23 June 2022 Volume :10 Issue :28

Twin Optometrists are Successful Entrepreneurs

Successful twins, Mrs Ayanda Mthembu and Mrs Andile Pieterson.Click here for isiZulu version

Mrs Ayanda Mthembu and her twin sister Mrs Andile Pieterson graduated from UKZN with Bachelor of Optometry degrees.

It was always their goal to start a business. Having run a foundation, TwinsOnEyes that identified learners in disadvantaged schools with visual problems and provided free spectacles, they decided to start a business in an accessible location to serve disadvantaged communities. They founded their first optometry practice at the age of 23 and in 2017, Mthembu opened her optometry practice, Bona Eye Care in Pietermaritzburg.

Mthembu believes that the winning formula is being highly motivated and working hard: ‘Considering the fierce competition in today’s business world, I pride myself on the service I give my patients whom I treat as patients as well as customers, offering them an experience rather than just a consultation every time they come to renew their spectacles. I believe in the brand that I have worked so hard to build as a young successful Black woman who is professional and compassionate. My husband is my greatest support structure as well as my twin sister because not only is she family, but she is in the same business so we are able to lean on each other for support as well as advice.’

Pieterson, who owns AZA Optometrists, is a semi-finalist in the 2022 Mrs South Africa contest. She hopes to use the contest as a platform to inspire young girls within her community and around the country, helping them realise that anything is possible and that their dreams can indeed come true.

Words: MaryAnn Francis

Photograph: Supplied

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