Johannesburg - Hot dishes like curry and chilli-based meals are a firm favourite in the Luhanga household and are served regularly to family and friends in the open-plan kitchen, which overlooks a rolling garden.
Irisha Luhanga, her husband Noel and two sons, Christopher, four, and David, six, all have busy lives but the family enjoy spending time together in their home in Paulshof.
As the founder of a successful HR firm, Redefine Human Capital, Luhanga juggles her responsibilities as a mother, wife and home-owner with a demanding career.
She is chief executive of her human resources business, which is poised to go beyond SA’s borders.
The deep-seated sense of family stems from her childhood, when Luhanga and her brother grew up in an unusual, extended family.
“My mother helped at a home for pregnant teenagers. She also worked with the elderly and at an orphanage where women could just leave their babies. They were all based near our home and we grew up exposed to so many different people.”
Her mother’s example rubbed off, and Luhanga, 40, has continued this culture of caring in her career and her community work.
“I put myself through varsity and then went to Germany for a year, before going into the corporate world.
“I started interviewing people in the HR value chain and realised that the employees needed more from their daily employment.”
In order to complete her honours in HR at the University of Johannesburg, Luhanga did a thesis based on interviews with her fellow employees at her corporate job of the time. She says she became disillusioned by the corporate world and that was when she decided to start her own business.
Redefine Human Capital connects entrepreneurs and businesses with talented individuals. She funded the company herself, so she is sympathetic towards entrepreneurs and business owners alike. As chief executive, she is passionate about giving her clients a professional and personal, flexible service based on integrity.
“I wanted to help people find roles in work life that they are happy with – help them rediscover their purpose.”
Luhanga has also become known for her charity work. She is the co-founder of the NGO Visions of Joy in Diepsloot, where 700 children attend an aftercare and feeding programme. “I also use Visions to facilitate infrastructure projects that aim to effect systemic change in under-serviced communities.”
Her company assists 80 young adults with work readiness and training.
As a peer mentor, she has influenced many lives and continues to do so with the Mentoring Hub.
In 2009, she married Noel Luhanga and soon afterwards they bought their Paulshof home. She says they loved the big garden and the space. The three-bedroom facebrick home has a second lounge which she uses as a playroom. A high ceiling allows for a studio-style office area.
The kitchen, where she cooks her spicy meals, is also an entertainment space.
“And we usually just have the guests in here, close to the cooking.”
The kitchen is classic white and dark granite style, with sliders that extend the living area to the pool and braai area in the garden, where the four dogs, Lola, Boxer, MJ and Lady run free.
www.redefinehumancapital.co.za
Samantha Hartshorne, Independent HOME