The woman who went from Telkom executive to beekeeper

Lulu Letlape went from holding top positions at large enterprises, including South32, Sanlam, and Telkom, to starting Bongi Bees.

Letlape is well-known in South African corporate circles as the former vice president for corporate affairs at South32.

Before joining South32, she was the executive head for group corporate affairs and sustainability at Sanlam.

She also served as executive director of corporate affairs at Mercedes Benz and group executive for communications at Telkom.

Letlape was well-known in corporate boardrooms. She was the chairperson of Autopax and a non-executive director at Workforce Holdings, Optimum Coal, and PRASA.

She was a member of the International Women’s Forum of SA (IWFSA), a fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative (ALI), and a member of the Aspen Leadership Network.

She was well qualified for these roles, having earned a Master’s Degree in Management from the University of the Witwatersrand and a degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

However, she had to make significant changes to her lifestyle after she was diagnosed with a stress-related autoimmune disease, which included leaving her corporate job.

Latlape said raw honey helped her immune system stay balanced and stronger, which ignited a passion for bees.

She founded Bongi Bees in 2017. She is working to protect bees and strengthen local hives’ ongoing health and biodiversity.

Bongi Bees is registered as a beekeeper with the Department of Agriculture and is a Southern Beekeepers Association member.

Bongi Bees focuses on the safe rehoming of bees, the provision of raw honey, and the creation of jobs in the surrounding communities.

The company offers a range of services, including bee removal, workshops, and courses related to beekeeping.

Bongi Bees also has a shop where it sells raw honey, beeswax, and cookbooks related to its products.

Lulu Letlape’s view on her new role

Letlape said that considering the vast decline of bee populations in recent years, bee conservation has become increasingly crucial.

“Bees are pivotal in pollinating various crops and wild plants, contributing significantly to food production and biodiversity,” she said.

“Without bees, many plants would struggle to reproduce, and future generations would find food production challenging or prohibitively expensive.”

She said the effects of a world without bees would be devastating, including diminished crop yields, ecosystem imbalances, and manual pollination.

To advance the importance of bees, Bongi Bees empower communities by providing meaningful work opportunities to those living in the areas it serves.

Letlape has partnered with Momentum Metropolitan as a corporate sponsor, which shares her passion to continue this work.

Charlene Lackay, head of sustainability at Momentum Metropolitan, said Bongi Bees is a meaningful initiative for people to connect with the environment.

“Working with Bongi Bees is in line with our ethos of empowering women and supporting their success,” Lackay said.

They value that Bongi Bees supply the safe and sustainable rehoming of bee colonies to new hives.

They also assist homeowners in local communities who find hives on their properties to join the world of beekeeping.

“In this way, they too can bring dignity to themselves and their families through purposeful work, with deliciousness as an end-product,” Lackay said.

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