Makoti Boot Camp aims to empower women, says founder

From brewing traditional beer and washing mogodu to offering mental health counselling.

This is what Londeka Shezi, 37, the founder of Makoti Boot Camp, says it offers young women planning to get into marriage. She says the camp is not about training women on how to be wives but empowering them.

“We were intentional about the name of the movement because if we said ‘Imbokodo Boot Camp’, there would be limited interest. Even though the name suggests it’s for wives or anyone interested in marriage, the bootcamp is open to anyone,” she said.

The bootcamp provides an intensive, hands-on experience where urban or modern women between the ages of 25 and 50 learn traditional expectations away from the conveniences of modern life.

—  Londeka Shezi, the founder of Makoti

Founded in 2020, Shezi drew inspiration from her own experience getting married at the age of 24 with limited knowledge of how to carry herself in her in-laws’ home.

“While I was raised in Durban, which is more urban, when I got married at 24, it was to someone from eShowe, which is in the homesteads. In my marriage, I struggled because there were several things I could not do, including brewing traditional beer, which is part of the expectations of makoti," Shezi said.

“I could not brew because at my home we did not practise that, so my inability to brew the beer led to conflicts at my marital home, which made me realise I also got married young and was not ready. This contributed to the fallout of the marriage.

“At the time, I thought there must be people like me and similar cultural shocks I faced; some women don’t even have female figures to guide them. So I thought this could be the platform to address this.”

This was very valuable. So when the time comes, I am ready. I learnt more about respect, cooking traditional food and brewing beer

—  Heaven Potgieter, bootcamp participant

Shezi says the three-day bootcamp, which happens four times in a year, is open to women from all walks of life, with an emphasis on empowerment and mental health rather than just teaching them chores.

“The bootcamp provides an intensive, hands-on experience where urban or modern women between the ages of 25 and 50 learn traditional expectations away from the conveniences of modern life. The camp also focuses on women’s mental health, counselling and empowerment through expert-led dialogues. We understand women may come from different cultures, so we do have experts to speak to that.”

The concept was recently adapted into a television series which aired from March 1 until early June.

We were intentional about the name of the movement because if we said ‘Imbokodo Boot Camp’, there would be limited interest. Even though the name suggests it’s for wives or anyone interested in marriage, the bootcamp is open to anyone.

—  Londeka Shezi

Heaven Potgieter, 33, from Durban, who identifies as coloured, took part in the bootcamp in May. She said she went there to unwind and get out of her comfort zone.

“I first saw the posts on the bootcamp on social media and was intrigued. I questioned if it was only for makotis and if this was where they were disciplined. I am not a makoti. I signed up to go and experience it because I am coloured and not really exposed to some of these things,” she says.

“I went in there with a heavy load on my shoulders. As someone who does want to get married, and my current partner is not coloured, this was very valuable. So when the time comes, I am ready. I learnt more about respect, cooking traditional food and brewing beer.”

Potgieter says this was more than a bootcamp, as she got to unwind with other women and learnt how to let go in counselling.

Sowetan