19 minute read
South Africa's Emerging impact entrepreneurs
SOUTH AFRICA’S EMERGING IMPACT ENTREPRENEURS
HIGHLIGHTING SA’S BIGGEST INNOVATORS
BY CHARNDRÉ EMMA KIPPIE
Over the past few years, our nation’s economy has witnessed a remarkable influx of entrepreneurial contributions, with local self-starters opting to build big brands and businesses up from scratch. This year we’re celebrating eight of the most innovative and diversified business moguls making waves across various sectors within the South African landscape.
MILISA MABINZA
Pioneer of Khula Lula: Venture Capital
I have come to learn that in order to break out of repressive cycles, it is important to build on the efforts of those who tried to disrupt them even before you came along. This is what truly inspires my work ethic. I am fixated on building an enduring legacy!
Milisa was born in the Eastern Cape town of Willowvale. Her family then moved to Cape Town and later settled in Secunda, Mpumalanga. She later pursued a BCom Accounting degree at the University of Johannesburg, exposing her to the full scope of career options that were attainable outside of the limitations she was exposed to growing up in the mining industrial town of Secunda. She also then opted to complete her Honours in Investment Management–– a pivotal move in setting her career in motion. Mabinza gained her working experience in the private sector, thereafter. In her pursuit to become an Investment Specialist, Milisa is currently working towards obtaining a CTA qualification through UNISA.
Milisa Mabinza is the epitome of what it means to be a strong black South African business woman in 2020. Having made quite the name for herself this last year, Milisa has now established one of South Africa’s first solely black-womanowned private equity fund for black women tech start-ups, creating vital access to micro-financing and scale for African tech start-ups. At present, Khula Lula’s biggest investment has been Native Nylon – an inclusive fashion e-commerce brand, bridging the gap between affordability and luxury for South African women – which launched in November 2020.
Q: HAVING A GREAT BUSINESS ACUMEN IS ESSENTIAL FOR SUCCESS. WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK ETHIC?
My work ethic is rooted in my desire to build a generational legacy. My vision has always been long-term in nature, and Khula Lula is not just my dream, but it is the dream of my father, my grandmothers and the forefathers that came before
Q: WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ON YOUR JOURNEY AS A STRONG BUSINESSWOMAN SO FAR?
The greatest lesson I have learnt so far is that the most powerful visionaries and pioneers take risks, and they back ideas before they are widely acceptable. And when you want to be a catalyst for change and empowerment in any capacity, you must be prepared to deal with the resistance to change. You should always let the barriers to progress fuel the fire in you. Also, I’ve learned that we cannot build on a system of extraction. The only way to revolutionise the private equity landscape is by tearing down the systems that displace the larger proportion of the population and build ones that serve the collective.
Q: WHAT MOTIVATES YOU ON A DAILY BASIS?
My life mantra has always been “No guts, No glory.” This is something I have said to myself repeatedly ever since I was in high school, and it’s always driven me to push myself outside of my comfort zone. I have conquered everything in my path because I was bold enough to fight for it. Anything rewarding will always be entangled with risk, and you must put yourself out there to win. There’s just no other way!
Q: DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR OTHER ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS?
Stop trying to network upwards and start networking across. Collaboration has been such a game-changer in building my business. I cannot stress this enough: when you find your tribe amongst your peers and collaborate in spaces filled with like-minded people, you will feel so empowered! We need to have the spirit of empowering each other and realise that there is room for all of us to flourish when we share our insights and combine our resources.
RIVONINGO MHLARI
Chief Executive Officer of Rikatec Limited (Pty)
At the tender age of 13, Rivoningo Mhlari dreamed of becoming a successful chartered accountant. Raised in a small coal-mining town in Limpopo in South Africa, he set out on his entrepreneurial journey in 2013, when he was attending the University of Cape Town (UCT). Completing a degree in Finance and Accounting via the Business Science stream, he graduated in 2016 with not only a degree but a company to his name too, called Rikatec Limited.
At 26 Rivoningo is one of South Africa’s youngest technology executives, and is also one of the youngest South African entrepreneurs to feature on the Forbes 30 Under 30: 2018technology list. Today, Rikatec Limited is popularly known for being a top-notch information management system for vehicles. Utilising data analytics, AI and machine learning, their management systems are able to accurately foresee and detect vehicle wear and tear (in models 1996 and up), as well as potential and impending breakdowns.
Rivoningo’s tech improves prediction of vehicle longevity, providing assistance in determining insurance and warranty premiums, and can also assist in enhancing the resale value of motor vehicles. Rivoningo, popularly nicknamed ‘Rivo’, started this successful business along with a fellow UCT student by the name of Jesse Matheri. Both men were in their early twenties at the time. The two were actually rejected when they presented their ideas to manufacturers and insurance companies. However, they did not lose faith or drive. Rivoningo understood that their idea was a novelty people were sceptical to embrace at that time. Today, the management system device is 100%manufactured in South Africa.
In the beginning, Rivo’s ideas were rejected, not because what his team was doing was not novel or attractive, but because people thought what Rikatec wanted to do was impossible. In essence, this team was quite simply ahead of its time. Thus, loads of research and time had to be invested in order to lift this successful business off the ground and gain traction.
Rivoningo takes much pride in the promise behind his products. He believes in cultivating an inclusive environment for his team and is welcoming of any new insight and recommendations from team members. Today, Rikatec is certified by the Independent Communications Authority of SA and is effective in linking motor vehicles to the closest quality assistance within five minutes of breakdown detection. Moreover, Rikatec offers ‘predictive maintenance’ for fleets, examines driving habits and wear and tear, and utilises big data and analytics in order to be able to identify vital information that could help decrease operational costs.
NNEILE NKHOLISE
Founder of iMed Tech Group
Nneile Nkholise is the iMed Techmogul hailing from Thaba Nchu, Free State. As an impactful female entrepreneur, she is the founder ofLikoebe Innovations, an organisation specialising in creating state-of-the-art products in the medical and educational sectors. Currently, Likoebe Innovations owns multiple innovative design patents. Nneile is a jack of all trades: Mechanical Engineer by profession, sport activist by passion, and asocial entrepreneur by devotion. Beyond entrepreneurship, she is a brand ambassador of the South African government national Development Plan 2030. This strategy is led by theDepartment of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. She also serves on the board of the Rhulani Mokwena Foundation.
Nneile completed a BTech Mechanical engineering degree at the Central University of Technology, in the Free State, and is in the midst of obtaining her MEng in Mechanical Engineering at the Central University of Technology. Her field of research zooms in on specific applications of Additive Manufacturing Medicine. She has been formally acknowledged for being one of the top MedTech entrepreneurs in South Africa by Discovery and was celebrated as one of the Top 40innovators by Ventures Africa, in 2017. Nneile is also the founder of 3DIMO, which is a sports tech company providing tracking and insurance solutions for athletes during training, and at tournaments, to ensure that their livelihoods are secured, and for sports clubs to make sure that their investments are safeguarded. 3DIMO’s software solution aims to assist medical specialists in planning for complex bone surgeries, reducing the timespan of surgical procedures by enhancing efficacy, and decreasing risks involved in complicated surgical procedures - all by using 3D virtual models.
She started the company after witnessing many challenges in the medical sector that could be solved by creating a strong collaboration between engineering and medicine to create solutions that are unique and custom made to fit each person. She believes that for one to be successful in Med Tech, going beyond being passionate about tech, one needs to also have a passion for helping people. Because in medicine, human life is very important and one should always have human life at the centre of one’s company’s mission and vision. And today, as per her foresight, society is seeing a lot of investors starting to show a keen interest in this sector, because a lot are starting to realise that health is directly proportional to economic growth. Nneile believes that in order to keep a country performing well, we need to invest in the health of the people leading the country.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
• Winner of the SAB Foundation Social Innovation Awards (2015)
• iMed Tech was a finalist in the 2016 Gauteng Accelerator Programme
• Participant in the 2016 Discovery Entrepreneurs Medtech Silicon Valley Programme
• Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) fellow
• Finalist in the Gauteng Accelerator programme an
• Part of the Discovery MedTech Silicon Valley programme
• Recognised as Africa’s top female innovator at the World Economic Forum on Africa held in Rwanda (2016)
• One of the 100 entrepreneurs selected to represent their countries at the Global Entrepreneurship summit in San Francisco (2016)
• Harambean Status: group member of elite African entrepreneurs leading entrepreneurial ventures that are impacting the development of Africa and its people
• Listed on the Forbes Africa under 30 for 2018
SIMPHIWE MAJOZI
Founder of Majozi Bros. Construction
It’s been 8 years since Simphiwe Majozi began his family-owned luxury home construction company under the watchful eye of his father Musa Majozi. Simphiwe saw a lucrative opportunity to assist an emerging black middle class clientele, who sought to build luxury homes in the townships, however, were battling to source contractors who could make their dream homes a reality. Later on, he was joined by young entrepreneur Sihle Ndlela, who had extensive experience in Marketing and Business management. In 2018, Majozi Bros. Construction was acknowledged for their work, making it onto the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
The dynamic duo’s passion for attention to detail and obsession with perfection lead to them growing the business from building high-end residential homes in townships across KZN to being a sought after accredited turnkey building contractor of choice in various luxury estates across KZN building upmarket luxury homes ranging from R3 Million to R30 Million and greater per home. Over the past few years, Majozi Bros. Construction has built up a team of qualified managers and subcontractors who’ve accumulated more than 100 years combined experience in the exclusive home building space, having worked on properties within Simbithi Eco Estate, Hawaan Forest, and Zimbali to name but only a few. This renowned team is favourably known as ‘celebrity builders’ having built homes for a number of high profile clients.
Simphiwe and Sihle started working together after realising that they had a lot in common, particularly the fact that we were the same age, felt the same way about business and shared the same values. At first, it was tough for them to convince potential clients — especially established, older generation clients — that they could deliver. They realised that they could allow this problem to hinder their growth, or they could find a way to use it as an advantage. Together they highlighted the fact that they are two young guys in construction. In every interaction they had, particularly with the media, they painted a positive picture of youth and aspiration. They just needed to get a foot in the door so that their record could start speaking for itself, and the hype they created did exactly that for them.
Successful businesses are all about positive cash flow. Once these two business partners decided on their path towards expansion, they were careful to only ever buy one property at a time and to never exhaust their cash flow. Each time they used the profits from one sale to build the next property. This was their business model. Slowly, they’ve established a base, and a great reputation. They’re currently sticking to a project-by-project model, with profits reinvested into the next property.
CORE BUSINESS VALUES Brotherhood Excellence Integrity Growth Perseverance
For more Information Visit: https://www.majozibros.co.za
JACQUES SIBOMANA
Founder and Managing Directorof Kuba Technologies Pty Ltd.
Passionate about making business development services available to aspiring businesses, Jacques Sibomana foundedKuba Technologies for the purpose of empowering informal &small enterprises, by providing them with the necessary tools and resources needed to enable easy access to the market.Jacques’s mission: make it simpler for corporations and individuals to acquire and work with small business owners.
Born in 1987, Jacques is a 33-year old Rwandan national who came to Cape Town at the age of 12 and never looked back. Starting his successful online business in February 2017, Jacques has now achieved many prestigious accolades for his generous work, including the 2019 SABFoundation Disability Empowerment Award – the SeedGrant, R 200 000. Kuba’s reputable software actively assists small business owners in building a digital administrative track record and supplies these businesses with supportive aids which aim to streamline their trade with large corporate companies in Cape Town.
With more than 600 registered vendors around South Africa, Jacques acknowledges that there is a great demand for forward-thinking and targeted solutions, encouraging him to consistently upgrade his digital business model:
“Firstly, tech is an enabler. You can spend millions of rands on the tech, but without users, it’s useless. I’ve learned to develop slowly, and specifically for what users need. Second, the focus is very important. Focus on what the customers want. If you’re not focused, you do everything wrong and it takes longer to learn the lessons.”
At present, Kuba Technologies is making brand new online courses available to entrepreneurs who have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Jacques believes that, given a nudge in the right direction, SA’s unemployed youth and those who have been retrenched can work towards investing in themselves, and then venture into becoming small business owners too: To find out more about courses on Offer: https://kuba.services/courses/
QUICK-FIRE Q&A
Q: WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK ETHIC? My father
Q: GREATEST LIFE LESSON? Do something, not just for you, but to inspire and impact those around you. Life is bigger than the mere sum of one person, so just be mindful.
Q: LIFE-CHANGING BOOKS YOU’VE READ? It’s got to be The Bible, for me.
Q: WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PASTIME? Watching National Geographic & Hiking
Q: PERSONAL MANTRA YOU LIVE BY? ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together’.
Q: ADVICE FOR OTHER ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS? You need to listen to your community and target audience, and always be open to learning and acquiring new knowledge.
REABETSWE NGWANE
Managing Director at Kreamfields (Pty)& Co-Founder of Atyre
Reabetswe Ngwane, an innovative young female designer, and the co-founder of KreamFields (Pty) and Atyre is a locally celebrated premium producer and retailer of eco-friendly handbags. She was born and raised in Mogwase, a town in Bojanala District Municipality near Rustenburg, where she initially realised the potential of recycling tyres to make locally-produced, exquisite, sustainable fashion accessories – which would potentially counteract the negative environmental and economic effects of what is categorised as ‘Fast Fashion’.
Ngwane was selected as one of News24’s 100 Young Mandela’s of the Future Honouree for 2018 and has also already been listed on Forbes Africa’s 30 Under 30. In a formal letter written for Atyre, she recently expressed her passion for redressing the intersection between sustainability and inclusion: “We [Atyre] are committed to continually innovating the craft of bag making, to not only be ecologically friendly and sustainable but also socially inclusive by working with local communities to eradicate poverty”.
responsibility to sustain and grow the company to greater heights. Ensuring that we all have a job that feeds us, and our loved ones, is more than enough motivation as well.
Q: WHAT IS THE GREATEST LESSON(S) YOU’VE LEARNT THUS FAR? That it’s never quite the end, just the beginning of something greater.
Q: DO YOU HAVE ANY BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS? Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, Power by Naomi Alderman, and The Woman I Wanted to Be by Diane von Furstenberg.
Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES? A good run, hiking and travelling to new places
Q: WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK ETHIC? Having grown up in a household of women who were passionate and driven entrepreneurs, with the most impeccable work ethic, I was constantly inspired by my grandmother and my mother to always put my best foot forward. My work ethic is equally inspired by my team, the
Q: BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU COULD PASS ON? Just start! Never wait for validation from anyone to start your business. In this day and age anyone can turn just about anything into a profitable business, so don’t doubt your ideas and compare them to someone else’s. That inspired idea was placed in your head for a reason!
NADIA JAFTHA
Digital Creator & Founder of‘For Everyone Asking’ Apparel
After completing a BA degree in Film, Media and Writing, from the University of Cape Town, the household name Nadia Jaftha initially had plans to travel to New York to continue her studies. However, she decided to take a gap year in which her career as a comedic vlogger and social media fashion and lifestyle influencer unexpectedly took off. With an amazing business mind and a knack for making the best use out of social media tools and platforms, this quick-witted millennial is a winning combination of ‘entertainer’ meets ‘entrepreneur’. In 2015, with a love for fashion and design, Nadia pursued designing full-time and founded her very first local clothing line, ‘Strada Chic’, in conjunction with her building her online identity via Birdline Blog.
Going on six years in the digital media industry, Nadia is a top-class digital content creator and entrepreneur who dons many other hats proudly: actress, singer, YouTuber, fashion icon. Nadia has been featured on the cover of multiple publications, including Glamour SA magazine, where she was celebrated with a ‘Women or the year award’ in 2017. She has also represented Africa as an official influencer correspondent at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards and is an official brand ambassador representing Africa’s Anti Ivory Trade campaign. Earlier in 2020, she was announced as part of the winning team during the destination game show, Tropika Island of Treasure Curaçao. Thereafter, Nadia made significant charitable contributions to organisations in need, and as of July this year, expanded her personal brand, opening her own line of on-demand locally-made stylish apparel – ‘For Everyone Asking’. Aside from this new business venture, Nadia co-founded a best-selling local swimwear brand called ‘Dusti Swimwear’, alongside her business partner, a close friend and celebrity make-up artist, Lindy Lin.
WHAT WE KNOW FROM HER SOCIALS:
• Nadia is really passionate about being an advocate for female empowerment, making sure to align herself with brands that uplift women, such as LUX - a Unilever brand.
• She enjoys travelling, especially to the Philippines, and loves taking in new cultures.
• Nadia has encouraged aspiring content creators and young entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams, even if they are not seeing results immediately, because it does take time and to remain consistent in their efforts.
VUSI THEMBEKWAYO
Venture Capitalist, Motivational
VUSI’S FAVOURITE QUOTE
Speaker and Author
QUICK FACTS
From a poem by Rudyard Kipling called ‘If’- “If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same”.
TOP TIP FOR ENTREPRENEURS Remembers that an SME is not necessarily a start-up. If you want to scale fast, have a mass impact, and exponential growth, you should choose the start-up model.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR VUSI? It’s all about legacy – when Vusi’s not in the room, what’s left? That’s where he’s at for now.
For the past 18 years, Vusi Thembekwayo has travelled the world as a business speaker, becoming one of the most globally sought-after public speakers from Africa. Alongside his role in coaching others, he has obtained exemplary levels of success as an entrepreneur and business leader in his own right. By the age of 25, Vusi was running an R400 million rand division in an R17-billion rand company and has recently been recognised as one of the youngest JSE directors in South Africa. Today, Vusi serves on numerous boards and is CEO of a boutique investment firm called My Growth Fund and the IC Knowledge Bureau, helping businesses produce better leaders, strategies and working cultures. Vusi’s latest mission is to “change the African narrative by challenging the mindset and approach towards achieving economic freedom”. Back in 2013, Vusi also became the first African speaker to be invited to speak at the World Bank.
Aside from his many business initiatives, Vusi is a bestselling international author of, namely, The Magna Carta of Exponentiality and Vusi: Business & Life Lessons from a Black Dragon - both of which have become highly praised pieces of business literature since 2018. His books have given many business leaders valuable insight into making impactful moves in business, and how the stumbles they face actually manifest into massive wins.
In Vusi’s public opinion, successful business owners don’t always know that they’re going to succeed. Most of the time it’s a combination of luck, guesswork, and a little bit of instinct and skill. Strong business leaders, like himself, have to make more mistakes than just getting everything right straight off the bat.
Vusi believes that the worst money mistake he has ever made, so far, has probably stemmed from trusting people out of wanting to be ‘the good guy’. Financially, however, he has done extremely well and is successful because he plays to his strengths and surrounds himself with phenomenal people.
