Cover Story: Sereme Joel Malatji - Top Empowerment Business Leader of The Year

On The Road To Making Methano Group The Leading EPCM Firm in Africa

By Fiona Wakelin & Koketso Mamabolo

The successes of transformation, and the hopes of those who cast their ballots 30 years ago, have materialised in many ways. In the world of business, brilliant and visionary black leaders represent the aspirations and the realisation of a dream where everyone can pursue the economic opportunities of post-1994 South Africa, finding their niche and taking others with them as they rise to the top. One such leader is Sereme Joel Malatji, the CEO of the thriving Methano Group and the 2023 Top Empowerment Business Leader of the Year.

Whether it’s engaging with employees, communities or clients, trust and authenticity are two central tenets to Sereme’s leadership philosophy. A results-driven leader, Sereme prefers to assume the best in people - that they will deliver on their promises. Besides how empowering this can be for employees, it also allows him to not have to be everywhere, which means he can focus on the bigger picture without having to worry about whether or not everyone is playing their role.

“I let them operate on their own and deliver the results,” says Sereme.

This sincere optimism shines on more than just the 108 people who have helped make Methano Group so successful. Sereme sees the possibilities and speaks with confidence when he explains why the realisation of the country’s new dream is possible. This is a dream where unemployment is low. A dream where even more people can be like Sereme, running their own Methano Group, which offers Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) solutions for various industries.

“I believe that the eradication of unemployment is highly possible, we just need to make sure that we get everybody to work together and drive the vision,” explains Sereme. This is a vision of South Africa which has overcome its challenges. A country free of crime and poverty. This will require a great deal of socio-economic development with entrepreneurs playing their part. Sereme believes the picture has changed for entrepreneurs. Starting your own business, however big or small, is more of an option than it used to be.

“I think we are at the right level right now, the momentum is good. We just need to really believe in ourselves. We need to drive the action and not get convinced that we can’t do what China did. I think we need to have strong faith in ourselves and just do it. It’s really feasible,” he says. He’s reflecting on how economic development can lift millions of people out of poverty if it’s done right, and lessons are learnt from those who’ve done it before.

Innovating For A Competitive Advantage

The ethos of trust and authenticity is clear when Sereme reflects on winning the Top Empowerment Business Leader of the Year, choosing to acknowledge what it has meant for the people around him rather than himself. “This has actually been a very exciting moment for us as a team, the whole company, the community that we work in, everybody who is associated with us in the journey; we are really humbled by the achievement.”

Winning the award has also imbued an increased energy into Methano Group and given them the feeling that their hard work is worth it. While their work also covers the renewable energy and water industries, the company mainly focuses on developing solutions for the mining sector.

“We develop the infrastructure that actually enables mining operations to do the production, and that is in the form of the infrastructure, like conveyor belts we’ve got a professional that actually develops those conveyor belts,” explains Sereme.

“We help in building plants, project management, in doing feasibility studies to get insight into whether the project is worth investing in. In order to do that you require a diverse group of multidisciplinary professionals, and we’ve got that in-house, as part of our resources. We package products within those varying inputs, in terms of diverse professionals, and we package it in the form of a solution to our client.”

“Reflecting back, I think initially when we started we said we are looking for a diverse group of people that can work together towards one goal. And we have successfully achieved that by making sure that we recruit a diverse group of professionals in terms of age; we recruit young graduates and blend them with the senior professionals. We make sure that we embrace the rich diversity that South Africa is blessed with.” This also comes with a positive competitive spirit in the workplace which fuels innovation. The positive feedback from their clients lets them know that they are getting the mix right.

“When we reflect back at the head office we feel like, ‘wow, it’s actually working,’ diversity really gives us the results.” And this innovative spirit is what contributes to connecting Methano Group with new clients, leveraging the success of each successive project they were able to quadruple their revenue in just five years.

Their competitive advantage is driven not only by that ability to find innovative solutions for each project and deliver but also by their pricing model and, most importantly, the people who create those solutions and deliver to the clients. When Methano Group is recruiting they look for people with diverse backgrounds, not just their qualifications. They ask themselves what unique value each individual can bring to the company and seek out people who are willing to learn from others.

Making A Mark On The Continent

Methano Group operates across the country with an interest in expanding across the SADC region. Indeed, Sereme has plans on Methano Group becoming the leading EPCM firm in Africa. With the work they’re already doing in other regions, adapting to the environment and finding people who know the landscape well is an important part of Methano’s approach, feeding into the already collaborative, internal spirit.

“So, we don’t invade an environment and just expect that because we have been doing it in another area that the same rules will apply. As part of our environmental scanning, we go in there and get the people that are based in those regions to collaborate with us. They help us with a lot of things, they will tell us about the culture of the environment, they will be with us in sessions where they will contribute to creating the environment. At the same time, we are learning.

“Our people get to understand different cultures and that is what brings that excitement in the office environment where people go: ‘Hey, what do you think about that? It’s actually something new to me,’ and then the guys really start to have fun,” explains Sereme.

He believes that the African Continental Free Trade Agreement is an excellent, long overdue way for local businesses to expand into others with less red tape and more incentives for intra-African trade, with more foreign investment coming into the country. This is why Sereme is fascinated with learning more about private equity and how it can shift the local landscape, withSouth Africans setting the parameters and foreign investors bridging the capital shortfall.

“I am passionate about the fact that South Africa requires a serious capital injection in the form of investment, and that will be very critical for the growth of our country. That is a goal that I have made for myself to really understand the private equity sector. As a business leader, from time to time, you need to think out of the box - how you can raise capital to make sure that you reach certain targets in the form of new markets.”

The growth and the potential for growth excites Sereme, “I think we are definitely moving in the direction of growing as a global entity. The fact that we are moving into areas like Zambia is really exciting for us. To operate in a different environment, a different currency with different challenges.”

The economic opportunities are out there and Sereme’s message to young entrepreneurs is one which encourages self-belief. Dreams can be realised, they need to move with authenticity and trust themselves.

“I think young people need to know that they’ve got in themselves. It’s somewhere in you. When you think about it, jump on it, and have faith in yourself. There is nobody who is going to tell you that you’ve got what it takes. You first have to believe in yourself and get into it and make it happen. And don’t be apologetic about it, it’s doable.”