Nelisiwe Zuma is an eclectic mix of style, tenacity, and faith. Hailing from humble roots in South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Impendle town this vibrant twenty-something blogger, public speaker, model, and survivor has made her mark on the social media and influencer world. In 2013 Nelisiwe graduated from the Durban University of Technology with a diploma in Public Relations Management. The following year she interned at the Department of Health in the MEC’s office but was then drawn to the world of social media and digital marketing. It was in this world that Madame Blogger was born… Her career highlights include Brand ambassador for Becca Blair Designs, guest influencer for KZN Bloggers Meet-Up, influencer of the month for The Original Champion Toffee, guest presenter at Future Females Durban, a cover model for the Durban based magazine (Get It Durban) and subject of a feature by London based Barcroft TV. This documentary was based on a life and body changing car accident in 2016, which left her physically and emotionally scarred. Being the resilient woman that she is, she embraced her scars, and through social media started a journey of recovery and changing the narrative around what beauty is. This documentary is now close to three million views on YouTube and has been reposted on numerous other web pages (The UK Tabloid Daily Mirror, UK Metro, Models of Diversity & the Beauty Revolution Community page). The harsh in your face nature of the story has attracted thousands of viewer comments, emails, and direct messages. Nelisiwe is currently a blogger motivational speaker who plans to continue igniting hope in the hearts of those who have given up on life because of extreme body transformation.

My dream is to found an organization that will help assist the less privileged to get the best care and help in terms of affordable physiotherapists and psychologists in situations where it is needed. At the same time, I want to lead a group of women and men and together help each other grow and think positively. This would be more like a body and mind retreat for people who have had traumatic experiences. I am passionate about all things women empowerment, body and mind positivity, and photographic modeling. I am a believer in storytelling. I believe we all have a story to tell and I am encouraging everyone to share their stories of hope, failings & success to help grow, nurture and equip one another.

I would make a difference in regards to changing the current narrative around beauty through encouraging brands to use real people with an emphasis on creating authentic content online. We live in a society where the scarred body people are not fully acknowledged as beautiful people. Being a person who has directly experienced the cruel and mean words I am willing to live, walk and talk on behalf of other women and men who are afraid to embrace their body transformations. On behalf of them, I want to tell brands that, despite our body transformations, we are worthy, capable and willing to collaborate with them on their projects.