March 2022 Edition

3 . O r i o n E n g i n e e r e d C a r b o n s M D , s p e a k s b l a c k . 7 . R a k u t u S p i c e s - a b e a u t i f u l l y g r o w i n g s p i c e b r a n d . 1 0 . H u s h C l o t h i n g b y S i h l e . 1 3 . E m o b i l e - T h e p e o p l e ' s n e t w o r k . 1 6 . E z o b u h l e S k i n & S p a i n U m t a t a . 1 9 . A d d M K O z i e l o n y o u r g y m g e a r . 2 3 . A l l t h e w a y f r o m A l i w a l N o r t h , P u m e z a s p e a k s a b o u t h o w t h e y s t a r t e d t h e i r g u e s t h o u s e . 2 3 I n k c i y o E C C a r R e v i e w s a n d m o r e

Managing Director

The world of business is one of diverse ideas, constant innovation, and celebration of excellence. Many entrepreneurs look to the businesses that resonate in niches, and perform in exciting new spaces, instead of competing in saturated markets. Yet, companies that produce the ‘basics’ need to be celebrated as well. And considering that all entrepreneurs need tyres to get from point-A to B, looking to the manufacturers of carbon black can provide some valuable lessons in efficiency, leadership and success.

Processed primary goods such as steel, rubber and other manufacturing essentials are often the foundation for a functioning economy, and Orion Carbon Engineering – a leading carbon black manufacture in sub-Saharan Africa – is a perfect example of how strong leadership, expert manufacturing, and professional engineering creates jobs and stimulates innovation in our city, and beyond. We had the opportunity to chat with managing director, Roland Loganathan, about how OEC delivers a vital product the modern South African economy, and how he contributes successfully to the growth of our city.

To start, please tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been with OEC? “Well, I’m originally from Kwa-Zulu Natal, but I currently live in the bay with my wife of 22 years, and our two boys. I have extensive experience in manufacturing and engineering, and have been with OEC for nearly 7 years, heading up all South African operations. Actually, this October is officially my 7th year anniversary with the company ” .

Roland Loganathan

Aside from being the only carbon black manufacturer in sub-Sahara, give a brief description of the company to help our readers understand where OEC comes from and what you do there? “While the South African office started as a joint venture with Phillips and IDC in 1959, the company originally comes from Germany and started nearly 150 years ago. OEC is one of the largest global manufacturers of carbon black, which is core ingredient in rubber, tyres, ink and cabling. In South Africa, our location deals with manufacturing and distribution of carbon black”.

As a leader in your organization, what do you think is vital to success in your line of work? “First, having a clear vision and purpose for the work one does helps ensure people are motivated to pursue goals, as well as being clear about what is needed to be done. From there, pushing to be a leader in an industry guarantees that organizations adapt to markets, trends, and new concepts. Furthermore, it is important to be passionate about the product or service you are selling”.

And what about the importance of human capital? “People are vital to the success of an organization. For a business to be successful, it must motivate personnel and drive the right outcomes. To do this, education, training, and intellectual stimulation must exist within the workplace. However, one must not be lost in the crowd. Individualized consideration of performance and investment from an employee must be applied to ensure rewards and recognition are given for good performance. I believe all of this empowers people to excel in their workplace”.

W e k n o w b l a c k .

Moving away from the internal structures of OEC, how does your company operate within nearby communities? “Our goal to create a safe and sustainable working environment extends into our communities. We believe in minimizing the ecological impact, which involves participating with communities, both socially and environmentally”.

It is fantastic to hear that global companies such as OEC are focused on sustainability and community engagement. So, what do you do outside of working hours to keep yourself sane with all this responsibility? “Well, OEC develops and empowers managers to take ownership of their own departments, which provides an autonomous working environment where leadership can make decisions at the point of need. More personally, I am a Christian, and constantly thank the Almighty God for the guidance and understanding I find in him. Finally, I have hobbies such as angling, hunting and hiking that keep me in touch with nature, and help me maintain patience. The sound of waves really heals the soul”.

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Rooted in Flavour

Rakutu Spices

Nkosinathi Mahlangu – the man behind the well packaged and promising to grow big spice brand, is a serial entrepreneur who grew up spending time in the kitchen whenever time allowed him to do so. This young entrepreneur was born in Pretoria, Atteridgeville in the Gauteng province and currently resides in Vaal, Marina. “My parents raised me with three of my younger brothers, we spent most of the time moving between Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Cape Town due to my dad's occupation, which allowed me to encounter with different people, food, and cultures”, he added. When did you start with Rakutu Spice and what made you choose to go for a spice business, also what stands about your spice? “My spice range, Rakutu Spice, was established in February 2021. I always thought -

of having my own spice line as a child because I had to cook with my mother. Her aromas and flavour combinations inspired by the places we lived led me to create my own line of spices with a twist. Currently, Rakutu Spices produces 3 products: beef, vegetable, and chicken/fish spices. All of these products adhere to Rakutu's specialty of low sodium, gluten and dairy free, as well as being low in sodium, free of MSG, and still retaining flavour people enjoy”.

In starting to implement the idea of Rakutu Spice, what were your challenges and how did you overcome them?

“First it's how I feel like the dream was delayed, I dedicated my life working in communications agencies & NPOs for long, so I

delayed because I always had this idea from childhood but only in 2020 I took a decision to quit my job & pursue the dream. Then I spent 5 months doing research, seeking advice & not finding what I want for Rakutu was daunting, but with the help of my cousin Gugu who’s a food technologist, she guided me every step of the journey making it easy to focus and navigate in the industry. The last but not least is trying to get the product out there, only because everything marketing & advertising is solely depended on me but I will conquer ” .

Highlights of your spice business thus far? “As a company, Rakutu Spice's highlights are being able to sell on Takealot, making Rakutu Spice easily accessible around South Africa, and being a member of Proudly SA, which, in my opinion, will result in more opportunities”.

Lastly – when not focusing on Rakutu Spice what else has your attention? “In the meantime, I am working on another big project within Rakutu Group that will be revealed soon. I am still focusing on Rakutu Spices at the moment as it is still a baby that needs nurturing in order to really flourish”.

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HUSH CLOTHING

Born in Durban, Kwazulu Natal and decided to move to the city of Johannesburg due to his full-time daily employment, Sihle Cyprian Majola is the founder of Hush Clothing, a streetwear brand that is strongly creating it’s mark in the South African market. “I grew up in a loving home with both parents and six siblings, four brothers and two sisters. Growing up I didn't have everything I wanted but everything I needed. I'm still grateful for what my parents have done for us, a house over our heads, clothes on our back, never went to bed on an empty stomach and they afforded us a chance to get education”, said Sihle. We then had a chat with about his business establishment and more. Please share when did you commence with HUSH CLOTHING ZA and what inspired you to go for it? “Hush clothing started in 2020 when the whole world was engulfed by a dark cloud of the pandemic. Many, if not most young people lost their jobs during this time and the common outcry from most testimonies was "where will my next salary come from". It dawned on me also, that I am only depending on my salary, from then I knew I had to do something. It hit me that I've always loved branded clothes, so I thought if I could wear branded labels of people I don't even know, how about I start my own brand, and right there Hush clothing was born”.

Challenges you faced when trying to get HCZA off the ground and how did you tackle those? And what makes your brand stand out “My biggest challenge was start-up capital. I didn't have any extra cash I could use to start. But nonetheless, I started with just 2 sweaters. I posted them on my personal social media accounts and the response was enormous, in such a way that that people started placing orders immediately, that was a highlight for me and it gave me the urge to carry on. From there onwards I never looked back. Hush Clothing is a registered business today, from just 2 sweaters. I’m glad I took that leap of faith and told myself from the onset that “Hush” will be a legitimate business, not just a side hustle. Hush clothing stands out the most because of the beautiful and unique logo it has. Hush clothing’s name, logo and slogan compliments each other so well that I'm actually spoilt for choice as to how to present it to my customers. Also, it is a versatile brand - capable to compete with any brand and on any platform”.

Is HUSH CLOTHING ZA available in any

retail stores

yet? “Currently Hush clothing is not available on any retail stores. However, I aspire to open Hush’s very own physical store and that will give me an opportunity to give back to the community by creating employment for the youth of South Africa”.

Lastly, when not busy pushing HCZA, what do you do to unwind? “Unfortunately, I hardly have time to really unwind. If I'm not doing my 12-hour shift 4days a cycle, I’m busy @hush clothing zaeither doing deliveries, stocking up or at the printer shop. However, if I do get time in between I like to hang out with friends at the car washes or indulging on kasi foods…because I’m a foodie”.

The Nelson Mandela Bay cloud-based company called eMobile is an interesting network that boast itself by offering a product that is here to change lives. In a country where unemployment rate is rising every day, a solution to fight such a challenge is always a priority. The public sector interventions to solve unemployment are developed everyday but they also come with cost, a cost that could include data bundles to use when searching for opportunities, or poverty, which hinders the marginalized to feel stronger and better their own lives. eMobile started operating in 2019, and existing to address and empower the South African community through their cloud-based network that is not created to take from the marginalized but to give back through the products they offer to those who join their network.

Their cloud-based network, which is the first in South Africa requires no porting, no extra physical sim card, but a new virtual cell phone number to utilize on their packages. In a conversation we had with the founder Imraan, a passionate community developer and the businessman behind the product he mentioned his goal and value proposition to the public.

Creating an income for everyone.

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“I designed the product to make sure people of South Africa begin to benefit in what they invest in, instead of spending their money in products where there is no actual value in return. I am aware of the challenges people face when spending on airtime and data, and I want to make sure everyone who signs-up can be able to benefit financially, and through the grocery discount vouchers that can assist them to spend less in the retail shops we have partnered with like Checkers and Shoprite. Gone are the days where people should grow other people’s businesses without any value back for them, we are here to offer a product that can empower and grow South African's finances at the same time”, he said.

Changing people’s lives seems to be the main goal for eMobile - they are doing so by making sure all who signs up through the referral links they use to track users accounts, and through the work required to convert family and friends into business partners, so everyone can earn. In households where the family uses normal data packages, eMobile is offered as a good alternative to decrease data bills, and also the product is not only used to browse through the net, but it can assist in freeing the family from debt challenges. Their value proposition also includes access to eMobile’s own platform where users can have access to crypto trading content, flights specials and more.

Ezobuhle Wellness Day Spa

A return ticket to home

Yolanda Jico, founder of Ezobuhle Skin & Wellness Day Spa was born in the Wild Coast, Port St Johns. At 9 years Yolanda relocated to London (England) where she spent most of her teenage and adolescence years until 2010.

After staying in South Africa for 5 years Yolanda decided to move to The United States of America, were she worked in the Beauty Industry and had been promoted to a managerial post. Her career halted when her contract ended in the start of Covid 19, March 2020.

“When I came back from the USA, I knew at some point I will have to look for work.” says Jico. As she did not know where to start, her partner famously known as “Mist” suggested that Yolanda should open a spa. “This is your passion and now is the right time to venture in it.” said Mthobeli Xabendlini.

“At some point, I have always wanted to open a spa. Through my hard work and dedication, I thought why not?” explains Ezobuhle Day Spa founder. Yolanda points out that there was no thinking twice at this point. “We did it, Ezobuhle was formed in December 2020.”

Even though Yolanda Jico have studied Skin and Health Care Science back in London, with experience in the beauty industry like any person venturing into a business, she had a fear of not getting clients.

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She explains it as a gamble she was willing to take. Even though Mthatha is a small town, it turned out great for the business. Perks of having a well-known partner also helped in terms of marketing, people showed up in support of Mist. Social media played its role in hand with a word of mouth.

Ezobuhle owners ’ priorities forms part of finding ways to better their business. Yolanda says they constantly ask themselves what they need to do to continue running the business successfully and training their staff into being a 5-star. “it’s about being consistent and applying the knowledge we seek from our mentorship.” Adds Yolanda.

We asked what success means to Yolanda and her response was; “To me success means giving back to the community while creating job opportunities for the youth around Mthatha and the Eastern Cape.” She further explains that most of all success would be living to see the day she opens an orphanage for the unprivileged people around Mthatha.

With Ezobuhle being one of the best Spa’s in Mthatha, Yolanda enjoys designing it and making it look unlike from its competitors. Her plan is to branch out to other cities and have more Ezobuhle Skin & Wellness Day Spa’s. She articulates that the plan is to franchise but first around the Eastern Cape.

Ezobuhle keeps the core values within the business stable by living and leading by example, recognizing, and rewarding good work behavior and communication. Yolanda passes her gratitude to the Mthatha community for their continued support.

"From pain came purpose... "

Florence Ndlovu, born in the Free State small town called Virginia, currently residing in Centurion, Gauteng, was the only girl amongst two boys (who are both late). Florence always had passion for business, she used to sell sweets at school and after school she would go work at the tuck shop. At some point she lived in a shack not far from her grandmothers for some time.

Florence always loved beautiful clothes and would dress up her dolls to look so beautiful, she would also make small doll dresses with old clothe cloths. After completing her matric, she went to study at Pretoria University, where she completed her B.Com degree after trying to quit many times due to peer pressure. “I had a friend who used to tell me that if you finish your studies without work experience, you not going to get a job” she says. According to Florence that discouraged her so much that she even dropped out and decided to work full time as a cashier at a retail store. However, she is very thankful to God that her then boyfriend who is now her husband encouraged her to go back to university to complete her degree and then get possible employment. Florence then went back to university and completed her studies, by God’s grace her spouse did indeed assist her and from there her work life journey began.

“Gaining knowledge I worked for big organizations, which helped me acquire a lot of experience”, she mentions. Florence then got promoted to senior till management level, but that entrepreneurial passion kept on haunting her, till one day when she decided to follow her passion in business.

Please share when did you commence with MK OZIEL SPORTWEAR and what inspired you to go for it? “The birth of MK Oziel Sportswear happened in 2020, born from a pain of losing my brother whom I regarded as our elder son, we loved him dearly, may his soul continue to sleep in eternal peace. Sadly, he passed on due to high blood pressure " . Her late brother’s character was the kind that, they knew, he would be happy if people can be enlightened about healthy living, through his death many can be motivated and alive. To keep his legacy the family carried on with his water brand MK Water, they then sold branded masks, and later Florence changed the name of the company to MK Oziel Sportwear. The MK Oziel Sportwear brand’s mission is to promote healthy life holistically (mentally, financially, emotionally, physically and spiritually)”.

What challenges you came across when you were trying to get your gym wear off the ground and how did you tackle them? “I had just appointed my other brother to head the marketing since he was a marketing expert, unfortunately he recently also passed on in a car accident, and that affects the marketing department but we are continuing. The other challenge is to get customers to know the brand and believe in it. So, we made use of social media platforms, we asked our customers to share their pictures so that we can assure the market that we do have people believing in our brand, initially at first, those customers were friends and family only. After some time we began to acquire more clients. We thank God that it grew to more customers even out of the province”.

Your highlight moment? Like what made you say YES, I can now agree the brand is loved and welcomed by the streets? “When we started having customers who are returning for most of new collections, sending us compliments, pictures and referring others we knew we are on the right track. Also getting so many inboxes of ladies and gentlemen wanting to work with us as influencers and ambassadors. When companies started approaching us to affiliate with them. Having payflex as a partner, to give or customers payment options when buying online. And when the Award winning skin product ( PortiaM) had a #GoToGymWithPortiaM campaign and they made MK Oziel Sportwear part of their campaign, which gave us exposure to their market”.

What are you trying to achieve with your gym wear? And where do you see the brand in 5years time? “What we are trying to achieve is to make people understand that not every pain is there to kill you , when you experience pain, try to understand how can it be turned to a purpose. What you go through might be a journey to your breakthrough. Our 5 year vision is to create a manufacturing factory where we will own the entire Supply Chain of producing sportwear, add gym equipment’s , and training accessories to our collection and most importantly create employment by also onboarding the unskilled labors and skill them internally through the right processes ” .

Lastly, when you are not busy with your fitness schedule what do you do to keep sane? “Other than fitness I spend time doing research and development of new products, offer Procurement Consultancy services, as a qualified Image Consultant, I help people and companies to look and feel good internally and outside, and play golf”.

"Your comfort is our pride".

Aliwal Villa Guest Lodge

Born in Cegcuana location, Ndabakazi in Butterworth, in a family of four girls, being the first born. Mrs Pumeza Giwu did her lower grades in Cegcuana junior secondary school and matriculated at Jongabantu senior secondary school in Nqamakwe. Pumeza studied at UCT and graduated with Bachelor of Social Sciences in Social Work and further obtained Advanced Diploma in Labour Law at former Rand Afrikaans University now UJ. She later registered for Masters Degree at NMU and graduated with Masters in Development Studies. She also has a Certificate in Bed and Breakfast Management.

When did you commence with Aliwal Villa and what inspired you to go for this type of business? “Aliwal Villa Guest Lodge was formally registered as a business in April 2016, after deciding to turn our home into a guest house. The idea came from our passion of travelling as a family. Early in our marriage we began a tradition of family holidays, where once a year we travelled as a family for what we called a “family vacation”. We have since explored all the 9 provinces except Limpopo so far, where we either have a beach, adventure and wildlife holiday experience depending on the province visited. We have been to Mozambique and are planning hopefully to visit the entire SADC.

"This travelling experience gave us an opportunity to understand the great offerings of the hospitality industry, and more importantly equipped us with some basic but crucial knowledge of what guests expect in a hospitality industry. As we travelled and experienced different places of accommodation, we believed that we could offer something better and improve a lot of services rendered within the hospitality industry".

What are some of the challenges you have faced as a woman when you entered the hospitality industry? “Owning a business as women has been a great challenging experience. It is of great experience to realize that most guests assume that I am an employee in the Guest House. Upon enquiring about the ownership of the guest house, I inform them I am the owner and an employee. Some guests find it difficult to believe because the majority of guest houses in the industry are white owned”.

“Our country is trying by all means to empower women entrepreneurs, all policies are in place, but implementation of these policies is always a challenge. The policies do not address the real challenges of small businesses on the ground. Requirements to get funding are not small business friendly and rules are rigid. For instance, some documents needed for particular funding are government and municipal regulated, and entirely rely on political decisions. A document will rely on the approval of the council, in other municipalities the council does not sit because of the political turmoil. This results in small businesses losing a potential funding due to not submitting all the required documents within the specified requested time frames”.

What makes your place stand out from those are available in your area? “Aliwal Villa provides more than accommodation. We are selling a unique guest house experience, that is personalized according to each guest’s needs. We are tourism 3 star graded establishment, and our services always exceed customer expectations, as we implement what is expected of us by the rules of the Industry”.

Do you think our people understands enough about the hospitality industry? And, please support your statement. “People do not understand enough about the hospitality industry. Most people think that it is about accommodation or finding or providing just a place to sleep. Hospitality industry entails a lot of services more than just a bed”.

Lastly, what can people expect in your facilities? “Guests who book with us are not experiencing any loadshedding, as we are on solar energy. We also have a borehole on site, as a result our guests have uninterrupted water supply all the time".

"Our town Maletswai (formerly known as Aliwal North) is a very small town on the on the banks of the Orange River, bordering the Free State province. Travelers underestimate the hospitality of small towns compared to big cities. Once they stay at Aliwal Villa Guest Lodge, they realize that they find a treasure equivalent or more than the hospitality in big cities".

Inkciyo Eastern Cape

member Sinovuyo Mafilika

Sinovuyo Mafilika is part of the big youth empowering organization in the Eastern Cape named Inkciyo Eastern Cape. The organization exists to empower both young girls and boys about the importance of abstanance, but currently it is still dominating in the rurals and having plans to invade the urban areas to spread their message.

Sinovuyo, who currently resides in Uitenhage found out about the organization through social media. She says she bumped into a few posts by Inkciyo EC founder Nasizo Mndende, and immediately she was inspired by how she embraces the importance of Ubuntu and her culture. She carried on and shared about how her childhood was challenging as she was raised a single mom, where at times she would be laughed at by friends and cousins for not being able to afford the stylish brands most kids at her age affords. This has led her to grow up with a very low selfesteem, resulting her to be without friends for most of his childhood. “Finding out about Inkciyo EC was the best thing in my life, the only challenge was that most young people in the organization were culturally inclined while me on the other side believes in Christianity. But after reaching out to the founder she guaranteed me that the initiative is not discriminative but it’s here to make sure young people are aware and abstaining.

What else attracted to this organization? “The fact that there are principles taught and we are encouraged to value ourselves is enough for me. As a 17 year old virgin I needed to be with people who do not insult me for choosing not to date as my age – and Inkciyo EC provided that shoulder to me. Also, I am confident enough to say Inkciyo EC is a great weapon not to only encourage us to abstain but to fight the social issues too, and I believe that something without rules is nothing and Inkciyo Eastern Cape have strictly needed rules and that to me is something”.

Recently, Sinovuyo invited Inkciyo EC to be launched specifically in the NelsonMandela Bay as she believes that most girls need to be groomed as virgins in the city too, and be empowered to start seeing value in themselves. Hence she asked the organization to come and assist her to lead that vital conversation in the city.

For more information on how to join Inkciyo EC - contact me in the Nelson Mandela Bay.

A refresher on the basics of investing...

By:TumeloKoko

It's 2022 and if you haven't started investing, consider this your sign to begin your investing journey. "Investing" is a broad word, and it means when you buy or somehow get assets with the goal of storing or increasing your wealth.

An example of an investment is when you own a cow - the cow "stores" your meat and leather for the day you are ready to slaughter, and it grows over the years as you feed and take care of it. Furthermore, when your cow gives you calves, that's your investment multiplying (or compounding). Alternatively, instead of storing your meat and leather, your cow could be a monetary investment when you sell it for more than it cost you to get and/or raise it.

As much as you can get or inherit assets such as cows, blueberry bushes, cryptocurrencies, solar energy or even money, you can also get part-ownership in existing companies like Astral Foods (which makes Goldi Chicken) and Mr Price Group. Since you'll only have part-ownership, you are sharing the company ' s ownership, so your part of the company is represented as shares. Also, you can only buy shares in publicly listed companies, which means their shares are available for purchase by public individuals like us on an exchange like the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).

The sum total of all your assets is your portfolio. When you have many different kinds of assets, your portfolio is diverse. But suppose you only have cows as an investment (this would be known as a concentrated portfolio). In that case, you are at risk of losing your whole portfolio if your cows are stricken by disease or stolen. The act of adding more variety to the kinds of assets you have in your portfolio is known as diversifying. If something happens to one or a few of your assets - you'll still have many others to fall back on when your portfolio.

Start your investing journey by collecting or buying assets that you understand. Then expand your horizons by learning about other kinds of investments and how you can effectively get them too to diversify your portfolio.

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by: Bongiwe Smith

Hailing from Mamelodi, Pretoria - Bongiwe Smith is a 28-year-old business owner and a second year Bachelor of Education student who has started her own business with the minimum resources that she had, to continue trying to better her family life. Currently, she runs a catering business from her own kitchen while she still cannot afford a formal business space. Her food business story is one of those solutions implemented during the pandemic, as most were left stranded and challenged in receiving convenient services the normal way, they did prior the pandemic.

The first 21-day Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 was exactly where her inspiring story began, and when that opportunity presented itself, she managed very well to rise to the occasion. “Before that I was a foodie who loved to entertain friends and family at my home, I spent a lot of time in my kitchen making meals to post on my social media pages. This attracted a lot of good attention from my friends who encouraged me to start a business selling food but I had no capital and knowledge on how to start a business”.

So, tell us how did you start with The Fiery Palace? “When the lockdown was enforced, it brought me an unexpected gift. My husband, who is an essential worker was required to keep working throughout the lockdown, and mentioned that he and his colleagues were having trouble during lunch as all the fast-food outlets were closed and the food/street vendors were also not operation like usual. He suggested that I bake some scones so he could sell at his job. That’s how I started. Then I got the momentum to sell “street food” to my husband’s friends which they -

would pick up on their way to work. Back then, the menu was mostly pap and the meats varied from braai chicken, cow head (inyama yenhloko) and affal (mala mohodu)”.

Other than starting the business from your own kitchen, what other challenges you faced and how did you overcome those? “The main one was that sooner than I had expected, as I was starting to see a little growth in terms of the food demand daily, the country was slowly opening back up again, the street vendors were returning and the fast-food outlets reopened and my market started disappearing right before my eyes, so I had to adapt and adjust. I picked my niche and decided to sell platters. I used the tools already at my disposal to market my business on social media and word of mouth. What kept you going? “The platters, yes the platters”, she giggled. When I started introducing my platters they really did well and that is where I started watching videos on Pinterest and learned how to put together a charcuterie board which is now available in my menu.

Lastly, any highlights about your work/business thus far? “Yes, there are few highlights I can remember thus far. In 2021 when I catered for 38 -

- people at a friend’s baby shower. And just after posting about the success of that baby shower, a couple wanted me to cater for their hundred wedding guests in December 2021. I was able to cater and impressed them with the help of two temporary staff members and three relatives”.

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The new 2022 Suzuki Baleno

By Khulekani On Wheels

Suzuki Auto South Africa has taken covers off the next-generation Suzuki Baleno which features a design language called Crafted Futurism. Although the car retains a degree of familiarity, the new design means a completely new loom inside and out.

Two specification strategy

Whilst employing a two-grade strategy, the brand has thrown in a lot of features in the entry level GL model. For instance, the GL model range now has cruise control and climate control (as opposed to standard air conditioning) with rearmounted air vents as standard.

In addition, Suzuki has also added Hill Hold Control, which was previously not available on this model. Other GL luxuries and safety features remain, including Electronic Stability Programme, dual front airbags with ABS, electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and emergency brake assistance (BAS) and the leather clad steering wheel with controls for the audio, phone and cruise control systems and the electric windows and mirrors.

Safety and additional GLX featurers

The Baleno GL also features a 7” touch screen infotainment system as standard. This further adds a two USB type A (one front and one rear) and one Type C (rear) charging port to the standard specification list.

Like before, the GLX features luxuries and safety equipment like 6 airbags, LED daytime running lights, LED projector headlights, keyless entry and a pushbutton start and dual-colour 16” alloy wheels.

New engine and increased power

Under the new bonnet lies Suzuki’s beloved K15B engine, which replaces the K14B engine and increases the engine volume from 1.4 litres to 1.5 litres. The new engine delivers 77 kW (9 kW more than before) and 138 Nm of torque (an improvement of 8 Nm). The vehicle weighs in at less than a tonne (955 kg) for a best-inclass power-to-weight ratio of 81 kW per tonne.

With a much higher specification level in the new Baleno GL and given the perceived requirements of budget-conscious buyers, Suzuki South Africa has added an automatic model in the GL specification level. This means the range grows to four models, with the Baleno available in a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic in both GL and GLX grades.

Suzuki says, they have not only tweaked the engine but the suspension, steering and drivetrain have been improved to offer a more engaging ride, and the patented TECT safety shell and platform are now even more rigid, thanks to more high-tensile steel.

Lastly, Suzuki has crafted five new exterior colours for the range, these include Celestial Blue Pearl Metallic, Luxe Beige Pearl Metallic, Opulent Red Pearl Metallic and Splendid Silver Pearl Metallic and Grandeur Grey Metallic to the popular choices of Arctic White Pearl and Midnight Black Pearl.

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