Anetta Barnes-Mangxaba never planned a career in media. But an unexpected path through teaching, sales and project management gave her the skills to build Dizindaba Media and a publishing career that earned her the overall Entrepreneur of the Year title at the Phenomenal Women of 2026 Awards.
By Lerato Pooe
When Anetta Barnes-Mangxaba’s name was announced as the overall Entrepreneur of the Year at the Phenomenal Women of 2026 Awards in August, she says she went blank and thought: “Are they really calling my name?”
Growing up around Paarl in the Western Cape, first in an area called Chicago before her parents moved to Fairyland in Dal Josafat, Mangxaba did not dream of becoming a publisher.
“I’ve always wanted to be a chartered accountant. That was my dream. I love figures,” she says.
Her plans changed after she fell pregnant at a young age and had to find work. “After matric, accounting was no longer an option. I had to restructure everything that I planned for my life,” she says.
Her first “decent job” was at a car wash, earning R100 a week. She later became an adult basic education facilitator, teaching people who had left school years earlier how to write their names. The work led her to enrol for a diploma at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, but work challenges forced her to leave after her first year.
Her career continued to take unexpected turns. She became a domestic worker but was promoted by her employer and appointed secretary of a health and beauty training school. There, her business acumen took shape as she handled petty cash, bookings and operations. She later moved into furniture sales and became the store’s second-best salesperson.
She started her own health and beauty training school, but financial difficulties forced her to close it. She then managed a government-contracted NGO project establishing adult education centres across the Western Cape. Mangxaba recruited facilitators, secured venues, managed salaries and oversaw operations.
The experience became one of the foundations of Dizindaba Media.
“The skills that I’ve learned at the health and beauty training centre and the skills that I learned at the NGO, of running a business and running a project, are what shaped and helped me to run my own business now,” she says.
When the project ended, both Mangxaba and her husband were unemployed. They decided to use the skills they had gained.
Her late husband, Edward Mangxaba, had worked as a DJ at Radio Transkei and freelanced as a journalist. His ambition to start a newspaper was inspired by Nelson Mandela’s visit to the station.
“Mandela was so impressed that they were sticking to isiXhosa,” she says. “He then said it’s good for you to have a radio station, but how about a newspaper so that you can preserve the language and further advance the language?”
Edward could write; she could handle the administration. They applied to the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), submitting a business plan they wrote themselves because they could not afford a consultant.
Months passed without a response. Then they received a call: their application had been approved for R900,000.
“We haven’t seen so much money in our lives,” she says.
A dream born in a one-room RDP house was becoming real. The funding enabled them to establish an office, buy equipment and employ people. Dizindaba Media was born as an isiXhosa newspaper.
They recognised that many potential readers in the Western Cape retained strong connections to the Eastern Cape, so the newspaper covered both provinces. Some critics felt the content was not local enough, but the couple remained clear about its identity.
“We are not a community newspaper. We are a small commercial newspaper focusing on community news,” she says.
Turning a small operation into a professional media business brought challenges. Mangxaba did not come from media and, although her husband had newsroom experience, he had never run one. Their MDDA funding was withdrawn for almost a year because of difficulties finding a suitable mentor.
If you are looking to become rich quickly, this is not the sector to be in, but if you are looking to serve, this is the community to be in.”
Anetta Barnes-Mangxaba
They did not give up. After months of research, self-education and training, they approached the agency again.
“If we could write a business plan on our own and get it approved for close to a million at that time, it means we have the capabilities,” she says.
The agency reinstated the funding after seeing what they had achieved without it.
As readers from different communities asked for English and Afrikaans content, Dizindaba gradually introduced both while protecting its isiXhosa identity.
“We are not changing the content and what we stand for. We are just making it inclusive and giving it a broader reach,” she says.
Through the Association of Independent Publishers (AIP), Mangxaba studied executive media leadership and media management at Rhodes University. A fellowship later allowed her to visit local newspapers in Ohio in the United States.
She also learnt that owning a business means understanding every part of it. When no graphic designer was available, she taught herself to design the newspaper.
Her advice to young people, particularly women who want to enter media, is straightforward: do not expect overnight financial success.
“If you are looking to become rich quickly, this is not the sector to be in,” she says. “But if you are looking to serve, this is the community to be in.”
Now chairperson of AIP, Mangxaba sees her position as both a privilege and a responsibility. Building Dizindaba Media from the ground up, without a mainstream media background, has often required her to prove herself.
“There are times when you have to navigate egos, be underestimated or prove your value in spaces that are still largely male-dominated,” she says.
Her background taught her that a person’s value is not defined by where they come from, but by the difference they make.
“Being chairperson gives me an opportunity to ensure that the voices of independent publishers, particularly women and community publishers, are recognised, respected and heard,” she says.
She also wants AIP members to see themselves not only as journalists and publishers, but as business owners and entrepreneurs.
Kate Skinner, who has worked with Mangxaba through AIP, describes her as resilient and courageous under difficult circumstances. “The sustainability challenges are huge, but she remains calm and positive throughout,” Skinner says.
Paula Fray, founder of fraymedia Foundation, describes Mangxaba as “a determined and thoughtful media leader” whose award acknowledges what those who have worked with her have long known.
“Building a sustainable business in media takes courage, resilience and vision. Anetta brings all three to her work,” Fray says, describing the recognition as richly deserved.
Mangxaba believes the award has come at the right time. Dizindaba plans to establish an Eastern Cape branch in 2027 in response to requests from readers and government departments, with longer-term ambitions to expand into other provinces.
Although it cannot yet distribute physical copies throughout the Western Cape, readers can access Dizindaba newspaper online. Mangxaba acknowledges that the shift from print to digital can be difficult for small publishers with limited resources, a challenge she hopes to address through AIP.
“As AIP, we want to make that transition less painful and more financially sustainable by giving our members access to opportunities, funding and practical skills,” she says.
“Ultimately, I want to see a stronger, more professional and sustainable independent media sector, one that can continue serving communities while also creating viable businesses for the people behind those publications.”
