo, that has never meant following a straight line. It has meant changing direction, entering unfamiliar industries and continuing to evolve without losing sight of the bigger goal.
Basetsana Kumalo joins other business leaders at MANCOSA Business Breakfast
Kumalo takes the stage at the MANCOSA Jacaranda FM Business Breakfast on August 17, 2026, alongside former Springbok Bryan Habana, founder and speaker Pavlo Phitidis, and Loop CEO Kimberly Taylor.
Now in its fourth year, the event has grown into a platform where South Africans exchange ideas and draw practical lessons from leaders who have navigated setbacks, career changes and second acts.
Doors open at 7:30 and the event runs until 12:00 at the Vodacom Dome. Single seats cost R600, while tables of 10 are priced at R5,500. Tickets remain on sale via iTickets.
Kumalo’s career has taken her from interviewing global figures such as Oprah Winfrey to sitting in mining boardrooms.
Three decades on, her formula remains consistent: stay passionate, reinvest in the business and never lose sight of who the work is really for.
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