She walks with purpose, speaks with respect and projects a kind confidence. Looking at Nombuso Sithole, you can tell this strong woman, with her long braids and big smile, has a story to tell…and what a story it is!
What promised to be a bright future appeared to be all over before it even began. “Everyone was always proud of me at school,” says Nombuso, sitting on the deck of Hooters Umhlanga, “until I fell pregnant in my matric year with my daughter, Kutlwano. I had to drop out of school and my family saw me as a failure. It was a dark time and I had to deal with my demons.”
Knowing that studying was now no longer an option, the young mom had a deep yearning to prove herself and just needed to find an opportunity to show everyone what she was capable of.
“My dad arranged an interview for me at Hooters at Emperors Palace (Johannesburg) in 2012. I was hoping to be a waitress, but I was willing to do anything.” She started in the busy restaurant’s scullery, washing dishes and cleaning. By no means a dream job, but she was determined to make it work. “I was the first one in every day, and never took lunch. I knew I had to work hard to show my boss I was serious about the company, even if I was just cleaning. I didn’t want to lose my job and disappoint my daughter or my dad.”
Her first big break presented itself in the form of a cappuccino her general manager Derrick du Toit asked her to make. “I didn’t know how, so he showed me. I made one, took it to him and he said, “make another”. This went on until her fifth attempt, when he said “that’s perfect”.
Just like that, she was promoted to cleaning the offices and making cappuccinos, and this was the beginning of a long working relationship between herself and Derrick, who saw her potential and took her under his wing.
Then she met Jessica Galanopoulos, a Hooters girl and a trainer. “She was like a goddess. I wanted to be like her one day.” They became friends and Jessica quickly saw the spark inside Nombuso. “She went to my GM time and time again, asking if I could be a Hooters girl, but he kept saying no. Until one day she invited me to join them for training. I couldn’t believe it! She really fought for me.”
Once Nombuso became a Hooters girl in 2013, there was no stopping her. She found her confidence and began to shine. A year later, she became a certified trainer and took over Jessica’s position as head trainer. Her breakthrough came in 2015 when she became the first female manager in the SA Hooters group, and in 2019 she was promoted to GM of the Umhlanga branch.
Looking back at her 10 years with the company, she says she hopes to show people that loyalty and hard work pays off. “I work here because it is my home. I never take my work for granted. Every day is like my first day and I’m still learning all the time. When people ask if I’m still working for Hooters, I say yes, with pride.”
Text: Elana Wagner | Photographs: Tae Smith
