9 / 32
What makes Dorothy proud is that she has been able to break
down many walls to get to where she is. For her it has never
been about going down the easy route. “We pride ourselves
in being a 100% black woman-owned business, managed by
highly qualified professionals who are offering diverse services
of Railway Signalling, Railway Track, Quality Management in
Projects (ISO 10006), Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
Solutions, all with a specific emphasis on meaningful business
transformation,” said Dorothy. She further stated that it is the
impact on others that gives her hope and opens her eyes to
opportunities to impact South Africa positively, especially in
terms of job creation for young people.
Dorothy doesn’t call herself a serial entrepreneur for nothing.
A few years ago she diversified her business interests into a
line that one would never associate with a girl whose career
has always been about hard hats, boots, board meetings,
designs and drawings. In 2018 she co-founded Nalydia
Foods, another 100% black women-owned enterprise which
produces, packages and distributes baby foods that are free
of preservatives, artificial colourants and artificial flavours.
“As a mother who has always worked and raised children, I
understand the plight of working women who need to juggle
work and raise their babies. These women do not have the
luxury of time to prepare fresh, healthy food for their babies.
We want Nalydia to be a healthy solution in a bottle for these
women. The aim is to firstly grow the product and client base
in South Africa and then globally,” Dorothy said.
This bottled food range is completely natural as it is produced
using fresh ingredients only. The first all-natural Vegetable
& Chicken Nalydia Food Solution is available in 125ml,
200ml, 250ml and 340ml. The product has been specifically
formulated for babies aged from 7 months and older, as well
as elderly people and those who need easily digestible foods
while going through medical treatment or recovery. In the two
years since it was launched, Nalydia has been profiled on
many radio stations and on national television.
Right from the onset she
never profiled herself as
a follower but a leader,
taking on the huge
responsibility of being
a class representative
during her first and third
semesters.
7
M U T A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E