Humans of RCL FOODS: Fhumalani Netshirenwe – From rejection to redirection

There’s something incredibly powerful about applying for a job on its closing day – when your hope is hanging by a thread, hundreds of applications have been handed in and your heart is already preparing for another “no.” That’s where Fhumalani Netshirenwe found herself the day she came across a role at RCL FOODS on LinkedIn. 

“I’d been rejected so many times, I was on the edge of giving up,” she recalls. “I thought, what are the chances they’ll even see my application, let alone consider me?” 

But something made her click ‘apply’ anyway. 

That single decision – made in quiet defiance of doubt – would rewrite her entire story.

Just weeks later, she started her contract as a Junior Business Analyst at RCL FOODS. Six months after that, she became a permanent member of the IT team at Sugar and Milling. Today, the girl from Venda, Limpopo, who once wondered if she belonged, is the same woman people from her childhood now marvel at. 

Growing up in a close-knit, protective family, Fhumalani had a childhood filled with outdoor adventures and spirited games that didn’t always align with how girls were expected to behave. But she was always comfortable colouring outside the lines, an instinct that would later become one of her greatest assets. 

“When I started in my role, I had a passion for the client-facing side,” she explains, “but I also wanted to get more technical – into the coding and configuration side of things.” Her ambition wasn’t just professional. It was personal. Each step she’s taken has been guided by the belief that life is a gift to be lived fully, even when the winds blow in the opposite direction.

And the winds did blow. Harsh words, subtle doubts, external noise, they all tried to dim her light. “There’s power in choosing peace,” she says. “I learned to separate myself from negativity. My response has always been to rise above it.”

Behind her resilience is a deep sense of purpose. “For me, life isn’t about ticking boxes or chasing material things. It’s about being present, sincere, and bringing positive change.” That presence shines through in her love for solitude – the quiet moments where everything external fades, and her inner voice takes the lead.

With the support of managers, colleagues, and a team that believed in her from day one, Fhumalani earned multiple certifications in analytics, SAP, Excel, and women’s empowerment. She seized every opportunity to grow her skill set and step more confidently into her role. But her biggest lesson isn’t listed on any certificate, it lives in the quiet resilience she built along the way and the belief that every challenge carries a purpose.

“Rejection,” she says, “isn’t the end. It’s redirection. Sometimes the no’s are leading you straight into the yes that was always meant for you.”

For anyone staring down yet another unopened door, wondering if it’s time to give up, Fhumalani’s story is a whisper of encouragement: stay ready, stay open, and hit ‘apply’ – even on the last day.

Because sometimes, that’s when everything begins.