About Us
Who are we?
Phytomed Herbal Supplements (Pty) Ltd is a proudly South African herbal healthcare brand. The Phyto range of superior quality herbal products was developed in 2005, specifically for the network marketing business model which depends on person-to-person sales by independent distributors, often working from home.
Through this business model we have been able to reach into homes all over Africa, making a positive impact on not only on the health of many communities but also on the economic development of those communities. The access to these herbal supplements is often the only medicines some will be able to afford as they have little or no access to any other health care. Through providing an employment opportunity to anyone who has initiative, we have empowered many families and brought significant changes to their lives.
We are proud of the changes we have made in the lives of many families, being part of the journey that has seen them celebrate many firsts – first graduate, first entrepreneurs and first home owners all because of their partnership with Phytomed.
Meet our Leaders
Mrs Pamella Phila Sipamla
CEO, PHYTOMED
BEd (Fort Hare University)
Mrs Pamella Phila Sipamla (nee Toyi), born in Cofimvaba (Eastern Cape, South Africa), graduated at Fort Hare University with a degree in Education. After five years working in the education sector she joined the family business, dealing in import and exports of clothing which ignited her interest in the field of commerce.
In 2002 she was first exposed to Network Marketing through her training with Tianshi (Pty) Ltd South Africa in their Johannesburg office. The company marketed natural herbal supplements, and together with her natural charisma and business acumen, she excelled in sales. Her successes were soon recognised, achieving Top Sales in the Eastern Cape and being awarded a BMW. Her achievements birthed her dream that one day she would own her own business and be the one to award cars for hard work and determination.
Due to her quick rise in the network marketing of herbal healthcare products she was noticed and in 2006 was headhunted by Phytomed, a South African brand of herbal healthcare products. She was keen to invest in a company with roots in her own country and with great excitement joined their ranks, passionately advocating for a brand that she believed in wholeheartedly. This passion only grew and when she was offered the opportunity to purchase the company in 2007, she took it.
Her late mother, Mrs Mavis Toyi (Mama Toyi), was pivotal in assisting with financial aid and much needed encouragement. She became a pillar in the early days, offering business advice and a listening ear. So the transition to entrepreneur and business owner was made that much easier, and much of Mama Toyi’s wisdom still impacts the decision-making today.
Phytomed has been built into a thriving business of which Pamela is proud and recently having awarded five SUV’s to marketers working under her proudly South African brand of herbal health supplements, her dream has been achieved. Not one to sit back on success, she has envisioned greater successes for herself and her company, setting her sights on international markets.
“Success only happens to those with a willing mind that inspires others.”
Dr Anela Pakade
DIRECTOR, PHYTOMED
BSc (Unitra); MBChB (Medunsa); MBL (UNISA);
Postgrad Diploma in HIV/AIDS Management in the Workplace
(University of Stellenbosch) (Fort Hare University)
Dr Pakade obtained her BSc degree from the Walter Sisulu University (formerly the Univeristy of Transkei), and continued in the Sciences to complete her Medical Degree in 1988 from Medunsa. The achievement of this was a great accomplishment given the difficulty in study material and the political climate.
With the end of Apartheid, many changes starting to come about in the medical field, and Dr Pakade again turned to study to keep up with these changes. In 2000 she completed her Masters Degree in Business Leadership (MBL) with UNISA. This mix of medical and business knowledge brought about a fundamental change in her career path. With medicine being her great passion, she pursued a career in General Practice medicine even though most of her colleagues had left for the Corporate World.
However, her business degree had awakened her entrepreneurial spirit and when the opportunity to invest in Phytomed was presented to her, she could not resist. Being a sociable, charismatic person, she had already made contact with the medical network marketing community. The idea of building a medical business based on network marketing therefore was the perfect marriage of her two educational degrees.
Natural Medicine had always been a passion of hers, supporting her belief in maintaining good health. She believes in combining the wisdom of nature with the rigors of modern science, the healing power of nature, and the body’s inherent wisdom to heal itself. Her viewpoint has always supported the utilization of the most natural, least invasive and least toxic therapies with herbal medicines, in particular, being gentler on the body. She has always recommended, where possible, that natural treatments be used which have fewer side effects, while achieving the desired effect.
Her beliefs and passions have enabled Phytomed to keep the balance between medicine and business in perfect harmony.
“I have always believed in preventative rather than curative medicine. I believe in combining the wisdom of nature with the rigors of modern science.”