Community of Experts
Experts and Entrepreneurs on Enterprise Supplier Development
by Alex Kinmont
South Africa’s unemployment crisis is showing no signs of improvement. The unemployment rate was most recently recorded at 29%, the worst it’s been in over a decade. According to the National Development Plan, Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises might just be the solution, as globally they tend to employ 60-70% of the population.
South Africa’s SMEs are failing to do this, providing jobs for only 30% of South Africans. Where are we going wrong and how can we fix it? At our September Community of Experts, we discussed the current state of South Africa’s Small, Medium and Micro-sized Enterprises sector and how we can support it.
Workshop speakers were divided into two panels, starting with two seasoned B-BBEE and Enterprise Development specialists, followed by three up and coming entrepreneurs operating township retail, freelancing services and commercial farming enterprises.
Dzivhululwani Mudau and Garry Whitby – both with big four consulting backgrounds – opened the workshop with expert insights into the SMME development and B-BBEE environment.
Mudau is an Enterprise and Supplier Development professional at Accenture with extensive experience in the transformation space. Whitby is a private sector and livelihood development expert with over 40 years of experience in international development, including SME consulting, in Sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia.
As a PhD scholar researching the effects of B-BBEE on business effectiveness, Mudau provided an overview of the B-BBEE legislative codes around Enterprise Development and emphasised the importance of changing the mindset of companies from a tick-box mentality to a focus on authentically striving for change. He defined Enterprise Development as working with a company or supplier on a one to one basis to improve quality, performance and sustainability. He shared best practices for corporates to consider in developing their enterprise and supplier development policies. These include:
- Developing policy that outlines the financial and non-financial (including sustainable development) criteria that will be used to evaluate suppliers and the conduct that will be expected from them;
- Reaching agreement on the governance of Enterprise and Supplier Development (ensure proper resourcing);
- Developing a preferential procurement policy that outlines clear objectives and the minimum BBBEE criteria that suppliers must comply with;
- Developing an Enterprise and Supplier Development strategy and measurable implementation plan;
- Setting aside certain commodities for ESD beneficiaries.
Whitby, an independent enterprise development and livelihoods consultant with over 40 years global experience, expanded on his integrated model of required inputs to support enterprise development. These included five fundamental enterprise skills competency pillars; access to key enabling business support and development services; and a stable and conducive political and policy environment. Whitby, who was one of the pioneers of the Challenge Fund model, noted the importance of involvement of the private sector – especially business associations – in supporting business development financially, through lobbying government and in provision of business development services.
The Entrepreneurs panel opened with Oscar Monama, Chief Operations Officer and Co-Founder of Vuleka, a grassroots economic development initiative. Vuleka is an online platform which facilitates the buying and selling of stock from large corporates and small-scale manufacturers to township-based businesses.
After a decade’s experience in the FMCG market, Monama recognised the enormous potential of the township economy in South Africa. Through Vuleka, he and co-founder, Brian Makwaiba, have found a way to combine tech with grassroots business in a way which is actively building the South African economy. Three years ago they were making their deliveries to their network of township retail outlets with a Mazda 2. Today they have a warehouse with three trucks.
The next entrepreneur to present was Scelo Makhathini, a Chartered Accountant who left a lucrative career in investment banking to follow his passion for entrepreneurship. Makhathini is the Chief Executive Office and co-founder of freelance talent platform, LinkdPro. This online talent matching service was founded based on his experience within the financial services industry, where there was an ongoing need for specific skills sets on a temporary basis. It is also founded on the growing trend towards the gig economy.
As a beneficiary of a corporate enterprise accelerator programme, Makhathini emphasised the importance of ESD programmes in how they can support entrepreneurs who will in turn provide jobs for our unemployed. LinkdPro now serves blue chip clients locally and globally and is poised for growth and expansion.
Our final speaker and entrepreneur was Sonto Mujakachi from Treasure Trove Farms in North West Province. After following an illustrious international academic and corporate career, Mujakachi decided she wanted to do more for the country and food security became her calling. The name Treasure Trove came through delving into her family’s long tradition as commercial farmers and realising its significance and potential. In the last three years, Treasure Trove farms has become a 7 day operation and is one of the top suppliers of fresh produce to brand name retailers such as Pick n Pay, Shoprite Checkers and Woolworths.
Mujakachi pointed out the difficulties of being an entrepreneur, and explained the risks she took when she used her own cash to finance the start of her business. She shared about a storm that hit her farm in its first year and wiped out all her crops and how this ordeal taught her to be resilient and not give up. Her key pointers to aspiring entrepreneurs are to focus on integrity and quality. Today, Treasure Trove farm is preparing to enter the global export environment.
Enterprise and Supplier Development can have huge impact on the South African economy. Our SMMEs currently form around 98% of enterprises, yet they only employ less than 30% of the population. Globally, SMMEs employ between 60 and 70% of the population, illustrating their enormous potential.
If ESD programmes can build up our SMMEs to meet global standards, such as the examples of the entrepreneurs profiled, they can have huge impact on the economy. As Mudau and Whitby point out, the focus areas should be on market access and funding and the integration of technology. If corporates focus more on supporting enterprise development initiatives, not only will they meet their B-BBEE requirements but they will be contributing towards building up small enterprises and the economy. With some training and some mentoring, Small, Medium and Mico-sized Enteprises can fulfil their potential and provide jobs to more people.
For a copy of the presentation, click here.
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Event: Meaningful Contributions to Enterprise Development
Event: Community of Experts Workshop
Title: Meaningful Contributions to Enterprise Development
Date: Friday, 27 September 2019
Time: 10 am – 1 pm
Cost to attend: Free
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Women @ Work
by Alex Kinmont
On Friday we hosted a panel of phenomenal women to share their stories of succeeding in male-dominated industries. In science, aviation, construction and security, four women gave us advice and messages of motivation for forging your own path.
Tanita Ramburuth-hurt is a Masters student in Astrophysics from Wits University. She is also a first degree Black Belt in Tang Soo Do, a Korean Martial Art. As a young women entering the workspace, Tanita gave valuable insight on what it means to be represented.
Tanita recently attended the Physics Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany, where Nobel prize winners in physics and 600 young scientists meet. She explains how if Einstein were alive she would have told him that he should have credited his wife, Mileva Marić-Einstein, for contributing to the work on relativity.
Most people didn’t even know Mileva’s name.
To emphasise her point, Tanita also asked us, “Did you know that black women were largely responsible for getting Americans into space?”
The young scientist explained a very important point: Men dominate the history books, thanks to our patriarchal culture. Tanita emphasises the difference it would make if more women were credited and noticed.
She explains, “If there are young girls out there who see that they are represented, they will know that they can get to wherever we are and wherever they want to go.”
Poppy Khoza is the Director of Civil Aviation at SACAA, the South African Civil Aviation Authority and has over 15 years of experience in senior management positions, including time at South African Airways and two years as the Chairperson of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Aviation Security Panel, a historical achievement for a black woman. Khoza was named South Africa’s Most Influential Woman in Business & Government in 2012 and again in 2018.
Poppy shared her wisdom gained from working her way to the top of the aviation industry. She, too, commented on the need for encouraging more young girls in her sphere. Boys and girls must be socialised from when they are young to seek power equally. Young girls should be encouraged to want to be a pilot just as much as an air hostess and know that both are within their reach.
Khoza explained how 6 years ago, she was the only female executive in the company. Today, that number has risen to 50%. She worked hard for her CEO position, explaining, “I gave them no reason not to appoint me. It was clear that if I didn’t prove myself, no woman will ever be given this position again.”
Thobekile Ndlovu is the Managing Director of her own highly successful Construction and Design company Thobethulani Trading. Her clients include KZN legislature, Metrorail, the Department of Trade and Investments and PRASA. Thobe is a qualified Interior Designer and Project Manager who is an Executive Board Member of the Master Builders Association.
Having also conquered a traditionally male industry, she shared her insights on how she made it big.
Thobe said, “Your attitude is like your price tag.” The key to finding success lies within us and how we approach challenges. This will shape our experience and our progress.
Her tip for staying relevant in an industry which is not always consistent is to remain relevant by knowing how to communicate; be a good listener and listen to what your clients’ dreams are. This is how you learn to “make the society rely on you.”
Thobe was awarded Best Woman in Construction in 2015 by The Master Builders Association. She concluded, “Write down your vision, and patent it.”
Thando Selanto is a Communications Manager at MeMeZa Community Saftey.
Covering a topic known all too well, Thando struck home by reminding us about the high levels of Gender Based Violence in South Africa. MeMeZa is a security innovation company run by two women: Thuli Mthethwa and Elmarie Pereira.
MeMeZa provides affordable connected community safety technology, aimed at giving women, children and the elderly a voice to call for help in times of distress. MeMeZa won 3 awards in 2018 alone, including the South African Premier Business SMME Award, the People’s Choice Award in the Google Impact Challenge and the SITA Top IOT Award. Some of MeMeZa’s Inventions include a personal keyring with a 140 decibel alarm and lipstick pepper sprays.
Awareness of domestic violence can only go so far. MeMeZa promises to provide women with tangible and immediately effective security products.
Powerful women are defined as women who help other women. Thando and MeMeZa provide a solution to a problem that plagues our country and others. Thobe and Poppy have achieved success where the odds were against them and share their advice on how other women can follow. Tanita emphasises that representation of women in typically male sectors is vital to changing the mindsets of young girls. It is fair to say that all four speakers are changing the game and shattering stereotypes by being women in Science, in Sport, in Aviation, in Construction and in Security. Not only are they brave enough to be in these industries, but they are succeeding, and helping others to follow.
This is how we can move South Africa forward, invest in our business, improve our company’s standing and change lives all at the same time.
Leadership relies on heavily on one’s personal mastery. Our executive leadership development programme supports a focus on values companies intend to cultivate in their people, together with leadership competencies and development opportunities. For more information on our executive leadership development programme, click here.
The Physics Behind a Spin-and-Kick
An interview with Tanita Ramburuth-hurt, Astrophysicist and Black Belt in Tang Soo Do
by Alex Kinmont
The fields of science and sport are still typically associated with men. Tanita Ramburuth-hurt is shattering these stereotypes. Not only does she have a first degree black belt in the Korean martial art Tang Soo Do, but she is currently doing her Masters in Astrophysics.
“I mean, technically we’re all aliens, right? To other aliens.”
Tanita laughs. A favourite question for this Astrophysicist always seems to be about aliens.
When she was small, she told her dad that she believed there is life somewhere out there in the universe. He said to her, “Well, then you want to be an astrophysicist.”
Where extra-terrestrial life may have sparked her interest in outer space, there is a lot more to Tanita’s growing career than thoughts about aliens.
Tanita is currently joining the global effort to understand dark matter.
“It’s a bit of a buzzword in the astrophysics community as well as in popular science, but no one really knows what it is. We do know how it interacts gravitationally and that’s pretty much the only way we know it exists. But we don’t really know what it is.”
Tanita is excelling in sports as well as science, from winning three gold medals in the junior division at the 2016 World Martial Arts Games to being named Gauteng Sportswoman of the Year in 2017 for Tang Soo Do. She explains how her mother taught her about feminism and told her that girls can do whatever boys can do, perhaps better.
As a woman in science and sport, Tanita is playing an important role. She is representing girls in typically male arenas. Tanita emphasises the importance of representation.
“If there are young girls out there who see that they are represented, they will know that they can get to wherever we are and wherever they want to go.”
This is what she has to say about science, sports and being a woman in both.
What inspired you to study astrophysics?
Astrophysics is the study of outer space through physics. We study the way stars are born, the evolution of galaxies, the way the universe began. I really love maths and I really love physics, and astrophysics allows me to put those two things together in a way that’s really constructive and really interesting.
What’s the most exciting thing you’ve learnt?
The most exciting part about moving up, from undergrad, to post-grad, to masters, is finding out that there are links between ideas and concepts that you hadn’t really realised before, and that can be really beautiful. There have been times in my career where I have had those moments of realisation.
What makes you so sure that aliens exist?
There is a NASA mission going to Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons. We believe that there’s an ocean beneath the surface of Europa and that life could potentially exist in that ocean. Linked to that mission were missions to the bottom of the ocean and to the most extreme conditions on earth to see if life could exist in such places, and in all cases on earth we did find life. That gives some evidence that Europa has some alien life in its oceans.
Statistically speaking, we can’t be alone in the universe.
The universe is far too big for ours to be the only planet that harbours intelligent life. Whether we’ll ever meet them? I doubt it in our lifetime.
What sort of impact do you think the discovery of extra-terrestrial life will have on society?
I think it will answer a lot of existential questions that humans have, but it will also bring a lot more unanswered questions. For me it will trenbolone acetate bodybuilding public education be very exciting; there will be a whole new field of physics and science to study.
Is the field of science male-dominated?
The majority of scientific discoveries are attributed to white males. Representation of women in science is bad, but you’ll find that there are plenty of women in science throughout history whose names weren’t put in books. They’ve deliberately been left out of the story.
That’s why representation really matters. If there are young girls out there who see that they are represented, they will know that they can get to wherever we are and wherever they want to go.
Do you want to go into space?
If the opportunity were to present itself, I would definitely take it.
Has sport taught you anything about science?
The way that you move in a martial art is governed by the laws of physics, like everything else. When you learn how to do a spin-and-kick, you can apply the laws of circular motion to perfect the kick. It’s like an application of science.
How did you get into Tang Soo Do, and what is it?
Tang Soo Do is a Korean martial art, like Korean karate. We learn kicks, we learn punches, we learn self defense, we learn self-awareness. In Uni, one of my friends was going to try out Tang Soo Do and I joined him. The main reason that I started it was to learn self defense.
I think I fell in love with it in the first hour. It’s given me a way to express myself. I really love the intensity of it. It’s a complete escape from anything that was happening before and anything that will happen after class.
What do you think is most valuable about sports?
It really helps with mental health. When I go to training, everything else disappears. For that whole hour and a half, there’s nothing except Tang Soo Do. That has helped me to get through my degree and life in general. Also you make friends that love the same thing as you do and that’s pretty cool.
You’ve been named Gauteng Sportswoman of the year in 2017. What does that mean to you?
Overall I get a feeling of validation. That I’m on the right track even if I don’t know what that track is. I’m glad that the spotlight can encourage other women to play sport.
What are some obstacles for women in sport?
A lack of funding and a lack of opportunities. There’s still a stigma around women and sport – that that sport is not really for women. Those are the kind of barriers we need to break down in order to give women the opportunity that we deserve to play sport. It’s also very difficult for a women to go to training late at night and have to get home by herself afterwards. That’s a very big deterrent.
What advice would you give to women and girls?
I think advice is difficult to give because people come from different backgrounds and deal with difficulties in different ways. But I think a way to get past difficulties is to try and surround yourself with people who believe in you. You need to believe that your time and your voice is as important as anyone else’s. It’s important to value your capabilities.
What is one thing you wish someone had told you when you were young?
I think if you take yourself too seriously you miss out on a lot of fun.
It is important that young girls are not discouraged from following their love of science and sports simply because they don’t see other women doing the same. Women like Tanita are changing the game and paving the way for other young girls to follow.
Tanita is looking at doing her PhD in Astrophysics. She will be a woman to watch in the near future.