Mahanyele’s mother died when Mahanyele was 17 years old. She said that this event made her realize how short life is and that she doesn’t believe in wasting time. Her parents put an emphasis on the importance of education in their daughter’s life, says Africa-me.com.
Mahanyele attended college at Douglass College in New Brunswick, New Jersey and graduated with a degree in economics. From the U.S., Mahanyele moved on to De Montfort University in the U.K. where she earned a master’s in business administration, studying the impact of international trade on black economic power, according to Africa-me.com.
In 2013, Mahanyele started experiencing severe headaches, then fainting. In hospital, doctors discovered she had had a stroke. This, along with her mother’s death, was another event that emphasized the importance of time for Mahanyele, says Destinyconnect.com.
Mahanyele has admitted that, in spite of a fruitful career, she has considered leaving her work to become a housewife. Many of her friends are stay-at-home wives, and they seem happy, she said. But the allure of running her own firm squashed that idea, according to Destinyconnect.com.
In 2012, Mahanyele spoke at a women’s leadership conference. She said women should have a larger role in business, not just to fight social injustice, but also because women hold specific skills that can solve world challenges, says Nunnovation.com.
Mahanyele has been romantically linked with Sifiso Dabengwa, former president and CEO of MTN Group Nigeria, a multinational mobile communications company. This relationship caused some controversy since Shanduka owns a percentage (0.45 percent) of MTN, says Timeslive.co.za.
The topic was “Unlocking Africa’s Most Valuable Resource–the Youth. Mahanyele was asked what it takes to get a job with no experience. She was speaking at the first Destiny Forum at the Sandton Convention Centre. One must have singlemindedness, Mahanyele said. She said she forced her way into an internship at Fieldstone in New York and even left her husband to pursue that dream, according to Destinyman.com.
In 2015, after 10 years at Shanduka, Mahanyele felt ready to venture out on her own. Along with established Johannesburg banker Jeremy Katzen, Mahanyele she launched her own investment firm — Sigma Capital. In December, she told Africa-me.com she was ready to be a wife again.
