‘Queens of Mzansi’ star on becoming first line of defence against life’s shocks

Samke Mhlongo is a founder and CEO of The Next Chapter Wealth Partners, a consultancy that specialises in corporate training workshops in the fields of personal wealth management. She regularly offers her advice on the radio, features in the new reality show The Queens of Mzansi and has now released her first novel, Ringfence. We spoke to her to find out more.

You’ve just brought out your book Ringfence, a coming-of-age novel. What is it about?

The book deals with non-financial challenges and barriers to women’s financial empowerment. For example, issues of a lack of confidence when it comes to women when dealing with financial matters as a result of childhood trauma [and] money personalities that we adopt as a result of our childhood. It basically talks about life issues and how your psychology, your childhood experiences, your knowledge of the legal fraternity and society [and] cultural norms stand in the way of women being able to practise prudent financial behaviours.

Why did you decide on this genre? 

It’s realistic fiction inspired by my life and my journey of divorce but also the friends around me who, on the face of it, were poised to make a success of themselves in life. They’ve been to good schools, they came from privileged backgrounds; it was a kind of a given that they were going to be OK in life, until life happened. That was the inspiration.

Do you hope the book will provide financial advice to readers who might otherwise not have sought out your insights?

Absolutely, and that’s why I didn’t write a finance how-to book. I wanted to write a book that spoke to the 25-year-old me who was living in the lap of luxury, [who had a] beautiful home in Dainfern, a Porsche Boxster, who travelled internationally. You couldn’t tell me anything about the fact that things may not always be this way.

I highlighted the consequences of not taking the right financial steps in the book as a call to action for women to take those steps and seek out the necessary help after identifying the gaps in their ring fence, which is actually an investment term for the invisible structures that a company puts up to protect its most valuable assets and income streams when going through a risky transaction.

The riskier transactions for women in life are marriage and divorce and/or death of a spouse. We know that those events have the biggest negative financial impact on a woman’s life so we need to ring fence ourselves against those negative impacts.

Why did you decide to be part of SABC1’s newest reality show, The Queens of Mzansi?

The Queens of Mzansi was attractive because it shows women who are self-made. We’re not wives of anybody. We are divorced women, we are unmarried women, we are widowed women and it shows us rebuilding our lives. I felt that that is important for society today because a lot of people are suffering in silence and often feel like a failure when they are not as successful as most people on social media project themselves to be. I wanted to show the reality of being a woman who is trying to make it as an entrepreneur in South Africa [and] on the continent and the many challenges that we face. 

What other projects are you busy with?

I’m on radio as well. I’ve got two features on two different stations [through which] we advance financial education. I’m also looking to turning the book into a series.

Now that you’ve written your first novel, will you be considering a second?

Yes, there definitely will be a book two because Ringfence ends on cliffhangers. I did that intentionally because life isn’t always wrapped up in pretty bows like we see in movies and books where there is a conclusion. Very often in life we find ourselves in limbo and I wanted the book to reflect the discomfort we often find ourselves in. How we need to get comfortable in the uncomfortable and how we need to remain rational in the uncomfortable as opposed to making short-term decisions.

What is the one lesson you’d like to impart to young women that you wish you’d learnt earlier in life?

I am my first line of defence against life’s negative shocks and that basically I can’t relegate my financial freedom and wellbeing to someone else — not to my parents, not to my spouse. My financial wellbeing is my responsibility and I need to take the necessary steps to secure it.

• ‘Ringfence’ is available nationwide at Exclusive Books for R286.

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.