About Me

My Story

I am South African, but was born in exile in Botswana, to parents who were anti-apartheid activists. We moved to Cape Town just before I turned five years old, when it was clear that the country’s apartheid regime was coming to an end.

I come from a family of people to whom humanity, racial equality, freedom and equity has always been important. Growing up in apartheid South Africa, social justice and impact were big themes in my upbringing. My geat-grandfather, Prof ZK Matthews, was a key member of the ANC, South Africa’s key anti-apartheid organization. A lawyer, he was a Professor of and influential figure to Nelson Mandela, and assisted in drawing up the Freedom Charter, the document which would later form the basis for South Africa’s Constitution. He lived at various stages of his life in exile in Botswana, the UK and the US, after being charged by the South African apartheid government for treason in the Treason Trial, alongside his son (and my grandfather) Joe Matthews.

My mother, Dr Naledi Pandor, served inSouth Africa’s government between 1994 and 2024, and has for decades been a champion of women, children, and those in society who are underserved, powerless and voiceless.

I’ve decided to make my own life about building, and driving change through impactful companies. I’m cofounder of SweepSouth, Africa’s first and largest online platform for booking, managing and paying for home services. Between 2014 and 2023, I led SweepSouth to become one of the most prominent startups in South Africa. Venture-backed, our company was the first South African startup to be accepted into the 500 Startups accelerator based in Silicon Valley. In addition to South Africa, we launched in Kenya and Nigeria and also operate in Egypt after SweepSouth acquired home services startup Filkhedma in 2022.

We raised over $20m in venture capital funding from investors including Naspers, The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, Alitheia IDF, and Endeavor Global.

I completed my PhD in Human Genetics at the University of Cape Town (UCT), and more recently co-founded Pandora Health/Pandora Biosciences, an exciting company using AI to help women better manage chronic health conditions. We’re focused on empowering women to be active participants in their wellness and treatment journeys, making wellness more accessible to everyone, and helping the healthcare industry support women better.

While writing my doctoral thesis, I simultaneously completed a Postgraduate Business Administration course at UCT’s Graduate School of Business, coming top of my class in all 11 courses, and serving as Class President, before becoming a top-ranked management consultant for Accenture South Africa’s mining and telecoms practices.

I’m passionate about impact, with SweepSouth having connected almost 50,000 previously unemployed and underemployed workers, primarily women who are primary breadwinners, to dignified and flexible work opportunities. The company is an advocate for financial and digital inclusivity for women, and launched partnerships resulting in free life and disability insurance for platform workers, and access to support services for victims of abuse and gender-based violence.

I’ve been interviewed hundreds of times in both national and international publications, and on TV and radio. I’ve also delivered keynote addresses, appeared on panels and been part of campaigns for Africa’s top banks and insurance companies, and brands like Audi and Hi-Tec.

My work has been recognized by numerous organizations including Forbes (where I’m honored to have graced the cover of Forbes Africa twice), Fortune, Fast Company, the World Economic Forum, and SAVCA, South Africa’s Venture Capital and Private Equity Association. I also invest as a cofounder and venture partner at E4E Africa, a $10m venture capital fund backing underrepresented African founders building impactful solutions at scale.

Some fun facts: I’ve been vegetarian since the age of 13, I have 3 kids (and hopefully counting), we have an adopted 3-legged dog named Ollie, I’m left-handed, and I love yoga and try to meditate daily.