Anele Sikakana CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF THE ICONIC BEVERAGE COMPANY.
base in my favourite discipline, marketing,” she says. Anele didn’t have a particular qualification in mind, but she knew that she wanted to study something that would allow her to exercise her creativity, meet interesting people and make a difference. “I believe I am on the right track.” Anele says she has adopted the philosophy from The Monk who sold his Ferrari, by Robin Sharma. “‘Kaizen’, which is about committing to continuous self- improvement, has become one of my guiding principles and challenges me to make ongoing positive improvements in my life,” she says. She put this philosophy into practice in 2020, she says, when she entered Mrs SA 2021. “Having followed the Mrs South Africa programme from a distance for many years, I always had the sense that it would be a worthwhile journey because I recognised the transformative power of the platform to empower and bring out the best in women. The decision to enter the competition was the beginning of that journey of self-discovery and personal development,” she says. Anele made it to the top 25 finalists in the competition, but more importantly, she built many great friendships and bonds with some very special women. “I have also been fortunate enough to form some great business relationships along the way. This journey has really granted me an opportunity to learn, experience and grow as an individual, and has helped me expand my network. I really feel like I am coming full circle,” she says.
Anele Sikakana is co-founder of The Iconic Beverage Company and also became its CEO in 2021 during the launch of its first beverage, Iconic Citric Rose, a non-alcoholic spirit distilled with natural botanicals from the Cape region of South Africa. Anele completed her Advanced Diploma in Retailing in 2017, then went on to complete her BCom Honours in Marketing
Management in 2019. “I am currently pursuing my third qualification with UJ, a Master’s degree in
Marketing Management, with my dissertation focused on Sustainable Luxury,” she says. Anele says she is grateful to have had the opportunity to be taught by “some of the best Professors and Doctors in the marketing discipline” throughout all her UJ qualifications. “I am also really enjoying one of my more recent roles of giving back to the university through my guest lecturing and speaking engagements. These platforms allow me to share my knowledge and experience with other students who sit in the very same lecture rooms that I did once upon a time.” Born in Durban, Anele is the youngest of four girls. She matriculated from Northlands Girls High in 2004, and in 2011 moved to Johannesburg after marrying her best friend and business partner, Lungile Sikakana. “As a child, I didn’t enjoy the thought of studying much. But boy, have I surprised myself! I have since made it my mission to constantly improve myself by increasing my knowledge
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