Entrepreneur Who Used to Sell Muffins Reunites with the Kind Woman Who Rooted for Him

Photo Credit: Anathi Nonxuba via Facebook

A surprise encounter at a car dealership brought a hardworking young man back together with a kind lady who first recognised his potential when he was just a young entrepreneur selling muffins on campus to get by.

Bloemfontein, South Africa (23 September 2026) – Life has a sweet way of affirming our potential and impact. For Anathi Nonxuba, that affirmation arrived in the form of a kind woman who believed in him and wanted nothing more than to see him win.

When their paths first crossed, Anathi was working hard selling muffins at the Central University of Technology in the Free State – a modest hustle that had caught her eye after she read about him and his business in a local newspaper.

“She and her husband actually went looking for me until they found me,” Anathi says in a post.

After meeting Anathi, they invited him out for breakfast and shared how much they admired his drive and entrepreneurial spirit. In fact, they were so impressed by Anathi that they invited him to attend an Annique meeting to share some of his selling tips with a group of sales reps.

“I agreed, and when I went to give them my tips, I walked into a room with about 20 ladies. My mom was with me, and I shared what I had learned about selling and what worked for me. They were so impressed that they later invited me to an event they were hosting as a guest speaker. There were about 70 people in attendance, and I was one of the speakers, teaching them about sales,” Anathi recalls.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, he eventually stopped selling muffins, but the lady would still check on him from time to time.

“Sometimes, she would even send me money just to help me out. I will forever be grateful that I met someone who believed in me the way she did, even when I was still figuring life out.”

After a while, they lost contact… until recently. To Anathi’s surprise, while working at his current job at a Bloemfontein car dealership, he ran into the very same woman who had once poured so much hope and encouragement into his life.

“Imagine my surprise when she came to collect her new vehicle today. The Sales Executive assisting her called out my name and asked me to come help with the delivery. From a distance, I heard her say, “Anathi!” and immediately knew that she remembered me,” he says.
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After a warm embrace, the lady shared how proud she was of how Anathi had come – a moment he says really touched him.

He joked that it would have been the ultimate full-circle moment if she had bought the vehicle from him too. But getting to see her again and knowing that she was still so proud of him meant the world to the young man who was grateful to the affirming angel placed on his path. As he eloquently put it: