Makana Meadery general manager Eve Cambray looks pleased with herself.
Makana Meadery general manager Eve Cambray looks pleased with herself.
"We needed someone to answer the phone for us," she explains, brushing a strand of grey hair from her face, "and I thought of Sindiswa."
The story of how Sindiswa Teyise went from receptionist to director of operations at Makana Meadery in only four years is quite impressive.
"She never brags," says managing director Dr Garth Cambray. "She never told us she’s a qualified teacher and book keeper." It was only when the business was struggling to keep up with their audits that Teyise said, "I can do that." And when the business struggled to improve their beekeeping programme she said, "I can do that too."
"We say the business started then," says Eve affectionately. "Sindiswa is integral to the running of the meadery. There’s little we can do without her."
"A lot of people say they can do something but they can’t," adds Garth matter-of-factly, folding his arms. "But Sindiswa can."
"When I first started working here people would phone about beekeeping but I wouldn’t know the answers," Teyise recalls, amused by the memory. "So I did a beekeeping course." Within two years Teyise became the director of beekeeping training at the meadery. She neglects to mention that she also won a silver award for beekeeping at the Impumelelo Innovations Awards in 2008.
She may not brag but Teyise is ambitious. One of her fondest memories of working at the meadery was the business’s first export to America in 2006. "It was great knowing we did it," she says proudly. But she wants to do more. Makana Meadery has "quite a lot of potential and I want to export to various countries, not just America".
However, the past four years have also been difficult for her. "In February I lost my baby boy," she says quietly, straightening her back. "But even if there are problems, I still want to come to work," she says. "I think it’s the support. We are a family."
"I look at some of my friends and some of them still haven’t found employment," Teyise says, looking down and rubbing her forehead. But she looks up and says, "Life has been great to me."
