For Tobeka Lwana, a dream delayed is not a dream denied

Tobeka Lwana gets misty-eyed at the first sight of the images for her cover shoot. The theme is tropical mania, which perfectly complements her evergreen personality.  

Later, when we connect on the phone, she says that it has been an emotional day and being named our Woman of the Year in Media is not an honour she takes lightly, especially for someone who is differently abled and often underrepresented. Lwana, who turns 50 in October, was born in the Eastern Cape, the middle child of five girls, in a happy, but strict household – both her parents were in the police force. Education was prioritised, she says.  

Lwana stood out from her peers, although her community was very supportive. She was born with achondroplasia, a genetic condition characterised by short limbs and which comes with challenges in terms of bone strength and mobility.  

“Just the reality of it and seeing the cover images got me emotional. Looking at a reflection of myself, but in a different way — still me, but even more beautiful. You know when you look at a reflection and think ‘Wow! This is beautiful, is it really me?’” Lwana asks. “Everyone deserves a chance in society... We all deserve to be seen, valued and heard. Disabled, Black or whatever. We all have that intrinsic yearning. So, when we intentionally close the door to others because we don’t know how to deal with them because they are different to what we are used to, that is not humanity. I hope that, with this, others will see me and believe that they too can get a chance.”  

After high school, like many at that stage, Lwana went out into the world, flying solo for the first time, enrolling at the then-University of Transkei (now Walter Sisulu University).

“Those were my best years — it was the first time I tasted freedom and what it means to be a responsible adult,” she remembers. “Even though the university was in my hometown of Mthatha, I chose to stay in the university residence. It was the first time I had autonomy. That’s when I started flourishing as a person and that time became critical to who I would become.”  

There she made her first mistake — studying for a BA in library and information science. “I realised I had taken a wrong path, but I knew that I had to complete it,” she admits. “I knew the sacrifice from my parents and I had to honour that sacrifice. But I knew I needed to do something different that would resonate with who I was. I needed fire, energy, and creativity.”  

In the mid-1990s she moved to Gauteng. Despite having a degree, she struggled to find a decent job and settled for a call-centre position at Discovery. “I enjoyed working there. Not that I enjoyed the work I was doing, because it was stressful dealing with clients who were upset,” Lwana recounts, “but the culture gave me energy — everyone who worked there was young and you could sense it was an organisation that was going somewhere.”  

There was also a big shift in the advertising industry at the time, with Black people making moves in the space, and she developed a keen interest in that world. Never one to sit back, Lwana approached Discovery’s managing director for an opportunity in the company’s communications division. But Lwana knew she needed some form of qualification to enter that door. So, she enrolled at AAA School of Advertising in advertising and media studies.

The next time she ran into the MD, she mentioned this. She would later receive a surprise email invitation to come for an interview. Lwana never looked back. She soon climbed the corporate ladder, first as an investor relations and PR consultant and then as a manager. 

“I had an amazing time. Most of my training and grooming came from that era. Discovery was a fast-growing organisation launching multiple companies under the group. I found myself as an investor relations manager being part of these global launches and exposed to global work,” she says.  

After 10 years, she moved to Nedbank in its communications division, looking after its business banking portfolio. In 2019, after another 10 years, she closed that chapter. “I felt like I was getting older and wanted more for myself,” she says.  

That same year she partnered with her sister Bongeka and launched luxury perfume business Neo Luxury Bar, importing fragrances from France, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey.  

“When I think about it, I still get excited, even though it didn’t work out in the end. It was a labour of love. We couldn’t sustain it and there were a lot of challenges in running a business of that kind. We battled to raise capital,” she says. “Coming out of that low of having to shut down a business, it was like, ‘How do we rise?’ But it was clear to me that the corporate chapter had closed. I had tasted the freedom of going independent.”  

Lwana reverted to what she knows best, launching an agency operating in communications, marketing, and events. Along the way, she discovered a big shift in technology. 

“There is room for women-led businesses there, because tech is predominately male dominated,” she says. “Through market research, we managed to get into some networks that led us in the right direction. It’s been a beautiful journey. I don’t think we are where we are supposed to be yet, but we are on our way and comfortable. We have been fortunate enough to be selected as an SMME [small, micro and medium-sized enterprise] partner for Telkom.”  

Last year, she and her sisters Kholeka and Bongeka launched Lokshin WiFi, which focuses on ensuring internet access in underprivileged communities at a more affordable cost. Their playground has been the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and other under-serviced areas.   

“It’s fulfilling work because we feel while we are building a business that is serving a purpose in supporting government’s efforts in making sure the country is getting access to affordable internet as much as possible, especially for the youth. Everyone deserves to have access to information and communication.”