Nomfundo Ntokozo Mwelase

​CLASS OF 2014

As a brand manager at AFHCO (Africa Housing Company), Nomfundo looks after their brand and oversees their marketing. AFHCO is a property company that operates mainly in the inner city of Johannesburg but has recently expanded to areas outside of it too. As the leading developer and investor in affordable housing and commercial property in the Johannesburg inner-city, they are sought-after for being able to identify profitable emerging trends and manage property units. Nomfundo’s team ensures they have an ongoing understanding of their market and industry because these insights affect their ability to execute campaigns, building launches, internal brand building and external brand building. Her biggest mandate is to build the brand and marketing department by equipping them with resources that generate leads and raise the brand awareness.

Nomfundo stands out in her role as she is a natural problem-solver, which allows her to strategize and guide implementation in scenarios where others cannot. She finds true joy in learning and “Vega taught [her] that if you can’t find the opportunity, create it.” She found that The IIE BBA in Brand Building and Management prepared her for real life and taught her how to build and manage her own personal brand, meaning no one can sell themselves like she can, which has, in turn, taught her how to sell brands. Vega nurtured her creative heart and she finds when she meets other IIE-Vega graduates “they just simply get it”, something that is obvious to those who know the Vega way. Even though she was offered bursaries at other tertiary educations, like WITS and UCT, she still chose to study at Vega, and would choose it again, because it made her “understand how brands create business.”