“NEITHER snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” This inscription on the New York Post Office pays homage to the American Postal Service’s enduring spirit to deliver the mail efficiently. In many ways, it reflects the dedication and drive of the Iyeza… [Continue Reading]
IN a decade of inspirational personal growth, company owner Sibongile Mphilo went from petrol attendant to successful security boss. Her success in a male-dominated industry was met with disbelief by competitors, who accused her of being a front for major security companies. “This motivated us to work even harder and learn as much as… [Continue Reading]
MAKHATHO TOMMY says his success as owner of the largest wholly black-owned retail operation in South Africa is mainly due to having learnt from his past failures and those early businesses where he came to understand that planning and staying close to your customers are most important in achieving good results. It took 25 years… [Continue Reading]
BY JACO SLABBERT IN the heart of Bloekombos, located just outside the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town, there’s an interesting social enterprise working to create a grassroots retail mechanism. It’s a unique approach to the bottom-of-the-pyramid market, using a hybrid model to create work opportunities, empower entrepreneurs, cultivate a responsible economic ecosystem and increase the… [Continue Reading]
Success in business often depends on how you tap into the resources from your environment. This is what the Chivrikani Producers Cooperative from the rural areas surrounding Tzaneen in Limpopo did by producing various products from marula fruit pulp. Here are (from left to right) Venia Ngobeni, Frangelina Sibanda, Shiela Shipalana and Pemler Shipalana, who… [Continue Reading]
LAST year retail giant Pick n Pay spent R760 million on procurement from small suppliers and are aiming to spend at least 13 percent of their total procurement of R38 billion on small suppliers by the end of this year. So says Pick n Pay Transformation Manager, Nolubabalo Ndevu. One of the recipients of the… [Continue Reading]
A NEW “solar farm” in Droogfontein, 20 km outside Kimberley, that will generate 50 mega watts of electricity is also powering a new catering business that has set up a canteen for the plant’s workers. Kopenalo Co-operative has six women members who are from the community, and who have been able to establish their business… [Continue Reading]
SIMPHIWE is standing on the platform at Mabopane station. The 16h31pm train is late again. It could be another two minutes … or two hours, if the cable thieves have struck again. Sigh. She whips out her Nokia and punches a few buttons. She smiles: GoMetro has just told her that the train is delayed… [Continue Reading]
