Big dream becomes reality in Bloem

Dorah Mabaso understands the meaning of hard work. While many of her friends were living carefree lives, she and her five brothers and sisters had to work from their teenage years to help their single mother support the family.
In 1986, when she was just two, Mabaso’s family moved from Mozambique to South Africa in search of a better future. They found their home in Odendaalsrus in the Free State.
In 2004, Mabaso joined McDonald’s as part of the crew, not knowing that it would be in the Bloemfontein restaurant where her life would change forever.
Mabaso is now the restaurant manager for the Bloemfontein McDonald’s and has just been to Tokyo, Japan, as a winner of the Ray Kroc Award.
This award is awarded to the top 1% of restaurant managers in the McDonald’s APMEA region (Asia, Pacific, Middle East and Africa). She was one of the only two South African managers to qualify for the award due to her exceptional performance, consistently high operational scores and delivering on McDonald’s people commitment.
It was Mabaso’s first overseas trip and she joined about 80 winners from 23 countries.
She regards her mother as her number-one cheerleader and pillar of strength. “My mother always believed in me and my five siblings and gave us a solid foundation to achieve our goals in life.
“I also look up to my late brother, who also worked for McDonald’s. He just had an ability to always get things done and was respected for his management ability and style”, she added.
Mabaso also highlights the need to dream big and put people first. “If you ever want to achieve anything, you have to believe in that dream and always make sure that people are your first priority. People operate the way they see their leader operating. If you believe in their abilities and work with them hand in hand, you will succeed because they have succeeded.”