Call centres and business processing ramping up in KZN
Sibling Sensation
Meet the brilliant Bergsma brothers
E-commerce
A remarkable story of the good, the bad and the ugly
INVESTKZN SEPTEMBER 2022 CONNECT COMMUNICATE COLLABORATE ISSUE 19
Net Worth Is Network
Property Prospects Conveyancing Special
Big Bucks
Two stellar Durban firms promise big things after massive buyouts
0 0 BUY LOCAL INVEST LOCAL web: invest.durban Tel: +27 31 311 4227 Email: invest@durban.gov.za Let’s come together and heal as a nation. Let’s focus on renewing, restoring and rebuilding successful partnerships and investment opportunities so we can get back to promoting our city as the ideal destination for business and pleasure to the rest of the world. Your support coupled with our world-class infrastructure, innovative business environment and ever evolving investment opportunities, means we can get back to ‘connecting continents’ in no time. 11101011110101
11101011110101111010111101011110101110001110301100011101011100 1101011110111101011110101 The city of Durban (eThekwini Municipality) is South Africa’s second most road,Extensiveeconomicimportantregionfirst-worldrail,seaandair00100Ratedintop5‘QualityofLiving’citiesinAfricaandMiddleEastbyMercerConsultingin2015NamedoneoftheNew7WondersCitiesbytheSwiss-basedNew7WondersFoundationin20141010011010100010oraerotropolis,growthPlanyearAirportInternationalShakaandTradePortDubeKing-60-Master-drivingofairportcity
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WHAT’S INSIDE Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 3
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In compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4, if you do not want to receive KZN Invest magazine for free, please email Forfamouspublishing.co.zasarah.mackintosh@moreinformationvisit:www.famousdurban.co.za - 42ThebuffaloWhite BoxerBothaFrancoisisback - 44IndomitableOscar The courageouschamp - 30Last mile sprint Keval Metha’s latest investment - 06One connectivitybillionbonanza Vodacom’s Imran Khan shares their vision - 46Bunny buddies BunnyFridaysChow - 34Problemautomationsolving ScottvisionLangley’s - 08Hustling makes it happen The Group’sIgnitionSeanandDonBergsma - 48Surf Rider Sam MeetSam”“Crazy - 36Buildings are businesses The new spacework - 14Westown New developmentpropertysettowowDurban - 40Net worth is network Saskia Hill - 25Robust rivers programmeeThekwini is saving the millionscity 3646 14
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Imtiaz Sooliman.
The response of Gift of the Givers to various disasters locally and around the world has been phenomenal. Sooliman is a colossal Mr Fixit and has become a lightning rod for hope. His practical, no-nonsense approach to problem-solving is the perfect antidote to bureaucracy, cadre deployment, ineptitude, state capture and a failing state.
involved in fixing and whose help they have enlisted. They are getting things done because they run an emergency aid organisation. And South Africa is in need of emergency care. It needs people who will quickly triageEverythingsolutions.Sooliman deals with is urgent and he and his colleagues bob and weave through cumbersome bureaucracy and red tape. They are
ED’S LETTER
Sooliman is not a polished speaker. There’s no slick oration. He speaks like he thinks: rapid fire.
He has granular knowledge of a host of problems and how each impacts the other. As scathing as he is of state failures, he’s also encouraging and kind. He resonates with people because he’s actually getting things done. There are no grand plans with him. He is straight-talking and actionoriented.Afterthe EO function, he milled around with guests. He’s not too important to talk to anyone. He arrived alone without an entourage or an assistant in tow. He gave his cell number out to anyone who asked for it. He told guests about how a provincial premier had called him to chide him about how embarrassed he was because the emergency relief provided by Gift of the Givers made his administration look bad. Sooliman said the government has too many directors, sub-directors, and secretaries who have secretaries. Problem-solving is weighed down by bumbling inaction and not enough people empowered to take responsibility.Soolimanrattled off a list of problems his organisation is
all entrepreneurs, Imtiaz Sooliman is a problem solver, and a gifted one at that. I marvel at the reception he gets wherever he goes, from backstreets to boardrooms.Astheguest speaker at a recent gathering of the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation at the Oyster Box in Durban, guests were enthralled by self-effacing Sooliman, and after a standing ovation, they flocked to take selfies with him.
Like
4 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022
HOPE'S lightning rod
immersed in an array of projects. They are trying to get some hospitals off the grid because load shedding interrupts surgery. They have fed and watered droughtstricken farmers. They were at the forefront of the rescue during the Knysna fires where they saved 300 bee hives. An animated Sooliman couldn’t believe it when he was asked to find 30 tons of sugar to
Imran Khan.
MphoMehta.Titus.
up their good work. Trite but true. Every bit the good guys do, every ounce of charity, compassion and care keeps the villains at bay and secures our future.
Francois Botha.
hometown. I take heart from what Sooliman stands for. He and a host of people featured in this edition of the magazine are a tonic in a country that at times seems held to ransom by traitors and crooks. There are
Keval
“This is a great country. We can fix it. We are one big family and we are all part of creation, the bees and the people and all the other creatures. We interdependentare”
Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 5 gregarde@gmail.com ED’S LETTER
Saskia Hill.
Sam Small-Shaw.
a host of stories that inspire, from Oscar Chalupsky’s quest for life to Keval Mehta’s family investments to the Bergsma brothers’ story. Some tremendous people are doing terrific things. When our freedom seems fragile it is worth remembering that good people fight for it by keeping
It feels like we need 1 000 Soolimans to fix things. But, we don’t. Not if we abide by what he said in uMhlanga. It starts with you, he said. If we keep the “materialistic monster” at bay and act with spirituality we bring dignity to one“Thisanother.isagreat country. We can fix it. We are one big family and we are all part of creation, the bees and the people and all the other creatures. We areSoolimaninterdependent.”saidwecan all be agents for good. “What we do is done through us, not by us. When things fall apart there is no dignity. How do we stop this? We stop complaining and take ownership.”Soolimanurged people to get on with helping one another and fixing what is broken. Like Dirk Venter, the Potchefstroom pensioner who has filled more than 2 500 potholes in his
create artificial nectar to feed the bees whose natural habitat and food source had been destroyed by the flames. Now he is involved in a project to fund 60 search and rescue dogs for emergency services.
Q
With a background in finance you have been with Vodacom in various roles for 24 years. What has prepared you for your current role and why?
of 250/mbs) has the potential to unlock data-driven productivity that will fuel our economy. We have gained 300 000 more active data users in the last financial year. People want connectivity, whether it’s for school, work or play. We have no-cost educational platforms. We replaced network routers free of charge to businesses after the July 2021 riots, and we have partnered with Facebook and Google to train small businesses in financial health and social media marketing. In an increasingly digitalised post-Covid landscape, we want to make sure no one is left behind.
It will improve our coverage, especially in rural areas, and our capacity and network resilience. We are building an inclusive, digital society. The capital expenditure will be on radio access, network capacity and upgrades, and expanding LTE capacity to 704 base station sites in the province. We are rolling out 27 new urban sites and 43 new deep rural sites.
A
Q
6 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022
Connectivity supports more widespread use of technologies like the Internet of Things, and 5G (speeds
Q
AI have grown up in the company and Vodacom has afforded me
TELECOMS
How would you describe your leadership ethos?
Vodacom’s R1-billion investment in expanded connectivity in KwaZulu-Natal represents a much needed boost for the regional economy and a boon for the network’s clients. KZN INVEST spoke to the company’s KZN managing executive, Imran Khan
Q
A
the opportunity to operate in different areas of the business. It is part of the company’s commitment to training and development. With these experiences, I get to understand and appreciate how customers at various levels engage with the brand. Whether it is a corporate organisation or a rural youth customer, they each have varying expectations from us. Through these various roles I have learnt how to find synergy between business operations and our company purpose of connecting for good. When our purpose meets customer expectations, that is when we are delivering real value.
When you announced this investment you made much of connecting the unconnected to online resources like education, healthcare and financial services. How does this transform lives?
How are you dealing with load shedding issues and the impact on your business?
AI’m big on earning trust. It is the responsibility of every leader to earn the trust of their teams and not feel entitled to it because of your title. The workforce today is highly educated and have access to tons of information, so you have to be transparent and genuine on all decisions and thought processes. That means you must be on top of your game, at all times, as the captain of the ship. It is only with that trust will they then follow you on the path you set and give 110% of their effort. And if you hit rough seas, fail fast and move on. A team built on trust will always be resilient.
Load shedding, battery theft and vandalism at base stations, and the floods had an enormous effect on our network infrastructure. We have invested R70-million into backup energy projects and increased site power standby time from four to eight hours. We have also deployed over 180 generators and are buying 75 more.
one connectivitybillionBONANZA
A
In a nutshell, what does this investment mean?
Q
We have R70-millioninvestedintoback-upenergyprojectsandincreasedsitepowerstandbytimefromfourtoeighthours
We are a soccer mad family, anything “soccer” takes top priority. The kids absolutely love the beach, so enjoy the sun and fun every weekend in summer. The Drakensberg is probably the next favourite spot and we always have to take the long route through the Midlands Meander to get there. As a family we love to travel.
A
Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 7TELECOMS
From an economical perspective, high unemployment will drive small and micro entrepreneurs. Also, some people have returned to their traditional homes during Covid and did not return to the metros. Considering these factors, economic growth will take place in the smaller towns, where we are already seeing an explosion of demand for fixed and fixed wireless products. We are going to ensure that the infrastructure is in place for this growth. The recent floods in KZN highlighted the need for cloud storage. Many companies lost their equipment and data because of traditional practices of hosting physical assets on their premises. In addition, they did not have diversity to protect them from such disasters. I see scalable cloud storage solutions as being one of the biggest areas of demand in the SMME and corporate space. Vodacom has world-class data centres in Gauteng, KZN and the Western Cape that offer services to fit any budget. Since April we have seen a massive uptake of space in these locations, and the demand will grow exponentially.
Q
A
A
Q
Where do you see the biggest growth in the KZN economy in the next year, and how are you gearing to take advantage of that?
Q
My parents were serial entrepreneurs whose sole focus was survival. Their sacrifices to ensure that the next generation had better opportunities is a lesson I hold dear today. I try to teach my three sons the importance of being grateful every day because they reap the benefits of those sacrifices. My wife is a super-mom and takes a very active role in their school and sports, and I try to fit in where I can. That typically means a very busy home life.
Imran Khan: Vodacom’s KZN managing executive.
You hail from Pietermaritzburg. Tell us what your parents did and describe your family.
When you are not at work what do you love doing in KZN?
8 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022
HUSTLINGmakesithappen
Sean and Don Bergsma are below the radar Durban entrepreneurs who built a fortune in telecommunications and are now reinvesting in the province that made them. They spoke to Greg Ardé
Sean and Don Bergsma.
ENTREPRENEURS
Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 9
The Hillcrest siblings started out selling pay-as-you-go airtime using blue telephone handsets on the roadside. Today their Ignition Group is global and employs about 4 000 people, most of them in an uMhlanga campus that occupies a city block.
Don says: “The key to our growth is the people. We have some amazing people who have contributed. Without them, we wouldn’t be here: people from all walks of life. It has been humbling to grow with them. We weren't flash. When we started off we borrowed money from our dad and it was all he had.”
While riots and floods has prompted many to pack for Perth, semigrate to Slaapstad or just run for the hills, the Bergsmas are doing theTheopposite.Gumtree purchase from Norway-based Adevinta (US multi-national eBay is its major shareholder) is a huge boost for eThekwini.Gumtree, established in 2005, is a potential rival to Takealot, the country’s biggest online retailer which did R13-billion turnover last year. Gumtree, a free classifieds platform, has a massive online presence but some credibility challenges. Ignition Group plans to change the Gumtree experience by introducing secure cashless payments and deliveries, transforming what some regard as a back alley market into a trusted online retailer.
ENTREPRENEURS
The brothers are a sharp tag team. Each has the other’s back. They are a livewire duo aged 42 and 38. They built Ignition from scratch, using a loan from their father to grow it. Their dad worked at Conlog and their mother was a travel agent. They attended Hillcrest High School. While Sean was living at home and studying for a commerce degree through Unisa, he was introduced to a telecommunications business by his uncle. He realised the profit potential immediately and Don joined him soon thereafter. Ignition’s spectacular growth has been variously attributed to being at the forefront of the burgeoning telecommunications sector, a prodigious appetite for work, and harnessing talent.
Gumtree is the 12th most trafficked site in South Africa. After the big
search engines and social media sites like Google and Facebook, the big traffic sites are Takealot andSeanGumtree.describes Gumtree’s site as a marketplace for a “lot of engagement”.“Therearea lot of eyeballs on the site,” Don chimes in.
Sean says scaling their business was easier because the siblings had one another. They fed off each other’s energy and “our trust means we can flank each other. The entrepreneurial journey on your own must be hard.” They try and achieve something similar with employees and business partners. “You need good people to grow, so you can seize opportunities faster and deal with changes quicker.
Bergsma brothers mean business. They look you straight in the eye and offer firm handshakes. For the last 20 years, they have quietly built a business empire and the story of their success is legend in small circles, though not widely known.
The understated Bergsma brothers landed in the limelight recently when it emerged that they had bought the the South African arm of the online classified giant Gumtree for an undisclosed sum.
On growing
Ignition Group was one of the first companies in South Africa to provide mobile virtual network operations to clients like Standard Bank and Mr Price. A virtual network doesn’t own cellphone network infrastructure. Ignition has agreements with networks like Cell C, Vodacom and MTN. It secured wholesale rates through bulk access and tailors products for the bank and the retailer to service customers.IgnitionGroup uses data science to bring customers relevant messages, using multiple audience segments, and deepening engagements across multiple touchpoints.
Don says growth is striking the balance between high expectations and driving too hard. A “big stick” mentality doesn’t work. Making people feel like they are part of something where mediocrity isn’t tolerated and respect is earned.
“It is humbling to be part of that journey with the people we work with.”
In 20 years, Ignition has built a group of interwoven businesses offering an array of services. Their call centres service giants like Vodacom. Their financial services firm offers a suite of insurance products. They did R1-billion turnover selling DStv satellite services to 250 000 customers in remote areas over eight years by financing the set-top boxes.
The right attitude is key to personal motivation. The brothers never wanted to work for anyone but rather to be energised by their own enterprise. Making money was never the goal, but rather a useful by-product.
Says Sean: “We’ve been lucky that we’ve had a lot of people who we trust to build the business with us. I don’t think you can do business without trusting people but you have to drive a high work ethic and consistently set the tone or the mediocrity we despise will creep in.”
The idea to buy Gumtree emerged at an Ignition conference and aims to fit many of the Ignition’s “pieces together” and improve an offering that a big group like eBay, headquartered in the US, was not best placed to Ignitiondo.Group believes a homegrown entity can be way more responsive to the South African market. Ignition wants to prioritise product evolution and develop more features that consumers want.
The
This lofty corporate speak is a far cry from when the brothers – then barely out of their teens and not shy of a caper – tried to sell a truckload of fresh sardines for profit. Though quick off the mark the venture was far from a runaway success, but it does, in part represent their ethos: the fast eat the slow, not the big eat the small.
Says Sean: “Sometimes we miss those days of hustling on the ground, now that we are steering the big ship. We used to move much faster. Our challenge is to try to get all our people to be more alive to the opportunities around us, to think and move quicker.”Having a sense of the hustle will be the key to making a success of Gumtree. The brothers sparkle talking about it. Analysts say the Bergsma purchase is an inspired play in an area
delivery of goods so stock doesn’t have to be held or handled by the big online retailer at a cost. “There are already a lot of people coming online to buy and sell, new and used. We believe this is a very exciting time to offer a platform that is relevant to South Africa,” DonThesays.ability to plug in a chunk of Ignition’s existing IT and business skills into Gumtree is appealing. Ignition’s ecosystem can help Gumtree merchants and customers experience better ways of buying and selling.
left-field ideas
The siblings are close and competitive. “We’re passionate about problemsolving,” says Sean. The brothers have invested in businesses that have lost money because partners didn’t have the same focus, but mostly because the Bergsmas didn’t “stick to our knitting,” says Sean.
“In the last five years we've ventured into the enterprise world and the business-to-business world of providing services to large corporates. Everyone talks about the SME (small medium enterprise) world, but it is
Motivationandhandling
Don says the brothers back one another, but are also quick to call one another out when “enough is enough”. As entrepreneurs, Don says “we’re approached with all kinds of ideas and we always listen. We always learn something.”
ripe for growth. Ignition’s challenge is to make it “a lot easier” to transact onTheGumtree.platform’s potential is immense. Every month on average 600 000 free adverts are posted on the site. Gumtree is utilised by 180 000 small businesses to trade. Most of them want to participate in e-commerce but either can’t afford to build their own websites or even if they could, don’t have website traffic anywhere near as busy Takealot, which the Bergsmas credit with having done “an exceptional job in enabling e-commerce to happen in South Africa”.Thechallenge for merchants using market platforms like Takealot is the cost of holding stock, a painpoint Ignition wants to eliminate on Gumtree by facilitating the quick
10 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 ENTREPRENEURS
“We’ve always operated in the consumer world,” says Sean.
The brothers have always been energised by competition. Says Don: “We spend a lot of time together, we work together and we go on holiday together and we’re always competitive. We make a game of it, whether it is playing tennis or trying to catch the biggest fish. We’ve always been like that.”
difficult to find a model that services that. Gumtree offers that model. There is a huge quantum of trade in that informal sector and few people are looking at it through the eyes of informal traders. Most of them want to be in the e-commerce space but there are all these limitations. Gumtree has thousands of self-made merchants involved in amazing enterprises, who are incredible successes that aren’t really recognised or helped. We want to help these guys. This market is buoyant and wide, it is everything from guys selling second-hand beds to clothes to farm equipment.“Wehave the technology, a whole platform from insurance products to financial services and a host of other tools. We have secure, reliable and trusted payment services that
bring security and confidence to that marketplace. This is a super powerful sector with volume, which is why we have negotiated the rights to Africa. We’re very excited by the opportunities.”TheBergsma brothers are energised by opportunity. While people might at times feel overwhelmed by negativity, many KZN entrepreneurs are profitable and positive. This sentiment is expressed in the Gumtree purchase and the Bergsma’s interests in property (see accompanying story onSaysWestown).Sean:“If there is some hope you can find in South Africa it is the best place in the world to be. It is tough, but it is tough everywhere. We are forward-focused. People draw on hope to feel positive, to be inspired and get direction.”
Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 11ENTREPRENEURS
Competitionenergises
The brothers try to foster a culture of transparency. Sean says “candid, mature conversations that aren’t personal, but which give perspective on performance” are valued and “don’t have to be “Wedisrespectful”.haveseentoo many failures, even in our own businesses, because problems haven’t been nipped in the bud or open conversations were not had that were in the best interests of the business. The best decision is not for me or you, it is for the business and we might not like that, but our responsibility is to all the people who work here and their families.”
How to create environmentenablingan
W
12 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022
EMPLOYABILITY - WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
There’s more to investing in your child’s future than just a degree. Before choosing a higher education institution, explore what industry-ready and realworld experience will be offered to help make your child more employable, writes Naretha Pretorius, Campus Head at IIE-Vega School
And that is where we need to pause a little. An investment in their future. With any investment one would consider what exactly you are investing in. Before you invest, you will usually do research, ask questions, compare your options, and then carefully consider, before you commit. Higher education is obtaining a credible qualification that ultimately serves as a step into an industry of your choice. And with that, parents want to know that their kids will graduate being employable. So the big question is … what makes graduates employable?
EMPLOYABILITY-whatdoesitevenmean?
If you ask most HR or talent managers, team leaders and CEOs looking for future employees to join their team, they will most likely describe the ideal candidate using words such as “can-do” attitude, showing initiative, being proactive, a problem-solver, confident
OPINION PIECE
e raise our kids with such care. We work hard to get throughthemschool,
and ideally into higher education, in the hope that they will get a good job afterwards. We invest in their education – and consider it a future investment – something that will set them up for life.
Issue 17 WINTER 2022 3
FOR MORE dbn@vegaschool.comINFO | 031 569 1415 | www.vegaschool.com
THE TWO CRITICAL FACTORS
UPSKILL, TO UP YOUR GAME
But now that you have a degree, why bother with a postgraduate? Postgraduate studies build on the foundation a degree provides, and the IIE’s-Vega School, develops students into smarter thinkers, for smarter doing, and with more resilience.
Vega is an educational brand of The Independent Institute of Education (Pty) Ltd.
LAUNCH DESIGN,CAREERYOURINBRAND&BUSINESSAT IIE-VEGA for an education that isn’t cutting edge. APPLICATIONSvegaschool.com2023OPEN
What do they do to ensure students gain relevant industry-based experience? What opportunities do students have to build their industry network? The ideal is a confident student graduating with a portfolio of work demonstrating industry relevant experience, applied soft skills (and future skills) with real-world and realclient projects they have worked on. Now that is a good investment – and the ticket to an employable future.
Naretha Pretorius.
SCAN
QR CODE
IIE-Vega School invites current final year students and degree interested,graduatestoattendthepostgraduateeveningonNovember3,2022.
In other words, parents and learners need to ask higher education institutions of their choice, what industry-ready and real-world experience they will gain during their studies, as an integral component of the programme design and an institutional teaching methodology.
Scan this code to view a postgraduate discussion with IIEVega alumni talking about smart thinkers and employability. THIS
An individual able to solve wicked problems through inter-disciplinary problem-solving skills, integrating models and theories to find smarter solutions. At IIE-Vega we believe in solving industry-relevant and realworld problems, applying global and
presenter with computer efficiency. Descriptions in adverts will state that they are looking for someone with grit and agility, able to collaborate and work in a team, with excellent time management skills and able to work under pressure. Oh, and of course, to have a relevant degree or postgraduate degree, and a minimum of two years’ work experience. And that is where most graduates lose hope. They lack the experience.
There are two critical things at play here: 1) Soft skills (and future skills), and 2) Experience. Soft skills such as grit, agility, and the ability to collaborate and solve problems are only truly learnt through application – you must do it, to master it. This, combined with the requirement of a minimum two years’ experience, suggests that gaining practical and relevant experience during your studies and even before you graduate, matters.
best practice brand building models to socially relevant problems worth solving with creative and innovative solutions.Employers and organisations love smart thinkers who can deal with complexity; contributors who can make a difference, while adding value. Then the logic is, for parents, to invest in higher education and consider postgraduate studies that produce smart thinkers, and smart doers, with a can-do attitude, and a real-world industry portfolio of work. The aim is to become industry and world fit. Not to always fit in, but rather to stand out, and thrive.
W
Correia says Westown Square will be built in two years and the retail construction will be bolstered by a R733-million infrastructural upgrade to roads and services, of which the city will cover R600-million. Contractor Stefanutti Stocks will start work in September, although road upgrades are alreadyPuntedunderway.asapost-Covid retail experience, Westown Square will see low-rise buildings on what are now hills of sugarcane. It will be a “high street design” rather than a single mall under one roof, and among the three
WESTOWN: set to wow Durban
14 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022
DEVELOPMENT
anchor tenants is an 8 000m² Checkers Hyper Store. The anchor tenants will be surrounded by almost 100 retailers.
Durban’s property market looks set to get a much-needed boost with the announcement that developers and the municipality have done a deal to establish the city’s biggest new neighbourhood
estown Shongweniin could unlock nextinvestmentR15-billionoverthedecade.The
Their partner and Fundamentum CEO, Carlos Correia, compared Westown to Waterfall City in the Midrand, both based on a leasehold development model. Fundamentum bought the development rights from Tongaat Hulett for 2 000-hectares near Hillcrest, where property prices have exploded in the last 10 years.
“Westown will be the new economic hub for Durban’s Outer West, generating some R15-billion in new investment over the next 10
years,” Correia said. The development will be led by Fundamentum through the construction of its own buildings and in partnership with other developers for 2 800 residential units around the shops. There is also approval for 170 000m² of
100-hectare mixed-use urban precinct is on a chunk of prime real estate along the N3 between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, and the trigger for Westown is a R1,3-billion retail complex of 45 000m². The development is being led by privately held property company Fundamentum, whose shareholders include Durban entrepreneurs Sean and Don Bergsma.
into the popularity of the local Shongweni Market, a weekend artisanal fair that draws thousands of visitors to an area already favoured by nature lovers and hikers. The area currently boasts sports facilities and a polo club that reflects Shongweni’s strong equestrian legacy. Gold Circle’s Summerveld Training Centre in Shongweni has about 1 600 stables and a number of training tracks.
warehouses, commercial space, and a 100-bedFundamentumhospital. also has rights on the balance of the surrounding 2 000-hectares owned by Tongaat Hulett, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed sugar company. Tongaat, beset by financial scandals, initially sold 14-hectares of its Shongweni land to Fundamentum, but Covid challenges saw the agreement renegotiated and Fundamentum assumed development responsibilities for Westown. Fundamentum has an existing multibillion Rand portfolio in offices, retail and industrial property in KZN, the Free State and Gauteng.
Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 15
Correia says Fundamentum’s retail experience took the company to areas “where no one else will go, and that is why we have been successful”. “A shopping experience in Umlazi, uMhlanga, Inanda, or Rosebank shouldn’t be any different. Regardless of where you are, the shop fittings must be world-class, the spaces tidy, the gardens beautiful and the toilets clean. If you treat people with dignity they will be loyal customers.
“In Umlazi our mall is next to a
DEVELOPMENT
Westown will emphasise big gardens, wide walkways, and an experience supportive of the Shongweni green belt and the market vibe of “meeting and mingling, but replicated in a more structured, formal way”.
Westown experiencewalkways,emphasisewillbiggardens,wideandansupportiveoftheShongwenigreenbeltandthemarketvibe
“We got the new leadership of Tongaat over the line by proposing sustainable property development as opposed to just selling off the land – which is why it is a leasehold structure. It envisages a precinct development rather than a retail
For the Bergsmas, the Westown development offers hope to a province knocked by the trifecta of Covid, riots and floods. “Westown is one of the biggest infrastructural investments in Durban since the Soccer World Cup,” said Sean Bergsma.
In reformulating Westown Square, Correia and his design team tapped
“It allowed us to revisit what retail must be to deal with the new dynamics of how people engage with spaces. It is an environment where the consumer has a much bigger voice.”
development.”TongaatHulett – via a new property company – retains ownership of the land, with Fundamentum owning the development rights with a rolling 99year leasehold. Commercial end users will pay a percentage of their rental to the property company.
Bergsma said Covid demanded a
complete revision of shopping centre models that shifted the power dynamic away from retailers towards customers.
railway line on a piece of land that no one was interested in. We have a footfall of one million a month in a 23 000m² space.”
Road upgrades will see a sorely needed makeover of Kassier Road that crosses the M13 and the N3. It will involve two new bridges and transforming a badly potholed two-
lane road into four lanes.
Westown will be the new economic hub for Durban’s Outer West, generating some R15-billion in new investment over the next 10 years
because there are quite a few green elements that look top class. Greater residential, retail and office space is exciting, especially on the other side of the freeway from Hillcrest, considering the traffic in Hillcrest. Westown will be phenomenal for our area.”
Seeff’s Gregg Wilson said: “A lot of people are excited about the new Westown development, especially
Fundamentum projects that once phase 1 construction had been completed by September 2024, about 1 500 permanent jobs will be created.
His colleague, Rob Kelly, added, “This will draw in professionals who may want to reside in the area, rather than travelling greater distances to work here.” Kelly said house prices in Hillcrest had remained steady, with average listings upwards of R2-million and great demand for townhouses. *
TRADEZONE 2 SITES AVAILABLE NOW! LIGHT INDUSTRIAL REAL-ESTATE www.dubetradeport.co.za CONTACT: INVEST@DUBETRADEPORT.CO.ZA
16 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 DEVELOPMENT
Lee Ellis from Tyson Properties heralded the development saying the road upgrade would be an immediate boon for the area, but long-term it meant the creation of a new economic hub that would have a massive impact on logistics and job creation. “We anticipate a huge surge in the number of people looking for homes in the greater Shongweni area. Current suburbs such as Hillcrest and Assagay will benefit from the creation of Westown. It will have a big, positive impact on our economy.”
Fundamentum CEO, Carlos Correia: “We go where no one else will go, which is why we have been successful.
CONVEYANCING kingpins
18 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 ADVERTORIAL
Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 19ADVERTORIAL
Fill a lounge at uMhlanga’s dazzling Radisson Blu with KZN’s top conveyancing attorneys and noise levels rise and colleagues connect. KZN INVEST hosted the gathering where Anne Schauffer spoke to professionals dealing with rising interest rates, and the aftermath of Covid, riots and floods
transfers, compellingconveyancing firms to spend time and money following up with the various departments to expedite the process.” While he welcomes the online processes adopted by some local authorities and SARS, he feels it inhibits the resolution of the more complex matters that require interaction.“Business is cumbersome and more difficult, due to the FICA obligations and responsibilities imposed on attorneys. We recognise the need for legislation to counter money laundering, but the process could be a lot simpler and less onerous.”
Garlicke & Bousfield
20 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 ADVERTORIAL
TATHAMDOUGLAS
labour-intensive conveyancing process, into a fully integrated process where answers from role players come in Nineinstantly.”years at Norton Rose Fulbright, Tatham has spent 30 years competing in the Dusi, so when he’s not at the office, he’s keen to be involved in cleaning up our KZN waters. He stresses that taking up arms regarding water quality is not simply about paddling – it’s something which affects – and will affect – everyone in the province.
PHILLIPSGRAEME
Fawzia Khan & Associates
Norton Rose Fulbright
Graeme Phillips is a director at Garlicke & Bousfield where he’s practiced for 25 years. He describes the current property market as difficult: “And we don’t anticipate it easing in the next 18 to 24 months. But we do see activity in industrial property, particularly where platformed industrial land is available in the north.” He’s also seeing the sale of well-priced residential sectional title units in uMhlanga from developers, as veryPhillipspositive.says the registration of property transfers is being delayed because of government department inefficiencies: “Particularly rates clearance certificates by local authorities for ‘new’ properties. On occasion, we’ve waited up to six months for rates figures, which delays
Douglas Tatham of Norton Rose Fulbright, says his firm’s focus is primarily commercial property work, interacting with banks and developers: “The activities of our clients indicate there’s still strong movement in the KZN property market, visible in the take-up of sales in new residential property developments, the launch of new residential and industrial/commercial developments, and ongoing commercial lending for property acquisitions and developments.”Respondingto his wish list for the industry, his dream – which he admits is likely to remain just that because regulatory and transactional risks seem to grow by the year – is to automate what he describes as “an incredibly
Khan is keen to reduce paper use: “I’d love to see the legal profession –including the courts and deeds registries – become fully digitised, to spare our forests, have less wastage and need to recycle.” She is encouraged by industry strides to embrace technology. Thirty years in practice, she is honoured to be part of the Legal Practice Council’s group of examiners of candidate conveyancers and notaries.
Fawzia Khan of Fawzia Khan & Associates, is buoyed by the resilience of South Africans and the spirit of ubuntu which shone through what she describes as seismic challenges KZN endured over the past few years. “The property market has managed to remain somewhat stable, and although we hear predictions of market growth slowing, it’s remained steady, even lively. We continue to see first-time homeowners looking at affordable housing, and young professionals raring to start their property investment portfolios – they’re buying. It’s great to see developments in the commercial/retail and residential housing space taking root. We’re thrilled to be part of the professional team of a multi-million rand luxury residential sectional title development in Durban
KHANFAWZIA
North.” In a buyer’s market, she advises buyers to get in now.
Allison Schoeman is the managing director and shareholder of AMS Attorneys Inc, and has been involved in the conveyancing industry for 22 years. She explains that conveyancing is a challenging environment. Her ability to foresee and solve problems swiftly has enabled her to open her own practice and operate AMS Attorneys Inc for the last five years. She notes that it is not always easy to run your own business during the tough times and especially when the levels of corruption is at an all-time high: “The levels of corruption significantly impact service delivery which in turn impact the property registration times.
Garlicke & Bousfield
default on their bonds. This is turn will reduce the market value of properties.” She believes it is going to be more viable economically to rent thanGounden’sbuy. advice to others in her industry? “Diversify your service offerings – attorneys can no longer rely on their specialisations. To survive in a world of change – as is happening in the property market – one has to reinvent oneself.”
Anita Gounden of Anita Gounden Attorneys & Conveyancers considers the current property market to be extremely volatile, fuelled by the rising interest rates, high inflation, high unemployment levels and poverty at unprecedented highs. She has seen an increase in the uptake of transfers, with people looking for lifestyle changes and an improved quality of life, but she does believe the repercussions of the negative impact on the economy, will be more visible in a few months: “Interest rates and the downturn in the economy will result in a decrease in property transfers. I foresee numerous foreclosures by the banks as pressure builds on homeowners, and banks will sit with a book of bad debts as homeowners’
Simphiwe Maphumulo has spent 15 years at Garlicke & Bousfield, and supervises a team in the Property and Conveyancing department. He concurs with Phillips. If interest rates continue their upward trajectory, the current, albeit slight, downcycle will continue for the next 18 to 24 months: “But there are pockets of opportunity and, with the right product, a number of our clients are very active in the market.”
Anita Gounden Attorneys
Although the turnaround time in the deeds registry has improved somewhat, Covid and the failing water supply to the deeds registry has meant its closure on numerous occasions, which delays matters evenMaphumulofurther.” believes a general upskilling and up-staffing of the various departments of the local authority and SARS would make the work of the legal profession working in the property arena, a great deal easier.
Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 21ADVERTORIAL
SCHOEMANALLISON
Ukraine and Russia, rising fuel costs, inflation and interest rate hikes, but more significantly the corruption levels. A further challenge is the dissemination of information by clients: “Information on the internet is often misinterpreted.” However, despite these challenges she remains passionate about her profession and seeks to make a difference where she can: “I have built everything on my own, so it is important to me to share with others that everything is possible if you work hard enough to achieve it.’’
GOUNDENANITA
She describes the current market conditions as “complicated” due to various factors – the war between
MAPHUMULOSIMPHIWE
Talking transfer trends, Maphumulo says: “In light of the burden of increased government legislation, and the inefficiencies with local government departments (particularly rates clearance certificates), transfer of property is generally taking longer to register.
AMS Attorneys Inc
Woodhead Bigby Attorneys
He considers it important to increase the quality and frequency of training to all in the property industry: “It’ll create a better understanding of how to structure deals and the importance thereof.”
He also feels there’s a modicum of scepticism, with South Africans waiting to see how the economy, political and social climate plays out. He sees optimism among stakeholders that the market could pick up in the last quarter of 2022.
pricing in conveyancing fees, time lags with the issuing of rate certificates, and delays caused by infrastructure faults – electricity and water – cause government departments to close at short notice which reduces capacity. SARS strikes, too, have impacted the obtaining of transfer duty receipts, and caused delays in transfer turnaround times.”
LEEREDVERS
BIGBYMARGARET
She adds, “Those tighter criteria mean sellers – commercial and residential –have to confront possible downward adjustments to their asking prices.
Venns Attorneys
OSMANBILAL J Leslie Smith & Company Inc
Redvers Lee of Venns Attorneys began his career 40 years ago at Venns … and he’s still there, now as chairman of this 120-strong firm. He has a good relationship with the deeds office and a great understanding of its processes. In his view, the market is fairly flat, and the rate increases have not only affected affordability levels, but are causing uncertainty and indecision: “The July looting affected the expansion of some businesses. The loss of tenants in commercial/industrial buildings –and the reduction of space – all affect this sector. Those who are currently cash-flush are active in the commercial/ industrial market.”
Lending is still happening of course, but at lower thresholds and with tighter terms especially with escalating interest rates. This forces sellers to reassess their prices.”
Bigby is confident about the firm’s ability to develop and adapt to changing circumstances: “We’re working off a solid foundation, where adaptation to change comes naturally to us and our business.”
Bilal Osman is a director at J Leslie Smith & Co Inc in Pietermaritzburg. He feels the market has slowed a little, specifically properties exceeding R1,5-million: “It’s evident from the types of instructions we’re receiving, and interaction with banks and property practitioners. It’s the interest rate increase. Sellers are demanding their prices and playing the long game hoping the economy recovers post-Covid and July riots, which could see a growing appetite for property.”
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Margaret says they deal mainly with business, commercial, corporate and higher-end residential property transactions: “Generally the market has been fairly flat, which has a lot to do with the various external pressures on market sentiment, and the tighter lending criteria being applied by banks.”
Margaret Bigby of Woodhead Bigby Attorneys is a director and shareholder, having spent 11 years in the profession. She’s reticent about billing the firm as a family one, but that family ethos is inescapable: “My great-grandfather was the original Bigby lawyer, followed by my grandfather and my father. My brother James, dad Scott and myself have complementary skills which make for a really unique and efficient professional collaboration.”
“Regarding commercial property, companies seem to be restructuring their businesses. Those restarting or renewing, are thinking long-term by moving property between entities to ensure security of assets and tax efficiency. I think that’s positive, as it shows businesses are looking long-term and showing resilience, which is what we need.”
The negative impacts on the conveyancing process, he said, were: “Constant requests for discounted
“Transfers have slowed down, but we see more movement in the R800 000 to R1,2-million residential market. The high end over R2,5-million has stalled as they are looking at investments like coastal lifestyle estates.
YADHYA
SAIJAL
Saijal Pale of AMC Hunter INC became a director last year. Since the start of 2022, she’s seen a dip in property market sales, which she attributes largely to interest rate hikes and rising inflation: “But, we have seen an uptick in properties purchased in gated estates and offplan developments, which reflects the public’s increased concerns around security.”
AMC Hunter INC
Challenges within municipalities retards the speed of registration of deeds, and therefore the flow of money … added to which, there is far more background compliance, due diligence and form-filling to make progress. Essentially, each transaction requires far more work than before.” She adds however, “We’re fortunate to have a business that has developed and adapted to change over the years – we’re confident in ourselves, our diverse team of professionals and our efficiencies to continue in practice for many years to come.”
Pale has a vision for the industry’s future which she believes would make it far more efficient, costeffective and environmentally friendly: “I’d reduce the company’s carbon footprint by making the profession more technologically advanced, especially with response to mortgage bond registrations and
MPHO TITUS Titus Attorneys Inc
the deeds office processes. This will require banks to change their system to enable clients to sign documents electronically and remotely.
Mpho Titus opened the doors to Titus Attorneys Inc at Westway Office Park in Westville in March this year. He’s watching property trends with interest: “Due to the new way of working with hybrid work structures, more people are leaving city hubs and purchasing in smaller towns, as well as buying more spacious properties to accommodate the work-from-home model.”
removed: “It needs to happen so a greater number of small- and medium-size conveyancing firms can access opportunities within the property market.”
Woodhead Bigby Attorneys
“Furthermore,” she adds, “being able to submit documents to the deeds office for lodgement online, would not only alter our business, but the entire conveyancing fraternity.”
He commented on the general expectation that the luxury property market would suffer in the unstable economy – it’s not his experience: “I’ve seen an increase in activity there. There’s also a rising demand for off-grid living, which has forced developers to pay more attention to energy efficiency and green living.” Titus feels the industry needs barriers
She begins her day with a beach walk – always in the wet sand, she stresses – and it’s that which keeps her grounded and positive: “It’s not all doom and gloom out there,” she says. “The current economic trough won’t last forever – we’re expecting improvements from the first quarter of Regarding2023.” sales in the current market, “prices are lower than sellers anticipate, which is expected when loan finance is tougher to obtain.
BISSASSER
Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 23ADVERTORIAL
PALE
Yadhya Bissasser is a director and shareholder at Woodhead Bigby Attorneys, mainly handling business and commercial lending transactions, mortgage registrations and securitisation. She has been in the profession for 28 years.
lower end of the market – under R1,5-million – remains active, and sectional title and estates are selling well.
Property practitioners report a shortage of stock, he says, but he envisages that situation changing soon as households come under pressure with the increased cost of living: “It seems as
She feels attorneys and law firms should rely more on proper information technology processes – to conserve paper and reduce our carbon footprint. Her final words: “In a world where there is mediocracy choose to be extraordinary!”
THEO RENSBURGVAN Kloppers Durban Inc
AMC Hunter INC
Cherise Kaela Jewnarain joined AMS Attorneys Inc as an attorney in 2019, and became a notary in 2020. Her father is also an attorney, so they’ve kept law in the family.
CHERISE JEWNARAINKAELA AMS Attorneys Inc
if current buyers who’re committing to offers, are ones who’ve done extensive research. Buyers are looking extensively at available properties, and once committed to a property as serious buyers, their signed offers become conclusive sales. This has resulted in a number of our recent transfers being registered in record time.”
Karien Hunter of AMC Hunter INC, celebrating its 35 years in business this year, insists that its success is a team thing. She laughs, “We’re older than Facebook!”Thepractice has three branches which she oversees –Ballito, Berea, and Amanzimtoti – and Hunter says she’s working with the best team she’s ever had. She loves the quote: None of us acting alone can achieve success, and she’s a firm believer that that mantra has played out perfectly in her Lookingpractice.atthe property market, she sees the recent increase in interest rates as returning the market to “normal”: “The
Theo van Rensburg of Kloppers Durban Inc has been practicing for 20 years.
of deceased estate transfers and distressed transfers, which causes delays and affects the turnaround times of registration. What makes her despondent about the profession are the “underhanded dealings” and the lack of fair and equal practices.
24 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 ADVERTORIAL
HUNTERKARIEN
She expressed her frustrations regarding certain types of transactions, namely the areas
Van Rensburg adds, “A good team and solid business is built over time. Outcomes change because we change the way we do things, not by waving a magic wand.”
“If I could wave a magic wand, I’d love to see improved efficiencies at local authority level with the issue of rates clearance certificates.”
She has pointed out the instability in the property market primarily caused by Covid-19, with South Africa’s annual inflation being the highest level since the global financial crisis. This coupled with increased fuel costs and the recent flooding, the volatility of the property market does not come as a surprise. However, she does see positive signs of the market picking up and becoming stable once again.
At one point, it was a toss-up … law or rugby coaching. He’d played provincially and internationally before entering the coaching arena, but chose family life over that of “Consumerscoaching.areunder pressure,” he says, “causing a slow-down in activity over the past few months – June to August are generally slower months. It might be slightly slower than the norm, but coming off a record-breaking period post-Covid, I see it as the market returning to normality.”
economy opportunities, and these opportunities include local communities growing vegetables in newly cleared spaces and waste beneficiation. A paver that is as strong as concrete has been created from plastic, glass and sand retrieved from rivers. It is ready to go to Hemarket.saidthe next step was to identify partnerships and role players within three river spaces – Umhlangane, Palmiet and Umhlatuzana. *
But this was conservative, said Tooley. “We haven’t even costed in the additional green economy opportunities. What this translates to is that, for every rand we spend, we are creating benefits worth R1,92.”
suitable for recreation.
The footage shows that rivers that had been cleared as part of eThekwini Municipality’s Sihlanzimvelo Stream Cleaning Programme had suffered little, if any, Geoffdamage.Tooley, senior manager, Catchment Management for eThekwini Municipality, said Sihlanzimvelo started in 2011 and used an enterprise development model to motivate community clean-ups.
Cities and Climate in Africa – a project preparation facility co-funded by the European Union and Swiss and French development agencies – is now providing R200-million in start-up funding for the programme.
V
Shirley le Guern
The biggest challenge, though, is that the Municipal Finance Management Act prevents the municipality from using its resources to clean up rivers on privately owned and tribal trust land. Hence the need for both public and private investment.Researchalong the Ohlanga River (extrapolated for the whole city) revealed that R7,5-billion in public and private investment was needed to expand the programme to all rivers over the next 20 years.
hasSihlanzimveloalsosaved the city millions by damagepreventingtoculverts and associated infrastructure
Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 25 The writessavingtotoeThekwiniinitiativeProgrammeStreamSihlanzimveloCleaning–anstartedbyMunicipalitypreventdamageinfrastructure–isthecitymillions,
Geoff Tooley, part of the Catchment Management team for eThekwini Municipality.
What started with 295km of rivers under maintenance had grown to 525km with work completed in KwaMashu, Inanda, Ntuzuma and Umlazi, creating clean public spaces
Initial research showed that if the project was rolled out over 1 200km of rivers and streams crossing municipal land, this would cost R92-million, provide R177-million in benefits and create a further 1 500 jobs.
ideo footage and photographs taken from helicopters the day after the April floods showed the extent to which damage was caused by alien vegetation rather than plastic river pollution.
GREEN
Tooley said there was a good business case for using the model to manage all 7 400km of rivers and streams acrossAccordingDurban.to Tooley, the municipal and societal benefits exclude green
Tooley said that Sihlanzimvelo had created 105 co-operatives with eight to 10 members each who were trained to safely remove alien vegetation and solid waste along river corridors. They were also tasked with reporting sewer leaks, blocked manholes, illegal dumping and pollution. Sihlanzimvelo has also saved the city millions by preventing damage to culverts and associated infrastructure.
ROBUST rivers
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Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 27ADVERTORIAL
TUHF customers are funded between R50 000 and R50-million. They target yields of 12% and over. Though typically identified with the inner city, TUHF has funded a host of projects in Phoenix, Red Hill and Avoca. Moodley says the demand for safe, densified living with good amenities is driving the repurposing of old properties, adding that TUHF
TUHF was formed in 2003 to fill the void created when big money fled the inner cities. TUHF is a specialised company that finances brave property investors, many though not exclusively, in inner cities. TUHF funding for over 650 buildings provides more than 43 000 residential units across South Africa, including over 80 projects in KZN where Sershin Moodley is the regional manager. Moodley, TUHF portfolio manager Sabir Yusuf, and colleagues Sireena Ramparsad and Banu Naidu filled the Durban Ricksha bus recently and took property professionals on a ride through the CBD, Glenwood and Morningside areas, giving passengers the chance to marvel at what TUHF and its partners are doing.
PROPERTY prosperity
AmongCourt.TUHF’s services is an annual building inspection for each of its projects. Moodley says while banks and funds are preoccupied with the bottom line, TUHF looks at the social impact of developments and the potential for capital
Sershin Moodley.
entrepreneurs operate in the affordable sector.
P
Sabir Yusuf.
Banu Naidu.
“Thereappreciation.isagrowing demand for safe, family entrepreneursMoodleyinaccommodationfriendlywithamenitiesurbandevelopmentzones,”says.“Ourpropertyarefillingthisgap.”
“We are a mortgage financier. We are a non-bank financial services company that borrows money from the capital markets and invests it to help entrepreneurs grow property businesses.”InDurban, smart TUHF projects stand out from their neighbours. The focus is on clever overhauls and an array of services that keep good tenants. The old Beach Hotel on the promenade, for example, was funded by TUHF. It caters for student accommodation, although only 10% of TUHF’s portfolio is student accommodation. Among the Beach Hotel’s offerings is a McDonalds and a gym.
roperty boffins love to warble on about trends, but there’s nothing quite like seeing opportunity first hand to appreciate it. Not too many people know about property financier company TUHF – a national commercial outfit with a R4,2-billion loan book which is doing some amazing work redeveloping suburbs across South Africa.
Yusuf describes TUHF customers as “street smart and quick off the mark”. Another TUHF-funded building is the impeccably restored and maintained Art Deco building, Berea
Smart investors are realising huge value in property investments in unlikely places. TUHF recently hosted a drive around downtown Durban showcasing their successful projects
Sheldon Johnsen
Thabile Bock.
The partners say TUHF helped identify potential challenges early on. TUHF’s extensive checklists help evaluate all possible issues and though it can seem like a lot of paperwork, the partners say there is value in a thorough approach.
Yianni Pavlou from Portfolio Property Investments: “Regeneration is well underway through property investors taking the initiative to refurbish, restore and modernise their buildings.”
Kendal Coward.
TUHF Case Study 139 Lena Ahrens
Priyanka Pillay.
Their tenants are mostly young people in entry level jobs, so all their units are bachelor units that accommodate two and have a kitchenette, shower and toilet. The units are fitted with porcelain tiles and granite tops, energy-saving geysers, and individually billed water and electricity metres.
“We don’t run this business by remote. It is not a side hustle. It’s important to be there and to be involved,” Johnsen
Thabile Bock from Cede Properties: “TUHF makes it possible even for small investors who would ordinarily have not been able to own properties to actually realise their goals. What I like most is how they clean up the area by renovating and making way for new developments that are in demand.”
Nagel added. “We do other little things as well, like making all our bathrooms wet rooms. This makes it easier for tenants to clean, which they love. And we make sure to provide good security, with burglar bars and gates – even on third-floor units – which is important to ensure people feel safe. Putting this extra care in helps to build good relationships. They know we care about their living standards. It creates loyalty.”
“Whensays.you build, always expect the unexpected,”
TUHF portfolio manager Sabir Yusuf said: “One of the reasons why Johnsen and Nagel have been so successful in their property journey is because they not only have skin in the game, they also have heart.” They boast a 98% occupancy rate; have full-time cleaners and gardeners at each property, and try respond to tenant complaints in person within an hour.
Noeleen Naidoo.
28 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 ADVERTORIAL
Estate agent and property investor Kendal Coward: “Investors and bigger groups are sprucing up buildings, and in some cases, entire blocks. Once shabby buildings have been dramatically improved. This is beyond curbside appeal. They are brightly coloured and well maintained, but well run as well. It inspires others to redevelop one building at a time.”
Noeleen Naidoo from Ingwe Property: “We know that change is the only constant. This is fully evident in the development and progress supported by TUHF. This journey of transformation renews hope in our city. Looking forward to a better, brighter Durban.”
Priyanka Pillay from In2Assets: “The CBD remains the heart of KZN. The restoration adds new businesses with modern, affordable housing, amplifying Durban's warm atmosphere. It’s also great to see investors seeing the importance of quality student accommodation which helps educate youth in safety and stability.”
Amanda Dlamini.
Business partners Sheldon Johnsen and Jacques Nagel are among TUHF’s clients whose portfolio demonstrates impact through scale, and one of their buildings makes for a good TUHF case study.
Five years ago 139 Lena Ahrens in Glenwood was a tatty maisonette being rented out by the room. Johnsen and Nagel saw potential and redeveloped the property. There were a host of challenges, including a big outstanding rates bill, power issues, and structural problems, all of which were overcome when the partners invested.
Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 29ADVERTORIAL
From left: Yianni Pavlou, Andrew Giddy, Banu Naidu, Ryan Swart, Sireena Ramparsad, Sabir Yusuf, Mike van Schoor.
Cindy Poonsamy.
Left to right: Mondli Ngema and Mandy Biyela.
Emma Andre.
To host an event like this contact 082McCallumJenni4116401
Anand Brimiah.
Keval Mehta, 42, has worked for his family’s investment firm for six years. He previously ran the operations at Uniprint, a firm started by his greatgrandfather. Keval – who has an undergraduate degree in printing and an MBA from UCT – was mainly involved in manufacturing. He also worked for Absa capital private equity. He says working in the engine room of the printing works gave him a good understanding of the nuances of running a business and keen insights into investing.
The announcement that two privately owned Durban firms – both headquartered in KZN – had partnered in a 70/30 deal to buy franchised courier company, Fastway Couriers South Africa, garnered a few headlines.
“Our role as private equity investors is to support. Financial and banking skills are important but these don’t always give you a sense of the guts of a business.
AboutMehtaKeval
30 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022
Everyone says the smart money is in e-commerce and the figures bandied about for the growth of this market are dazzling. Eye watering sums are being made by firms harnessing new customer behaviour brought on by Covid lockdown. People have become accustomed to shopping online and everything from providing online payment gateways to product delivery mechanisms are an opportunity for a slice of the action.
SPRINT
E-COMMERCE
last mile
For many businesses Covid was a curse, but on the positive side, companies that have shaped their businesses around new pavingbehaviour,customeraretheway for the future. KZN INVEST caught up with Keval Mehta to find out more about a recent investment
“One of our investments is in a family business where the operators are very passionate and successful. They wanted to buy another machine to increase capacity, but this would have involved more premises and a host of considerations. We had multiple conversations that required granular detail about the business, and eventually opted to run two shifts at the same plant. It was a step-by-step process around empowering staff and considering all their requirements from everything operational to how they would get home safely. The cost benefit analysis involved understanding pain points, potential gains and mitigating risk.”
slow adopter of e-commerce but we’ll catch up. It is a bit like the take up in cellphones. It was slow to start, then the business exploded.
The value countrytransactionse-commerceofintheisexpectedtosurgetoR225-billionby2025
Engineering News said City Logistics and equity group Clearwater Capital’s acquisition would create one of the largest turnkey logistics providers to the fashion, retail and e-commerce sectors. The Fastaway purchase seems like a savvy move.
There are varying estimates as to the size of the e-commerce market. One report frequently quoted says it is worth R80-billion a year, and South Africa ranks number 41 in the world. Another, referenced by Rand Merchant Bank, says the value of e-commerce transactions in the country is expected to surge to R225-billion by 2025.
“We began by exploring different areas within e-commerce for prospective investment. But we understood that efficient last mile fulfilment nationally would be a key enabler for mass e-commerce adoption. Today fashion and consumer staples drive the vast majority of e-commerce volumes, and given our relationship with City Logistics and their deep retail distribution insights, they were a natural partner for us to invest into the sector with.
RMB said lockdown massively accelerated the increase and its data showed more than 5 000 SA retailers with online turnover of more than R100 000 a Clearwateryear.Capital executive director Keval Mehta said the Fastway investment followed years of brainstorming within the group that controls a R1-billion portfolio in South Africa.“South Africa has been a fairly
Fastaway, which operates in New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and South Africa, has over 1 700 franchises, 300 of them in South Africa serviced by a fleet of 500 vehicles moving millions of parcels a year. Each franchise represents a business owner that’s been created through this model – something impactful in a country desperate for entrepreneurship.Fastwaylooksset to bolster the existing City Logistics offering to its present retail customer base, but extending this into the small and medium-sized enterprise market might be where the big play is.
City Logistics already boasts 30 years in the business, has 14 depots countrywide and supports a fleet of over 1 000 vehicles, travelling more than 170 000km a day. The company has built its reputation servicing Mr Price and other key retailers.
Clearwater is invested in six companies that span industrial supplies, auto components, agricultural inputs, waste management,absorbingKevalandtelecommunicationsmedical.saysthediversityisanddemandsalotofinvestigation.Clearwaterhas
“We want to create capacity for growth. The logistics environment is dynamic and has a variety of players, each trying to find a niche in that space. We have a deeply collaborative approach. Fastway is a network of micro entrepreneurs who need support. We want to strengthen that and help optimise processes. This is a competitive and dynamic market but if you think smart there is opportunity.” *
E-COMMERCE
“We can offer our network and deep logistics insights to customers of all sizes.
Keval believes there is great scope for KZN. “We see the province as an entrepreneurial hotbed. It is a difficult market but generally if you can make it here you can make it anywhere.”
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Clearwater Capital executive director, Keval Mehta.
“Fastway was basically started in South Africa with one man and a bakkie and has grown into a company with a national footprint.”
Keval says with the roll-out of 5G the country will need 10 times the number of towers we have now. “We’re very excited about the business. It is being driven by societal change and the demand for connectivity.”
Clearwater Capital and its coinvestor, Mangro Holdings, has a 34% stake in the company which is a subsidiary of a London-listed telecom tower infrastructure company. In South Africa Helios owns or manages over 350 cellphone towers, more than 10% of the country’s capacity.
“Over time we looked at a few businesses in the space and we learnt a lot about the different models for fulfilment. It was clear that scaling in logistics with a group of owner-drivers had immense potential. Fastway was on our radar so once we heard the business was for sale, we knew their operating model scaled well.
“The tail winds are good, the e-commerce sector has seen exceptional growth in the last few years, but it is still quite young in its evolution in South Africa. Using data to provide deeper insights for customers and franchisees will continue to enable them to make more informed decisions to optimise their logistics solutions.
The firm was started by Keval’s father Harish, and his siblings, Bharat, Yatish and Aasha in 2004 to diversify their interests. It is a mid-market fund with a host of investments and boasts an internal rate of return of 26% to date.
About 25% of the firm’s investments are in KZN.
Mehta said the City Logistics/ Clearwater Capital investment would add value especially to small enterprises, some working out of their garage, sending out a few parcels a day.
been interested in the South African agricultural sector due to its farming being world-class and the fact that northern hemisphere countries source a lot of their fruit from SA. “We’re not in primary agriculture, but we’re interested in the value chain. Our investments in agriculture focus on processing and supply chain. We recently looked at a fascinating business where a growth area was in cutting and drying mangoes and exporting them to high-end European retailers.” Another, totally different example of the firm’s investment is in Helios.
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a combination of bespoke digital marketing strategies that essentially put prospective customers through a “funnel” and helps the customer “self-qualify” to transact with the client.
In February 2021, Durban entrepreneur Scott Langley was sitting in a safe and futuregovernment-fundedcomfortablecorporatepositionwithapromisingahead,but,as Jonathan Erasmus writes, Langley had a vision
s the marketing and sales director at a major South African convention centre where he had been employed for just short of a decade, it would have been easy for Langley, 44, a family man and avid surfer, to ride the proverbial wave and then follow the natural progression of growth from within the global conference and convention centre network.
Langley had been experimenting after hours with building online sales funnels and, not having a product of his own to sell and needing a proof of concept, he entered into a deeper conversation with
A
A key goal is to help his clients make money while they sleep
The automated digital sales funnel follows the same logic and allows businesses to target a broad audience at first, and then lead them through the process and understand their needs, via whittling down. Through this process, potential customers either qualify or disqualify themselves, resulting in the only customers left being those who are seriously interested in your service offering.
generally a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom and is often used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening.
He felt he had no choice but to leave his corporate gig at the Durban International Convention Centre. Langley served his last day on February 28, 2021 and, in the middle of the global coronavirus pandemic, launched Kaizen Alpha Marketing.Aself-styled business coach and “custom funnel builder”, Langley now strives to help current and potential entrepreneurs turn their services and products into profit-making enterprises. He enables them to connect with their “dream” customers 24/7, using
In everyday use, a funnel is
“HeGamede.wasproducing wonderful
It was following his own advice that led him down this path, combined with a chance meeting in 2020 with motivational speaker, Sanele Gamede.
to solve?’ Then we go from there.”
“It was something I could no longer ‘unsee’. And once you have that idea in your mind, you can only ignore it for so long before you have to decide. Either you are never going to do it and must stop thinking about all the different ways you could help people, or you need to act on it now,” said Langley.
AUTOMATIONproblemsolving
A key goal is to help his clients make money while they sleep.
But he had one problem. He could no longer “unsee” a vision he had – one to help more people excel in their businesses with the skills and insights he had learnt in automated online sales funnels, a technique that is still in the early stage of adoption in South Africa.
34 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022
“That feeling never gets old. I always ask clients to ask themselves what is important to them and what they really want from life. It could be wealth, fame or something else. We may have to face some hard truths but that’s OK. That’s where change happens. And once we have the answer to that question, we then ask: ‘What is the main problem you want
ENTREPRENEUR
come out on the other end, in a mindset ready to buy and feel like it’s their decision that they’re wanting to transact with you.”
He said that with access to vast amounts of data online, it has become easier to target the “dream customer” and help him or her “selfqualify themselves” to be interested in what is being offered.
“When24/7.you wake up and see that 10 new sales have come in, and the money is in your bank account, that’s always a great feeling. You’ve solved someone else’s problem automatically. That’s just awesome.”
*
The core of Langley’s business is about finding the most innovative ways to engage with the client’s audience.“It’snot so much about the vehicle
Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 35
content, he had written books, he was selflessly and altruistically giving of his time to lift other people up, but he was battling to make ends meet.”
or reaching the audience – be it a funnel website, webinar or e-commerce store – but to remain true to the marketing principles of understanding who the people that you serve are.”
Gamede agreed to allow Langley to build a personalised digital sales funnel for him and only get paid a percentage if he helped him turn a profit.“Since then, we have completed 13 projects together and he has gone from strength to strength, and has built a successful expert-authority brand in his field.”
“Most people love buying, but they hate being sold. The idea is that there’s a process, moving people from where they are now, understanding them and helping them self-qualify themselves through an automated process, so that they
ENTREPRENEUR
Sanele Gamede and Scott Langley. Picture: Val Adamson
If you have a product or service that can solve another person’s problem any time of the day, according to Langley, and you are able to automate and lead them through this process online, it empowers your business to operate
Working remotely seems to be evolving at the speed of light. Covid, riots and the floods dramatically altered how people viewed their offices, writes Bradley Porter
hile we are still dusting ourselves off from the aftermath of Covid, “insurrection”an and the floods, it may be hard to see but the demand for flexible work space which accounts for 2% of the commercial office space, is projected to grow to 30% in the next eight years. That 2020 data comes from international property brokerage Jones Lang Lasalle (represented locally by Lambie Sparks).
What this means is that more buildings will have to be tailored for flexible work spaces. The age of relying on buildings for passive income are behind us. As Bheki Mdluli from Stratprop said, “buildings are businesses”. They are ecosystems. They have personalities and idiosyncrasies. You need to work them hard to trade on that. People don’t just need an empty space to work from, they want comfort, security, convenience, connectivity and a vibe.
36 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022
We tested this data early 2021 in uMhlanga and found this to be bang in-line at 1,97%. To bring this home, this means that flexible office space in the uMhlanga area alone will grow from 7 650m² to 114 750m² by 2030.
BUILDINGS are businesses
I liken it to the coffee market. In 2004 I came home from a stint in London and couldn’t find a flat white, a macchiato or even a humble espresso. Barista coffee was a rare thing. Fast forward to today and any self-respecting venue that doesn’t boast a barista-style coffee isn’t taking themselves seriously enough.
WORK SPACES
We see two major trends that support this data – companies want smaller
spaces and don’t want to commit for long periods. Minimising risk is the main driver in the “pandemic induced” paradigm shift, highlighting the value of Butflexibility.theway we work was changing, even pre-Covid. The rising costs of labour and transport coupled with the exponential advancements in technology were encouraging businesses to save money while addressing the
needs of employee benefits. When lockdown emptied offices overnight, businesses had to adapt.
The pandemic and the economy have been a dog-show leaving many businesses damaged and some broken beyond repair. The still-to-be-realised longer-term affects will render landlords losers if they are inflexible and don’t view their buildings as responsive businesses.
W
Stratprop’s founder, Frank Reardon, says that across the city vacancies remain a challenge leading to rents continuing a stubbornly sideways movement or in some areas even declining. The only real activity they are seeing is in the contact centre space and this is concentrated in the uMhlanga area.
We can do this because we identify the right spaces, manage the systems and processes, provide the best environments at the right prices, attract and retain the right users and give them the best customer experiences all the while keeping our landlords informed with transparent and regular reporting. To repeat what Bheki said: buildings are businesses. *
We launched our concept with two sites (in Musgrave and uMhlanga) totalling 3 000m², and have since had another 1 500m² come on stream in Mount Edgecombe. We expect to triple this total by the end of 2023 as more people embrace new hybrid work spaces. We are seeing that people want spots in decentralised nodes like Ballito, Durban North, Westville and Kloof.
immediate needs and budgets. A nomad can have unlimited access in any one of our locations for as little as R570 a month, a small team can rent a meeting room for R140 an hour or host a session for a few days in one of our training facilities.
Bradley Porter.
Frank Reardon and Bheki Mdluli.
Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 37WORK SPACES
We are finding that users want to tailor their requirements to meet their
Brett Holding.
With our occupancy averaging 70% over the past 18 months, our landlords are enjoying decent rentals, especially those who understand customers don’t want to tie themselves to long-term commitments. Instead, they want convenience and flexibility.
To respond to this I founded Connect Space in January 2021 with my business partner, management consultant Brett Holding. Having been in the serviced office industry for more than 17 years I help landlords navigate this strange world where bricks and mortar meet hospitality and marketing.
A case in point, an uMhlanga landlord we had been introduced to was faced with a 1 000m² vacancy in early 2021. At the same time, we had a customer outgrowing an existing space in the same building, so we engaged. Our proposal was that we “plant” this customer in 200m² with a view to unlocking the balance of the space. They were receptive but retained a healthy scepticism. In the end, with few other options being tabled, they accepted our offer. Within a year our customer grew to cover the entire 1 000m².
Occupiers want low risk, short-term, small spaces that offer employee wellbeing (mental and environmental), fast reliable uncapped internet, business continuity, back-up power, the ability to network and share ideas and good coffee. Space is a service and it will fuel buying behaviour as consumers become spoilt for choice.
The following entities operate from the investSA KwaZulu-Natal One-Stop-Shop located at Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal’s premises.
The KwaZulu-Natal One-Stop-Shop is an integrated central hub designed to assist investors looking to do business in the province and local exporters seeking to expand their reach into new markets, by providing all-in-one specialised services with the support of national government departments to ease red tape. If you are ready to invest, we at the investSA KwaZulu-Natal One-Stop-Shop will guide you, every step of the way.
MAKING DOING BUSINESS IN KWAZULU-NATAL EASY
KWAZULU-NATAL, THE GATEWAY TO AFRICA AND THE WORLD, IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS AND TO ELEVATING INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH THE KWAZULU-NATALINVESTSAONE-STOP-SHOP.
2 Issue 17 WINTER 2022 ISO 9001 Certi ed
REASONS TO KWAZULU-NATAL
SERVICES Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal is a South African trade and inward investment promotion agency established to: Promote, brand and market the province of KwaZulu-Natal as an destinationinvestment Link opportunities to the communityKwaZulu-Natalneedsdevelopmentalofthe Retain activitiesandexpandandtradeexportProvide toserviceprofessionalaallclienteleIdentify, develop and KwaZulu-Natalopportunitiesinvestmentpackagein Facilitate trade by assisting local companies to access marketsinternational The agency is equipped with the professional expertise and experience, as well as national and international networks geared to maintaining and growing KwaZulu-Natal’s competitive advantage as a premier investment destination and leader in export trade.
• In close proximity and within easy access to South Africa’s two largest ports, Durban and Richards Bay, and King Shaka International Airport for air cargo • Access to the large labour pool • Diverse cultures • Gateway to other African countries • World-class transport and telecommunications infrastructure • Investment and export incentive schemes • Mature manufacturing base • Idyllic climate GROWING THE PROVINCE THROUGH FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT AND EXPORT TRADE INVESTMENT PROMOTION SERVICES • Sector economic data provisioning • Backward and forward linkages • Joint venture facilitation • Capital raising through finance institutions • General business advice AFTERCARE SERVICES • Incentive programme advice • Inward and outward investment promotion missions • Project packaging and profiling • Export training • Business market intelligence EXPORT ADVISORY SERVICES • Access to international trade exhibitions • KwaZulu-Natal export portal profiling • Decision support model with market intelligence INVESTSA ONE STOP SHOP SERVICES • Specialist investment advisory and facilitation services • Permits • Registration • Licensing • Market intelligence • Advice on business processes and locating in KwaZulu-Natal • Company matchmaking services SERVICESOFFERED SOUTH AFRICA’S BEST KEPT SECRET IS OUT… TRADE & INVESTMENT KWAZULU-NATAL NEWS www.tikzn.co.za ISO 9001 Certified
Issue 17 WINTER 2022 3 YOUR KNOWLEDGE PARTNER IN BUSINESS MANDATE SERVICES Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal is a South African trade and inward investment promotion agency established to: Promote, brand and market the province of KwaZulu-Natal as an destinationinvestment Link opportunities to the communityKwaZulu-Natalneedsdevelopmentalofthe Retain activitiesandexpandandtradeexportProvide toserviceprofessionalaallclienteleIdentify, develop and KwaZulu-Natalopportunitiesinvestmentpackagein Facilitate trade by assisting local companies to access marketsinternational The agency is equipped with the professional expertise and experience, as well as national and international networks geared to maintaining and growing KwaZulu-Natal’s competitive advantage as a premier investment destination and leader in export trade. REASONS TO INVEST IN KWAZULU-NATAL • In close proximity and within easy access to South Africa’s two largest ports, Durban and Richards Bay, and King Shaka International Airport for air cargo • Access to the large labour pool • Diverse cultures • Gateway to other African countries • World-class transport and telecommunications infrastructure • Investment and export incentive schemes • Mature manufacturing base • Idyllic climate GROWING THE PROVINCE THROUGH FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT AND EXPORT TRADE INVESTMENT PROMOTION SERVICES • Sector economic data provisioning • Backward and forward linkages • Joint venture facilitation • Capital raising through finance institutions • General business advice AFTERCARE SERVICES • Incentive programme advice • Inward and outward investment promotion missions • Project packaging and profiling • Export training • Business market intelligence EXPORT ADVISORY SERVICES • Access to international trade exhibitions • KwaZulu-Natal export portal profiling • Decision support model with market intelligence INVESTSA ONE STOP SHOP SERVICES • Specialist investment advisory and facilitation services • Permits • Registration • Licensing • Market intelligence • Advice on business processes and locating in KwaZulu-Natal • Company matchmaking services SERVICESOFFERED SOUTH AFRICA’S BEST KEPT SECRET IS OUT… TRADE & INVESTMENT KWAZULU-NATAL NEWS www.tikzn.co.za ISO 9001 Certified YOUR KNOWLEDGE PARTNER IN BUSINESS
MANDATE
INVEST IN
CALL CENTRES
she saw signs that work from home was about to become reality and quickly set up her team members to work from home. The stealth with which the MCS and Connect BPS teams were able to move kept spirits up during the pandemic, especially considering their offices in Cornubia were a bespoke build.
In July 2021 Hill and her family were at a game reserve when they got the devastating news that the Cornubia offices had been completely gutted in the riots. In a matter of hours the offices of MCS and Connect BPS went up in smoke and the staff had to work from home again.
In 2021 MCS won KZN Top Business award for Employee Wellness considering how the company had helped staff during Covid.
everfacing“Creditnavigated.sensitivelyprovidersaresomeofthegreatestchallengesthattheyhavefaced.Debtorsareunderenormouspressureandthis
H
Hill is a chartered accountant who bought the business from a client in 2009. Before that, she did articles with PwC, worked for UK banks, and then with Colgate-Palmolive in New York. Returning to SA in 1999 she ran her own accounting and tax firm for a decade before buying MCS.
40 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022
HillSaskiatells businesstaleItandgood,storyremarkableaofthethebadtheugly.isasalutaryforany
Saskia Hill.
Trapped in a game reserve with only their cellphones, Hill and her husband Grant, together with her managers, faced the nigh impossible task of kickstarting their business after the company’s IT servers and
NET WORTH is network
Creating a kind culture
ill is a accountantDurbanand the owner of MCS and Connect BPS, an uMhlanga firm that employs 200 people and offers a suite of services including debt recovery, accounting, and outsourced business processes in a call centre model.
Her foray into the call centre world proved profitable and professionally rewarding. MCS services banks, financial service companies and retailers. Connect BPS has clients offshore. Her companies have secured a number of accolades and grown staff and turnover by 400% in 10 years.
Hill was riding the crest of a wave when Covid hit. Days before lockdown
Hill says her company endeavours to provide excellent service to clients by creating an environment where our staff can grow and develop. The weak economy means debt collection business is growing. But, it has to be situation needs to be handled with foresight, commitment and industry knowledge.”
Upon hearing of Hill’s loss, one of MCS’s rivals stepped in and offered office space that was critical to service the company’s overseas clients.
In July this year, a year after MCS/Connect BPS’s offices were destroyed, the company received special recognition for rising out of the ashes and Hill shared the stage with Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers.
What unfolded in the few days after the riots was a remarkable tale of how kindness trumps cruelty in the often cutthroat world of business. It speaks volumes about Hill’s relationship with her staff, her customers, her competitors and generally the goodwill in KZN, a province sorely tested by adversity.
Remember the words of Porter Gale who said: Your net worth is your network. This extends across your team, to your clients, your suppliers, your family, your friends, your peers, and your banker.
Lessons for life
Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 41CALL CENTRES
administrative capacity was burnt to “Itcinders.wassurreal. I felt numb and helpless. Somehow you find the energy to pick up the pieces and move forward. Having an amazing team of staff, clients and suppliers around me, enabled the process to run smoothly. Looking back now it all seems a blur, but we did it.”
That Hill had the foreign business in the first place is evidence of her chutzpah and her belief in the power of networks. She is a member of the Entrepreneurs' Organisation and in 2019 Hill visited Canada for an EO event. During an off day she visited contact centres in Canada. This visit eventually turned into lucrative business for MCS.
Connect BPS’ client in the US – faced with the challenge of recruiting 2 000 staff to help do the job – turned to Hill and her team to help find a solution. Being a government project, the jobs could not be offshore, but hiring 2 000 staff was a tall order. So they asked Connect BPS to contact respondents across 50 states, interviewing them against set criteria, setting up start dates, and performing joining formalities. Connect BPS became the recruiting arm and worked seven days a week across all US time zones to find and place agents for a remote call centre. Hill says the co-ordination effort, steep learning curve, and tireless
Said Curtis: “The traction of the partnerships in this industry has been phenomenal for Durban and KZN. We’ve stayed close to the industry and collectively we’ve all invested a lot of time and energy in growing the business. We need all the stakeholders to collaborate to sustain this growth.”
Yogan Naidoo, the regional head of BPESA (Business Process Enabling South Africa), a non-profit industry body, said: “KZN provided 40% of the national number of new jobs created in servicing international markets in 2020. Importantly, the province hosts 25% of the export segment of this sector and has the fastest growth rate (37%) of all regions in recent years. The KZN sector is the largest outsourcer to the US and our region has just won the bid to host the 2022 GBS Conference in Durban. This will increase the market share that KZN has in the USA. Not
days (and nights) helped get millions of Americans vaccinated. Connect BPS’ clients in the US described Hill’s team as “highly skilled, disciplined, professional andWithinenthusiastic”.fourmonths of the riots, Hill was able to secure temporary office space from where MCS and Connect BPS were able to entrench its rebuild. Now the company has leased offices in Mount Edgecombe. The experience promoted Hill to put together a motivational speech which she dubbed “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”.
When the US was looking forward to the then much-awaited Covid-19 vaccine, President-elect Joe Biden’s election mandate was to roll out 100-million doses in 100 days. It was a task easier said than done. While most countries adopted a digital method for vaccine appointment booking, the seniors and the most vulnerable population group needed the vaccine first. To respond, the US Department of Health engaged the call centre industry to set up shop and book appointments by phone.
Hill says her advice to anyone in business is to meet with your insurance broker and go through your policy, line by line. Disclose everything and add VAT to all values.
Realising the job prospects in 2002, Curtis was part of a core team that laid much of the groundwork for the growth of the call centre and outsourcing industry in eThekwini. A public-private partnership established 20 years ago brought all the value chain partners together and, since then, has sustained relationships and sector assistance. There are now more than 21 established international operators in KZN who employ close to 37 000 people, contributing about R3,6-billion per annum in export revenue for KZN.
The stand-out features of Hill’s story are how her competitors helped her in extraordinary times; how vibrant the call centre industry is in Durban; and how much power there is in networks.
Hill says in business there will always be the good, bad and the ugly, “But I never came this far to fail.”
Hill says specialists liken what is happening in the call centre industry in Durban to what happened in South East Asia when it exploded 20 years ago. Back then, Invest Durban’s Russell Curtis was a key player in establishing KZN On-source.
Also, make the move to digital and cloud storage immediately. Make sure you are doing regular maintenance, updates, and cloud back-ups. Encrypt your data and do real-time replication.
only do we have the skills, capacity and expertise here in KZN but the uniquely collaborative relationships between private and public sector stakeholders underpin our potential for exponential growth.” *
• CCI • Outworx • Capability • Rewards Co • Ignition • Synergy • Talksure
Some big players in the call industrycentreinDurban
A
t the end of Zenith Drive in uMhlanga Rocks, you might bump into a dude with white hair and steely blue eyes. But, unless you are a sports buff, you won’t know the once-famous Francois Botha who nearly kicked Mike Tyson’s ass. The man dubbed the “White Buffalo” by famed
42 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022
who have watched the 21-minute fist fury with Mike Tyson on YouTube, here’s a quick recap. Botha got into boxing as a boy and after a few bloody noses developed such a knack for it he got 300 amateur bouts under his belt before he fell in a ditch and broke his arm in his lateDoctorsteens. swore he’d never box again.
PROFILE
If you aren’t among the 10 million
the White BUFFALO
Dubbed the “White Buffalo” by American boxing promoter Don King, the once-famous Francois Botha has opened a boxing and fitness centre in uMhlanga and wants to revive boxing in KZN, writes Greg Ardé
American boxing promoter Don King, was probably better known outside of South Africa than back home. Now aged 53, the former fireman from Witbank has opened a gym in Durban and has set his sights on a goal more fascinating than his already astounding backstory.
He returned to South Africa and for
Black Sonny Bill Williams in a match described by the Daily Mail as having “taken a farcical turn” after the Kiwi claimed a controversial victory when Botha “had him on the ropes before the bout was cut short”.
Botha’s career saw him take on the world’s greats, including Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, and the titanic clash with Mike Tyson. Films of the fight show up the showmanship of the sport. In-person more than 30 years after the bout, Botha is quiet, almost shy. On TV in the ring, he was a mountain man taunting Tyson.
Botha has eyes like the spaghetti Western star Terence Hill. He has a heavily accented, husky Afrikaner rumble with an occasional American twang after living in the US for 15 years, so words like “boxing” come out as “baaaxing”.
White Buffalo Boxing & Fitness: 45 Zenith Drive – follow the alleyway next to Apogee Coffee Shop; whitebuffalo.co.za
Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 43PROFILE
the most part has lived in KZN where he met Lionel Daniels, his business partner. White Buffalo Boxing & Fitness will train professionals, amateurs and people who just fancy getting fit. Among Botha’s pro projects is his son, Marcel, 33. Botha and his wife Elsje have two children. Their daughter Cecelia lives in the US where Botha hopes to rematch a few of his old foes. “Yeah, I’m still strong,” he says softly.
FOR MORE INFO
After the Tyson duel, Botha did another 20 professional bouts, half of which he lost.
“You are out there alone,” Botha drawls, “you have to be prepared. You have to know your opponent’s tactics and you have to train. When I fought Tyson I couldn’t wait to get into the ring. Other guys just run away.” Commentators on the night described the fight as “bedlam in the ring”. Botha and Tyson smack one another with gusto, grunting with each shot. They had to be ripped apart at times, scrapping after the bell rang. In one of a number of vicious clinches, Tyson elbows Botha who rears up and boxes both Tyson’s ears.
“I know I’ve got it in me. I train hard. I fight hard. It’s mostly mental though. When I lost I never thought my opponent was better than me. I just wasn’t at my best on that night. You got to believe in yourself. Tyson has some killer punches but I heard an interview with Holyfield and he said the person who hit him the hardest was the White Buffalo.” *
Respect life. My best friend in the US is a Native American. I used to hunt with him, but I couldn’t do the killing. I only kill my opponents in the ring. I am a staunch Christian. I am nothing without God and I believe you don’t know someone until you’ve walked in their shoes.
In the boxing world, showbusiness is everything and Botha had a chance encounter with Don King, the marketing maestro who branded him the “White Buffalo”. It resonated in the US market especially because of the significance of the buffalo in native American culture. Long story short, Botha was a hit. In all, he fought 63 fights, winning 48, 29 by knockout.
In his 40s, he took up kickboxing and at 44 fought 27-year-old All
“Tyson had a killer punch. He generated tremendous power.”
Commentators called it an alley fight, which Botha mostly won. “Tyson is being out-thought … out stymied … Botha is toying with Tyson … he looks exhausted. Botha has a lot of confidence,” commentators said. It promised to be a huge upset until the 5th round when Tyson unleashed a monster shot that knocked Botha down.
He turned pro in 1990 and won two fights in South Africa before leaving for the US with fewer restrictions on fights and more prize money. “I arrived in Texas and built a record quick. I fought three fights in one night, driving across state lines.”
Botha said “only God” got to make that call, and so the son of a factory manager and a housewife pounded on.
mantraBotha’sinlife
I shook Oscar contacted to confirm the dreadful voice of a sick man. “It’s multiple myeloma,” he said.
enforceable deadline. I couldn’t start working with Oscar for at least another six months.
44 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 BOOKS
But when someone has incurable cancer, deadlines take on a far more significant meaning. So I asked, as delicately as possible, how much time we had to write the book? Oscar laughed. “Plenty – no rush at all.”
“But your cancer is incurable?” I said.
Oscar has an ironclad will. It has helped him in businesssport,and life. When he asked me to write his book I couldn’t refuse. I have always been intrigued by his singular sense of purpose.
I am not a big social media user, but on November 29, 2019 something made me log on to Facebook. A message popped up on my screen. It was short – just five terse words. “Big O has big C”.
INDOMITABLEOscar
Some regard global surfski champion Oscar Chalupsky as overbearing. To others he’s an icon, especially since he beat cancer. This report by his biographer Graham Spence
But things had now changed, faster than any of us imagined. As Oscar said, now was the time to start writing. However, Murphy’s law predictably came into effect as I had moved to England and was about to ghost-write another book with a tight and contractually
“That’s what the doctors say. Not me. I’m just hanging in until they find a cure. No problem.”Assoon as I was free we started the book. Much of what we wrote I had witnessed firsthand, starting in 1983 with Oscar winning the 250km offshore surfski race between Port Elizabeth and East London that was then called the Texan Challenge. A year or so later, I spent two weeks living on a shoestring in Hawaii with him when he won his third successive Molokai 2 Oahu ocean race. For the next 15 years I would get phone calls from around the world at inhospitable hours updating me on whatever race he was competing in. Every call was upbeat as a chat with Oscar lifts the gloom no matter what time he rings. The added bonus was that many of those calls
“Incurable. So we’d better start writing that book.” I have known Oscar for close on 40 years, although for much of the time we have either lived in different towns or countries. We had talked before about doing a book, but had never got around to it.
I read it several times in disbelief. Oscar Chalupsky, the toughest, most competitive and arguably most successful watersport competitor in the world has cancer? The guy who takes positive thinking and self-belief to stratospheric heights; the guy who has defied every imaginable athletic axiom regarding age, stamina, and endurance is now stricken by a killer disease?Ishook my head. No – it couldn’t be true. Oscar is indestructible.Oscarcontacted me later to confirm the dreadful news. His voice boomed over the phone, vibrant and laughing, hardly the voice of a sick man. “It’s multiple myeloma,” he said. just takes positive thinking and self-belief to stratospheric is now stricken by a killer
Greg says Oscar seems to have the capacity to convince himself of anything. He spoke to Oscar’s dad once who seemed quite incredulous about this phenomenon of indomitable Oscar. Oscar’s brother, Herman, who is in so many ways the polar opposite of Oscar, also has the winning streak, but it is expressed very differently.
INVESTasmakesHisandirrepressibleinnate,cheerfulnessanunconquerablewill.sheerappetiteforlifehimasindomitableever.IwaschattingwithKZNeditorGregArdéaboutirrepressibleOscarandthephenomenonthathe
left me. It’s seared into my subconsciousness.”
CUSTOMISED DESIGN Int Tel: 031 705 2640 Cell: 082 570 1399
He has an
is. It is almost freaky. What is it about Oscar that makes him so absolutely convinced he will win?
At Herman’s 40th birthday party Oscar gave a speech crediting his younger brother for always being at his heels, chasing him, driving that competitive spirit. It was surely a contributing factor, but it doesn’t entirely
Oscar can: “If anyone beats me, they were lucky, not better. Sure, I have been beaten in my career, but that mindset of self-belief –irrational or not – has never
If anyone can beat multiple myeloma – one of the deadliest strains of the globe’s most lethal disease – it is Oscar. His idea of “hanging in” is simple. No retreat. No surrender. He is still out there paddling oceans, cycling, swimming, playing golf, keeping fit.
account for Oscar’s ironclad will and single-mindedness. One line from the book sticks out that might explain it: Oscar speaking, as only
Oscar is donating a portion of his royalties from this book to Campaigning for Cancer, or C4C, as the overwhelming majority of cancer fighters in Africa are not wealthy. It’s a sad fact that without expensive medication, life expectancy is short, sharp and painful. For those on this continent unable to get treatment there is no more powerful ally than Oscar Chalupsky. *
If anyone can beat lethalofmyelomamultiple–onethedeadlieststrainsoftheglobe’smostdisease–itisOscar
Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 45BOOKS
Note: Graham Spence is a journalist, editor and author. His previous books include The Elephant Whisperer with Lawrence Anthony, and Saving the Last Rhinos: The Life of a Frontline Conservationist with Grant Fowlds.
resulted in front-page stories for the various newspapers I worked for. Oscar was what we in the trade called “colourful copy”.
But there are a few essentials to a good bunny. He always has a ¼ mutton which is plenty of food and you can usually have one with a mineral or beer for R100. There shouldn’t be too many bones, no “hidden” potato in the bottom, there must be enough gravy, and it has to have some heat. Here are three of his best:
2. TSD Ultra Lounge: 506 Chris Hani Rd, Park Hill, Durban North. Previously near the SPCA in Sea Cow Lake, it moved to the old FNB building in old North Coast Road. It’s got a nice outlook now and it’s a popular venue for events. We’re not there on the weekends, but I’ve heard their Michael Jackson
FOODIE TOURISM
Pressed to recommend a few favourite haunts, Coward emphasises that, for him, it’s about the vibe and experience, not just the food. Whether you’re going in a crowd, what time of the day or day of the week you visit, all
Pinetown. I had the day off and we all felt like a bunny,” Coward says.
BUNNY buddies
those things make a difference.
46 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022
We were doing a handovercheque for the TableRoundin
Like many good things, it started by accident. Kendal Coward felt like a bunny chow. And so, writes Maggie Wittstock, he founded what has turned into a local institution
seem to be winding down for the weekend.” Although he usually gets about 20 people confirming, there are always more who arrive. “When it gets closer to noon, they see if they can get a gap and join Everyone’sus.”welcome to Bunny Chow Fridays and there are only two rules: no cutlery and no takeaways. “You’ve got to be there. We’re going to experience the place as well as the food, and cutlery, well, it’s better without it.” As his Facebook posts prove, there might be someCowardstains!enjoys bringing different people together and is intrigued by how much economic activity there is outside the formal economy. Having read GG Alcock’s Kasinomics, his eyes have been opened to how active and big the informal market is.
1. Happy Chappy: Mangrove Beach Centre, 13 Playfair Rd, North Beach. The owner, Jay Naidoo, is there every day and he makes the whole thing. You get a group of regulars having a 10 o’clock beer, while others come and go. You hear the call to prayer – it’s a different world on the edge of Mangrove Beach Centre.
That was about two years ago. Since then, Coward, a Durban estate agent and inner-city property investor, his friend, Guy Hankinson, and various colleagues and friends have shared meals in interesting places around Durban.Theyhave even ventured into Soweto, but apart from that they’ve checked out scores of local haunts and in the process have become bunny chow
“I wanted to go to Hollywood Bets in Springfield, but the other guys wanted to go to a place nearby. We decided to go to Hollywood Bets the next Friday. And, once we’d done that, everyone said ‘Where are we going next week?’”
“
“Weconnoisseurs.meetat12on a Friday,” says Coward. “That’s generally when people
When the team arrived to set up for a recent beach clean-up, the municipality had already swept through the beaches. However, at Battery Beach a different scenario faced the Pirates team. SBS Tanks constructed sieves to sift the sand revealing little pieces of waste that lay trapped just beneath the surface. Durbanites Against Plastic Pollution’s Steve Cohen explains more: “We undertook a rapid citizen survey of a 30m² area along the high tide mark. Even though the beach is cleaned daily by the municipality, the survey did however find an abundance of small pieces of plastic. Most of the items are “problem plastics” which we define as the most commonly found items in the environment with few benefits to Thesociety.most common items were nurdles, pieces of polystyrene foam from take-out containers, earbuds, sucker sticks, plastic
FOR MORE INFO: W Adoptabeachsa
Durban’s Dr Yusuf Dadoo (formerly Grey) Street area is another favourite. Coward enjoys wandering the streets in the hustle and bustle of Durban’s inner city with numerous venues like Aunty Pam’s in the Victoria Street Market, Patels, Little Gujarat and Surat Vegetarian Delights around Grey Street where it all began and where one can have a meal for as little as R15.
Our Adopt a Beach is environmentcleanertheandcollaborationsinterestingyielding–thisisonlystartofabeachwhat BENEATHlies
Plastic litter and mismanaged plastic waste from drinks, snacks and personal hygiene items accumulates on the beaches and in the sea. Plastic never breaks down – instead it breaks up into smaller and smaller pieces, causing harm and lasting hundreds of years in the environment.Weadvocate that many of the above mentioned items – like earbuds and polystyrene containers – should be banned or taken off our supermarket shelves. Likewise, bottle caps should be affixed to bottles by law, and returned with the bottle in a city-wide depositreturn scheme.
Contact: kendal@remax-panache.co.za
cutlery and a multitude of fragments from common household plastic items that had broken up over time.
3. Coconut Grove: 11 McCausland Crescent, uMhlanga. This venue is great in a big crowd, you can sit outside and enjoy Durban’s weather and walk up to the Village where the party is and can carry on into the early hours.
FOODIE TOURISM
We look forward to continuing these surveys and using the data to lobby the government and retailers to reform their policies and practices respectively.
ADVERTORIAL
he Adopt a Beach concept is simple: we started with six local Durban beach sites. A co-ordinator at each cleanup is supported by three sponsored assistants, and this team is in charge of set-up, welcoming volunteers, cleaning and waste management. We aim to recycle what we can and leave only landfill waste which municipality collects.Connecting with fellow water and beach lovers is key for us – meaning we get the support of clubs and individuals.
Kendal Coward.
Thanks to his spontaneous foodie tourism, Coward was asked to invite his crew to Mojo’s Car Wash and Shisanyama in Chesterville, and the next invite is to visit Claremont.
Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022 47
An honorary game ranger with strong roots in Zululand, Coward’s next thing is to stop for crocodile on the road outside Empangeni.
T
that embraces our differences and brings people together. He likes to mingle with different people and that’s often what happens at these venues. “Labourers, suited and booted lawyers, policemen, all kinds of people come and go, and everyone can sit and eat together.”
“I’ve eaten inhloko from the threelegged pots on the N2 and it was delicious. These guys are running a thriving business for truck drivers who can’t take their vehicles off the main freeway. The dish is made from the meat around a cow’s head and, according to custom, can only be eaten by men. “It’s from Shaka’s time, and is eaten to make men courageous and strong”. *
FOR MORE INFO
Since starting, Coward gets a lot of recommendations and invites to new places which is what it’s all about. “For instance, last week I went to KNK Curries in Richard’s Bay for their fish curry, based on a recommendation. It was outstanding. I don’t operate off a list, and we are always keen to try somewhere new.”
impressionist is great entertainment.
Coward’s work takes him into the inner city where he says he doesn’t feel uncomfortable. He loves the South African word and the concept of ubuntu
Chatting with “Crazy Sam” over a smoothie at Surf Riders
A
I love everything. You know we started a dog menu because people love their furballs. We treat them like VIPs. It is the same with kids, they get fed first. Happy children mean happy parents. I try and think out the box. Foodies like specials, so we change the menu all the time. Cyclists want smoothies. Our menu is very diverse – there’s something for everyone.
The staff. They have been with us for eight years. We’ve trained them up. They are fantastic. Our people eat out themselves and we’ve had the most amazing growth journey. We stick together, and the positivity is amazing. Not one person was laid off during Covid. If you can work at Surf Riders, you can work anywhere. We are about improving one another and growing.
From left: Lihle Nene, Sam Small-Shaw and Philile Ngidi.
A
Sam
What first sparked your interest in the business?
SURF RIDER Sam
Q
Every day is different. I like the pressure, the customers and that it is fast. I get bored quickly. We have to think on our feet and solve problems. The point is to make good food and to make customers happy. That is the most gratifying thing. I live to feed people.
Q
How has Surf Riders changed the local vibe?
Small-Shaw is a Durban restaurateur who has run Surf Rider for the last eight years and is well known to patrons and foodies around the city. “Crazy Sam” is also known as The Queen of South Beach. Sam, together with owner Jason Caradas and fellow foodie Brendan Newport, started the popular eatery. We asked Sam five questions:
Q
OUT AND ABOUT
Q
We brainstorm ideas and talk about food for hours. It’s ridiculous. Jason is also a huge influence. We sit down every week and talk about food trends. He’s brilliant at that. He gives me carte blanche to go crazy and that fuels my creativity.
A
A
48 Issue 19 SEPTEMBER 2022
What is your biggest food influence and why?
Kids surf, dads come for a beer. Moms for a coffee. We are diverse. We’ve created a family oriented, positive place at South Beach. People want a fantastic experience. We also have good community outreach – we give the homeless people porridge and coffee. We look out for them and they look out for us.
What’s the secret ingredient at Surf Riders?
Jason and Brendan. Brendan and I have worked together for over 20 years. We talk about food all the time.
What is your favourite menu item at Surf Riders?
Q
A
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