Kwesta’s manager Vanessa Mazabane on Women’s Month and changing the music industry

For rap heavyweight Kwesta's manager Vanessa Mazabane, Women’s Month is more than a calendar event.

“It’s a space to honour the collective story — the women who came before me, beside me and after me. It’s celebration and responsibility,” says Vanessa.

This August, Vanessa is marking the month with her daughter, “my first ministry”, as well as with her clients, peers and what she calls “that quiet army of women who keep showing up with excellence and empathy”. Probably with a strong coffee in hand, she jokes.

Her journey into music management wasn’t planned. “I didn’t know ‘manager’ was the official title at first,” she recalls. “I just knew I wanted to help talent win well, not just be famous, but be whole, understood and impactful.” With no formal path or glossy internships, she found her way into the industry through hard work and heart while juggling life as a single mother, pastor and entrepreneur.

Now a respected figure in the music scene, Vanessa is quietly reshaping the landscape from behind the scenes. And if she could offer one piece of advice to young women entering the industry?

“Don’t wait to be ready. You learn by doing. Your softness is not a weakness. Ask questions. Read your contracts. Take notes. Breathe. You don’t have to become someone else to belong, you already do.”