The African Millionaire

Siza Mzimela launches Fly Blue Crane, first Black Woman owned airline

2015-11-21T00:32:00.001+02:00

Fly Blue Crane takes to the skies

On 1 September, South Africa’s latest airline, Fly Blue Crane, launched services from Johannesburg. The carrier will initially operate services from the city to Bloemfontein, Kimberley and Nelspruit according to the airline’s flight schedule. Celebrating the service launch along with two of the crew is Siza Mzimela, the airline’s CEO and also founder and Executive Chairperson of Blue Crane Aviation.

Touchdown in Kimberley. Flights from Johannesburg will operate 18 times weekly according to the airline’s flight schedule, and will face direct competition from SA Express which operates 28 weekly flights on the 452-kilometre sector according to OAG Schedules Analyser.

On 7 September, Fly Blue Crane launched services on the 299-kilometre sector between Johannesburg and Nelspruit (our data elves have confirmed that this is where the photo was taken). Flights on the city pair will operate 12 times weekly.

Fly Blue Crane is the latest airline to launch in South Africa. The carrier commenced services on the 1 September from Johannesburg (JNB) to Bloemfontein (BFN) and Kimberley (KIM), with service to the former operating 30 times weekly and the latter seeing 18 weekly flights. These routes were then followed by operations to Nelspruit (MQP) which launched on 7 September, a 299-kilometre sector that will be flown 12 times weekly. What is interesting to note is that flights will be operated under IATA code 7B, which was previously held by Krasnoyarsk Airlines. All routes will be operated by ERJ 145s, of which the airline currently has two. Flights to Bloemfontein will face direct competition in the form of SA Express and CemAir, while the sector to Kimberley sees direct competition from SA Express only. Nelspruit services will compete with SA Airlink. Commenting on the future outlook for the airline, Siza Mzimela, Fly Blue Crane CEO, said that the carrier’s online ticket sales were picking up and also added: “We hope to expand our flight destinations to Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We currently have two 50-seat ERJ 145s. The airline will aim to keep its current rates in order to make flying affordable for both business and leisure travel.” She added also that while major airports in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town were over-catered, Fly Blue Crane had noted a gap in the market in cities such as Kimberley.

Dr Simon Gicharu founder of Mount Kenya University

2015-09-22T20:57:00.001+02:00

Dr Simon Gicharu founder of Mount Kenya University

By Elizabeth Buhungiro

Sep. 22, 2015 (All Africa Global Media) -- Dr Simon Gicharu is the founder of Mount Kenya University. With 16 centres and campuses in East and Central Africa, including Rwanda, Mount Kenya University is one of the largest private universities in the two regions. This year, Dr Gicharu scooped the Eastern Africa EY Entrepreneur of the Year, and was inducted into the World Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame. He spoke to Business Times' Elizabeth Buhungiro about his entrepreneurship journey:

How did your entrepreneurship journey begin?

Having acquired a Bachelor of Education from Jomo Kenyatta University in 1990, I was taken on as a part-time lecturer. I also taught applied mathematics at Thika Technical Training Institute (TTTI). However, I had always admired the hard work my father and his peers put into their small businesses. Therefore, I started the Kenya Entrepreneurship Promotion Programme (KEPP) to support them.

In 1995, I got a British Aid to Small Enterprises (BASE) scholarship for a three-month short course on how to manage enterprise development at Cranfield University. On my return, I discovered that I had been suspended from my job because I had not formally asked for leave.

Jobless, with a young family to cater for, I decided to venture into self-employment to earn a living.

How were you able to afford to start a business?

I started small... My initial start-up capital amounted to Ksh20,000 ($220), which was personal savings. Initially, I bought an old pickup truck and I started selling milk. I must say it felt demeaning. I had been lecturer only a few months before, but now here I was, lifting crates of milk. However, I continued to draw inspiration from my father, who had always worked hard to put food on the table.

Why invest in education?

Education had always been my passion. I loved education so much so that even when I became an entrepreneur, it was my sector of choice. Even while I was doing the milk business, I was still training young entrepreneurs through KEPP. This was in the mid-90s when computer literacy was beginning to take shape. To equip young people in our locality with computer skills I bought two computers and a generator because I was operating in a rural setting with no electricity.

Tell us about Mount Kenya University

I wanted to make the computer training formal, but it was clear that with two computers I would not make it. In 2000, I rented a room at TTTI, bought three more computers and started Thika School of Management Studies. I collaborate with Kenya Institute of Management for accreditation. However, I realised later that management courses were not attracting students. So, I decided to introduce health sciences, in 2003 and changed the name of the school to Thika Institute of Technology. The following year, I used my savings, school fees and a bank loan and moved the school to new premises.

In 2008, I applied and was granted permission to convert it to a university, and the university got a charter in 2011.

Any lessons from your entrepreneurship journey?

I have learnt many things; first, starting and maintaining a business requires critical thinking, persistence and focus. You have to be focused, like a lion chasing its prey, when you are still trying to grow the business.

Many opportunities may come your way, but you have to ask yourself how they will benefit the business. Another important thing is humility. You will always need people no matter how successful you are. Success requires being associated with people. Therefore, stay grounded no matter what you achieve.

Why did you decide to invest in Rwanda?

The return of the East African Community made it easy to work and invest in the different countries in the region. I was attracted to Rwanda because I had read some World Bank reports about the ease with which one could start and do business in the country. Moreover, Rwanda has a streamlined, well-structured and functioning system. Once you comply with the law, nobody will bother you.

In your view, when can one be considered as successful?

Most people think that you are successful when you have a lot of money. However, success is all about self-actualisation. You can say you are successful when what you have pursued is now a legacy and when other people's lives are better because of what you started. Personally, when I see students from Mount Kenya University building their careers and lives, I consider myself successful.

On becoming a teacher

During my school days, teachers had a good life. I used to admire their children and the way they looked nourished and smartly dressed. I wished for that kind of life and, that is why I decided to become a teacher.

Growing up in central Kenya

I was born in December 1964, in a rural village called Gathiruini in Central Province, Kenya. I am the firstborn of seven children. My parents are peasant farmers. For my primary and lower secondary, I had to walk about 15 kilometres to school, but joined a boarding school in high school. My father would pay school fees using income from coffee farming, but it was not enough. Therefore, my siblings and I used to pick coffee in people's farms to supplement it.

Antonio Oladeinde-Fernandez Nigeria's Reclusive Billionaire

2015-09-03T16:36:00.001+02:00

Nigeria’s business magnate and one of the richest men in Africa, Chief Antonio Oladeinde Fernandez, died on Tuesday, September 1, in Brussels, Belgium, at the age of 79.

Sources close to the family, who however expressed shock in his sudden demise, said he died of an age-related ailment.

We share some stunning photos about the life and times of the deceased Diplomat and permanent representative of Central African Republic to the United Nations. Source: Dele Momodu/Twitter

A younger Fernandez

Fernandez (right) with his last wife, Halima

Fernandez, with Halima in his Kano home

Fernandez inside his private jet with Halima. He was said to have six of them

A turbaned Fernandez

Fernandez (right) with former US President George Bush (senior)

Fernandez (right) with his family when he invited Africa’s icon, Nelson Mandela (left) on his eye-popping island in New York

Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu shares the luxury of billionaire Fernandez, when Fernandez invited him from London for lunch in Edinburgh, Scotland. Momodu (left) with Fernandez (right)

Fernandez and his daughter, Bimbola, a.k.a Bim, a singer based in New York

A portrait of Fernandez as a member of the Ogboni Confraternity

YEMOJA, the ocean-going yacht owned by Fernandez. Its details is available on charterworld.com for charter

Inside Yemoja

Fernandez island home in New York , United States

He is 76 years old. He Is A Billionaire. Reputed To Have Not One, But SIX Private Jets. He Owns A Chateau In France, Once Occupied By Napoleon Bonaparte, The Emperor Of France. Friend Of Mobutu. Ally Of Kofi Annan. Associate Of Mandela. I Call Him The Emperor of Blinding Swagger. Terrific Swagger. He Is So Classy That Whenever He Enters A Restaurant To Eat, Everyone Else Must Leave Because He Cannot Eat With The 'Commoners'. He Takes Over Entire Restaurants For The Night To Avoid Encountering 'RiffRaff'. (Chai! Poor Man Don Suffer). Of All The Richest Nigerians I Know, None Comes Close To This Man When It Comes To The Level Of Style, 'Tooshness' & Money-Backed Aloofness. But Who Is He? How He Made His Money? His Marriages? Why He Left His House For A Hotel?

Welcome to the world of one of Africa's richest men: HIS EXCELLENCY, OLUWO ANTONIO OLADEINDE FERNANDEZ, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative (see his writings to the President of the United Nations Security Council and United Nations Secretary General on behalf of President Ange-Félix Patassé of the Central African Republic in 1998 in the pictures). When it comes to the most impressive and exuberant display of the splendour of wealth, Fernandez dusts them all -by miles. The name 'Fernandez' is Portuguese in origin and shows that he is of the popular Fernandez family of Lagos. Historical accounts show that the Fernandezes were originally descendants of freed slaves from Brazil, where Portuguese is the official language. Some of the first modern-styled buildings in Lagos were built by the Fernandezes, and these buildings are known for their spectacular Brazilian architecture. Portuguese navigators were also the first European explorers to reach Lagos State. Actually, they gave the state the name 'Lagos'

For Ovation magazine to feature a man in 40 pages says a lot about his prestigious standing. Very secretive (not in a bad way or let me say he guards his privacy jealously) and aloof (he very rarely comes to Nigeria where he is from), this is one rich man in a class and mansion of his own -with no rivals but maybe a few big cats. His wealth has dazed and fazed many, and left even many more speechless. ANTONIO DEINDE FERNANDEZ. Okay, enough of that. Let's get some bits on him:

-He is the perfect combination of a diplomat (you can also refer to that as ambassador), businessman and yes, a gentleman. He is multilingual, tall and dark (yeah, take a look at the pix again, will you?)

-Even though he is Nigerian, he was appointed the Permanent Representative of Central African Republic (CAR) at the United Nations in 1997 (ain't that classy?, but with the current turmoil in CAR, with former President Francois Bozize fleeing the nation, things are hazy). -Fernandez is said to have interests in the CAR's oil industry (at a time, he was the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Central African Republic). That does not include his bauxite (for aluminum) exports, gold mines (in Angola) and diamonds pits. He owns Petro Inett, an oil company. Petro Inett is just one of them. He also has shares in View, Sandcat Petroleum, Sanantonio, Goldfields, Voguehope, Grantdalem Inuola, Sandcat Goldfields (cat, cat, now I understand those two cats...lol), Woods and Petro Inett Equatorial Guinea.

-Before then, he had served as the Special Adviser to the President of Mozambique on International Economic Matters and from 1992-1995, he was the Ambassador-at-Large for the Republic of Togo and Angola.

-He was also once the Consul for Benin Republic (then Republic of Dahomey) (1966), made the Economic Advisor to the Angolan Government in 1982 (just for perspective, only Nigeria produces more oil than Angola in Africa, shey you gerrit?). To be specific, he was a long-time adviser to President José Eduardo dos Santos of Angola (he’s been ruling since 1975).

In 1984, he was the Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Mozambique to the United Nations. At a point, he was a Deputy Minister of Finance in Swaziland.

-He has houses in Kano, built a tower for himself in Lagos (where he was born in 1936), New York (where he is said to stay almost permanently), Scotland, France, Belgium and the United Kingdom. But that’s not all, he has accounts in the Cayman Islands, France, Switzerland (I love that country joor), Ireland, Hong Kong, Scotland and the United States. Don’t ask me of Nigeria.

-He surrounds himself with the finest, classiest and the most exquisite things that money can buy.

In a divorce case with one of his former wives, it was revealed that he splashed 200,000 British Pounds on his seven-storey townhouse to buy 1,000 books of gold leaf to ‘toosh’ up the already ‘tooshed’ cornices and balustrades.

-A high chief of the Ogboni Confraternity, he is highly revered in his Yorubaland and his family motto is: Aguntan meji kii mumi ninu koto kan na (see images for the insignia). Okay, what that simply means is that two rams cannot drink from the same container. Or some people will say, there cannot be two captains on a ship.

-He once married (some reports insist they were only romantically linked) the Erelu of Lagos, Abiola Dosumu but they fell apart and the Erelu of Lagos has since stopped using his name, Fernandez.

Today, he is married to a beauty from Kano State. Her name? Haleema, and has a daughter, Mahreyah. She is said to be of the Alhaji Muhammadu Maude (also known as Maude Tobacco) family of Kano. Alhaji Maude was the Presidential Liaison Officer for Kano State during the Shehu Shagari presidency. A wealthy businessman, he made attempts to become governor of Kano State in the 1980s but lost even though his campaign was one of the most colourful and was associated with the use of yan banga, local thugs.

In 2012, he denied reuniting with Aduke, his former wife. The chief thundered: ‘It’s a big lie. It will never happen, even in a million years.’

-He owns one of the most luxurious homes in Kano State (with one of the largest horse stables and farms in Nigeria, one of the Boko Haram battles in January 2012 during which the pregnant wife of one of the Boko Haram leaders was reportedly killed, was close to his property). But the house is now said to be falling apart. Well, he doesn’t stay at home! He finished from Cambridge University and Columbia University (business degree) and has been using private jets long before people like Dangote and what is the name of that man again o….ehen! Adenuga! started dreaming of a billion dollars.

-He has been in the diplomatic business since 1966 so billions are not new to him. He has direct contacts to some of the most powerful world leaders, business executives and entrepreneurs. He is said to be very close to leaders like Nelson Mandela and George Walker Bush -and they address themselves by the first names. He surely pulls the strings. At a time, he wanted to sue a decorating firm for publishing the pictures of one of his properties that they had worked on. Okay o.

-A very deft diplomat was also instrumental to the Bangui Agreements of 1997. He has denied having any links with the Nkomati Accords signed in 1984 between Mozambique and South Africa, to which some have given him credits. He gave brilliant speeches at the United Nations, and below is an excerpt:

Mr. Fernandez (Central African Republic) I take pleasure in congratulating Mr. Opertti on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-third session, and I pledge my delegation’s full cooperation. I commend his predecessor, Mr. Udovenko, for bringing the fifty-second session of the General Assembly to a successful conclusion. I take great pleasure in expressing my pride in our Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan. His leadership and many achievements during the short period of his tenure are highly commendable. Just as this session of the General Assembly coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it also coincides, providentially, with the fiftieth anniversary of the commencement of peacekeeping operations by the United Nations.

These coincidences are striking because, while one was envisaged in the Charter of our Organization and was the subject of painstaking negotiations, the other was a chance development, not having been envisaged in the Charter. Yet both have had a profound effect on the influence of the United Nations in global affairs and on the perception of the Organization by those whom it was established to serve and who were identified in the opening words of the Charter as “We the peoples of the United Nations”.

The double celebration this year should also enable us to appreciate better the interrelationship between human rights and peacekeeping. There can be no question of human rights being enjoyed in a situation of conflict. Put another way, conflicts create conditions for the most outrageous violations of human rights, since, contrary to all international law and rationality, the most vulnerable in society — children, women and the aged — are often targeted and deprived of the most basic of human rights, the right to life.

As we define and refine our Organization’s responsibilities in peacekeeping, which, by common consent, is now taken in its broadest sense to mean the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts, let us always be conscious that the universal enjoyment of human rights, one of the major aspirations of humanity, cannot and will not be achieved unless we devote as much effort to the elimination of the conditions that provoke the violation of those rights.

I believe that it is with this fact in mind that international organizations, whether global, regional or subregional, have been devoting considerable time to devising effective means of preventing, managing and resolving conflicts in their various area of competence. Of course, the United Nations, with its unique role as the only global Organization invested with authority for the maintenance of international peace and security, is, appropriately, taking the lead in these efforts….

-In 1987, his American wife of 25 years, Barbara J. Fernandez, filed for divorce, and the proceedings of the case was at the Supreme Court of the State of Connecticut (Barbara Fernandez v. Antonio Deinde Fernandez (13283) and the case ‘involved the applicability of the doctrine of diplomatic immunity to an action for marital dissolution and equitable property distribution.’ As at the time of the divorce, Barbara Fernandez stated ‘an international businessman and diplomat who has admitted to being one of the richest men in Africa. He heads dozens of companies, and I believe his net worth exceeds $75 million.’ She (plaintiff) also stated that, in her opinion ‘the defendant could easily sell or transfer assets that are relevant to her claims for relief.’ (Fernandez vs. Fernandez).

-Ambassador Antonio Deinde Fernandez ‘claimed diplomatic immunity by virtue of his status as an ambassador to the United Nations for the People’s Republic of Mozambique’, and moved that the court dismiss the entire suit for lack of personal jurisdiction. A waiver was later provided, and the full text of the waiver went thus, providing: ‘Limited Waiver of Immunity.’ ‘Pursuant to Article 32 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the People’s Republic of Mozambique hereby waives the immunity extended by the United States of America to Ambassador Antonio Deinde Fernandez under the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations to the following limited and restricted extent only…’

One very unique thing about this Yoruba high chief is that unlike many other moneybags in Nigeria today, he did not make his money in Nigerian public office but rather by working as a suave and most talented diplomat FOR other nations of the globe, at a time when IBB and others were struggling over coups to rule Nigeria, he was already dealing with governments one-on-one. He has no traceable business or investment in Nigeria and stays virtually permanently outside the country (na your money o but nothing for we people of Nigeria,not even a tashere foundation or school tabi hospital. No lele o, Baba God at the top is watching all of us on His Samsung Galaxy). It is quite unfortunate that quite little is known about him (haha, I know how much I wrote on Adenuga na…lol!) because of intense privacy (which he has every right to), and what that means is that we may never know his real worth. At any rate, I stick to Forbes and Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index which lists Aliko Dangote as the richest black person on the third planet in the Solar System. Maybe a day will come when the Big Masquerade, the Afobaje (Kingmaker), the Custodian of Prosperity & Panache, Olori Ogboni Agba (Supreme Ogboni Chief) and Olori Oluwo (Head of the Occult) of Lagos, will come out and displace the Kano tycoon. If that day comes, this piece will be rewritten. Let’s take a good look at some of his titles, honours and awards (he is a tribal Yoruba chief and said to be one of the most prominent members of the Ogboni Confraternity):

His Excellency, AMBASSADOR, CHIEF ANTONIO DEINDE FERNANDEZ.

-His Imperial Highness Garsan Fulanin Kano (Kano State, Nigeria).

-Baron of Dudley (England). -Grand Officier de l’Ordre National du Leopard (Grand Officer of the National Order of the Leopard, the Democratic Republic of Congo)

-Grand Officier de l’Ordre du Merite Centrafricain (Grand Officer of the Order of Merit, Central African Republic).

-Grand Officier de l’Ordre du Mono (Grand Officer of the Order of Mono, Togo).

-Commandeur de l’Ordre National du Merite du Gabon (Commander of the National Order of Merit, Gabon).

-Officier du Ouissam Alaouite (Officer of the Ouissam Alaouite, Morocco where the descendants of the Alaouite dynasty rule as kings. The present is King Sidi Mohammed VI)

Thanks for your time.
IYANIWURA.

How South Africa Vice President Cyril Ramaphosa obtained his billion dollar wealth

2015-07-24T16:09:00.001+02:00

Cyril Ramaphosa was selected by the ANC to become a major beneficiary in empowerment deals. He was one of a few. These deals where aimed at creating wealth outside of the ANC formal structures. The reason was to firstly entrust selected individuals to gain access to not only substantial wealth but also to ensure that such beneficiaries would donate substantial moneys to the ANC .

The ANC aimed to fund it self via selected and well positioned cardes placed within the private sector.
This was done firstly to create a funding loophole which could not be done within the ANC as the capitals raised were from within its own alliance. Secondly it ensured that the ANC would not need to rely on other companies to raise funds which could have become a risk if the private sector colluded against the ANC. Thirdly it would provide a mechanism for broad based ownership on the JSE and link private sector companies to the ANC
For this reason Ramaphosa resigned in 1996 as Secretary General of the ANC . At the time it was stated that he fell out of relations with Nelson Mandela for not being recognised as the successor when Thabo Mbeki. This was a smoke screen as you will see below
This is how it all went down
In 1996 Ramaphosa took position as Deputy Executive Chairman of New Africa Investments Limited (“Nail”) and resigned from the ANC. NAIL invested R7 million to start up an investment banking company called Pleiade Investment Corporation. Pleiade was in fact a vessel used to raise capital but “publicly it was a financial advisor” and “brokered” an investment deal between SBC communications and MTN. SBC communication simultaneously entered into a joint venture investing R25m into Pleiade Investment corporation which was renamed AMB Capital.
In 1996 AMB capital acted as “advisory” to a R2.7 billion broad based empowerment deal in which the National Empowerment Corporation/Consortium (NEC) took a control in Johnnic Holdings Limited. Not only did AMB capital act as advisory but it also raised capital to the value of R2.1 billion for certain members of the National Empowerment Consortium to acquire a controlling stake in Johnnic Holdings Limited (Mutlichoice, Mnet, Hotels and Casinos).
The members of NEC mostly came from the labour unions, its pension funds and is also where most of the capital were raised (Full funding details was never made public). The R2.1 billion was mostly raised out of Labour Unions pension funds. As part of this acquisition, AMB Capital “put forward” Ramaphosa for the position of Chairman to Johnnic holdings. Considering Ramaphosa’s history with labour unions it can been seen why he was needed within the deal structure.
They were using Labour Union member pension funds in equity deals. Within 1996 (Same year Ramaphosa resigned from the ANC and AMB Capital was created) AMB Capital raised a further R1.3 billion for Ikageng Share scheme, AMB Southern African Investment fund and AMB Holdings (Parent company of AMB capital).
Various deals took place with various investment companies being created and by the end of 1997 the above broad based deals took a stake of 10% of the total listed JSE shares. When considering and acknowledge the Afrikaner took close to 20 years to achieve the same level of ownership on the JSE.
Most of the broad-based deals was structured as preferential shares varying between 3 -8% discount to listed share price values. It also saw many of these companies secure lucrative deals with Government.
Over the next decade all these broad-based deals saw Ramaphosa elected into various Executive and Non-Executive positions on the largest firms listed on the JSE. Thes roles Ramaphosa occupied helped favour these companies with government contracts and helped level their BEE status.
To mention a few positions:
Chairman
Alexander Forbes South Africa, Black Economic Empowerment Commission, Johnnic Holdings Limited, KreditInform (Pty) Limited, Sasria SOC Limited, Vancut Diamond Works
Deputy Chairman
Rebserve Holdings Limited
Executive Chairman
Millennium Consolidated Investments (Pty) Limited, Shanduka Group
Independent Director
SABMILLER PLC
Independent Non-Executive Director
CAPITAL PROPERTY FUND
Non-executive Chairman
PAN AFRICAN RESOURCES PLC, MTN GROUP LIMITED, THE BIDVEST GROUP LIMITED
Non Executive Director
Alexander Forbes Limited, ASSORE LIMITED, LONMIN PLC, STANDARD BANK GROUP LTD, THE BIDVEST GROUP LIMITED,
Vice Chairman
Commonwealth Business Council
Ramaphosa acquired substantial wealth forming part of so many executive roles within JSE listed companies. He no doubt gained substantial wealth form preferential share options. I however think it would be unfair to say that Ramaphosa did not work for his wealth. He was certainly advantage based on the circumstances of the time.
Considering the turn of apartheid, questions will remain how fair and how beneficial these deals were. Questions would be asked how much money did the ANC raise for its election campaigns and many other questions will follow. Based on our countries diversity, biased opinions and factions, the answers to these questions would certainly be polarised.
I however must say that I am disappointed that 3 years into democracy black ownership on the JSE was already at a total of 10% and today ownership is questioned. Considering that almost half of the JSE share value is foreign owned it means after three years of democracy local ownership saw almost 20% in the hands of the previously disadvantaged.
Today we have stagnated and argue who owns what. What is not argued is the wealth of RSA billionaires such as Ramaphosa. It does leave a hollow feeling that this wealth has been obtained on the back of low income earners invested pension funds. Have those poor income earners pension funds gained wealth at the same rate as Ramaphosa?
That is a question only Cyril can answer.

Meet Lere Mgayiya – SA’s shoe-shine Millionaire

2015-07-14T22:20:00.001+02:00

Lere's Shoe Shine is the largest shoe-shining business in Africa, with a turnover of over R2,5 million a year. We chat to Lere Mgayiya about how he turned a small idea into a huge success

Lere’s Shoe Shine is located in five of SA’s major airports and has become a favourite stop-off for business travellers from across the world.

Mgayiya’s first job was distributing boarding cards for South African Airways, but after five years he switched to negotiating with various farmers for his uncle’s livestock transportation business. When this didn’t work out long term, he used the network of farmers he had developed over the years to start a business supplying eggs to the South African parliament. While a great idea, he didn’t earn enough to make a decent living, so Mgayiya invested money he won on a game show into a tree planting business. He lost everything within six months.

Down and out, but not discouraged, he spotted a man shining shoes at Greenmarket Square in Cape Town and discovered he earned about R3 000 a month. This was a lightbulb moment for Mgayiya, who saw an opportunity for a viable business model.

First he had to work out where such a business would make the most profit, and he could think of no better place than the airport, through which a steady stream of people pass, 24 hours a day.

In 2002 he approached Umsobomvu Youth Fund, an organisation established to offer support to young entrepreneurs. They helped him put create a business plan, which he presented to the Cape Town International Airport to apply for a stand in the terminal. Approval was only granted a year later, in November 2003.

Mgayiya had to sell his TV, radio and fridge to raise the capital to buy two shoe-shine chairs.

“I had one guy working for me when I started, so there were two of us shining shoes and we worked 18 hours a day, six days a week,” he recalls. “In our first month we made a profit of R9 000, which we did not expect at all; we’d expected only about R4 000.”

Every day for the first two months he left home at 4am, got to the airport at 5am and would only get home at around 10pm. By the third month, he was able to buy two more chairs and employ more people.

“It was amazing, every time we increased the capacity, the customers came,” Mgayiya says.

The company was initially called Airport Shoe Shine, but the name was quickly changed.

“Because the customers were engaging with Lere, they didn’t want to support Airport Shoe Shine. They kept coming to me, telling me that Airport Shoe Shine made the business seem impersonal, when it was, in fact, the complete opposite,” Mgayiya shares.

It was amazing, every time we increased the capacity, the customers came

This exceptional personal service is part of the reason Lere’s Shoe Shine is the success it is today. ‘Lere’ becomes the customer’s friend, his personality becomes an experience and that experience keeps customers coming back.

“Every guy who works for me is also a ‘Lere’ as far as his characteristics and personality traits are concerned. He is welcoming, he is an old friend and he delivers,” says Mgayiya, adding that consistency is also vital.

“I consolidated the business and made it a brand, so the guys in Johannesburg do exactly what the guys in Cape Town do. That makes them a corporation and it makes the business more professional. Our guys are not just shoe shiners, they are sales people,” he explains.

The business is formalised, focused and well branded, and proper training is given to new staff. This is what has set Lere’s Shoe Shine apart from the rest.

“The guys earn by commission, meaning that they eat what they kill. This makes them want to grow their customer base and build relationships with specific customers. To do this, they deliver an above-average service, which positively contributes to the business’ brand,” says Mgayiya.

He is passionate about the development of others in his community.

“It is gratifying to be fulfilling my purpose, while at the same time uplifting other people. It’s amazing that I can make money while also making change.

“Our business is about trust and integrity, and in order for my employees to show that to the customers, they must first see it in me. It flows from me, to them, and it translates positively with the customers,” Mgayiya concludes.

Book: African Millionaires and How they Made their Wealth

2015-07-05T13:20:00.001+02:00

African Millionaires and How they Made their Wealth: Stories of Successful African Business People and their Ventures that will Inspire, Encourage, and Motivate You

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010YE67E4

Godfrey Madanhire Dreamworld Promotions Zimbabwe South Africa

2015-04-21T22:00:00.003+02:00

American comedian Demetri Martin once defined a life coach as “a really expensive friend with limited credentials”. That was almost a decade ago, and coaches are still the butt of many jokes today. Yet the industry has continued to grow massively, defying the eye rolls to make millionaires out of many people, including Godfrey Madanhire, the founder of South African company, Dreamworld Promotions.

Godfrey Madanhire

Headquartered in Cape Town, Dreamworld Promotions sells motivational audio discs (written and presented by Madanhire) which are distributed to subscribers monthly. The company also holds events and workshops through which Madanhire provides inspiration to both individuals and major corporates.

Madanhire, who runs the award-winning company, says he is increasingly landing lucrative speaking opportunities. To drum up more gigs, Dreamworld recently established a dedicated sales division. From humble beginnings, the company now rakes in about R10m annually (about $830,000) and employs 50 permanent staff and 150 others.

Born in Zimbabwe, Madanhire was 26 when he arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2000 to seek a better life for himself and his dependents back home. Back then he believed he could find greater fortunes in South Africa than his teaching job could ever offer.

In a recent conversation with How we made it in Africa, Madanhire talked about his journey so far.

Tell us about your first job when you arrived in South Africa.

I struggled to find work but didn’t give up because I was determined to keep the promises I’d made to my mother. I found a position with Premier Growth Group selling short-term insurance. Direct sales wasn’t my dream job, but I persevered and became successful. And it paid off – a few years later I was sent to open a new office in Cape Town. By 2006 I was managing 11 branches. I had achieved well beyond my wildest dreams and it was exciting.

What made you decide to become a life coach and motivational speaker?

I enjoyed motivating and sharing my experiences with my team and it was rewarding to see positive outcomes. It occurred to me that kind of reward does not come from being a branch manager, or even from your bank account. I needed to commit to an activity that would help me to transform lives, so in 2006 established my own company.

Looking back, were there signs this is the path you would follow?

Steve Jobs once said something very interesting – that we can only join the dots backwards. My life, when I look back, makes perfect sense now even though then it seemed like a puzzle that’s not connected at all. My work as a teacher and in insurance sales involved teaching, working with different people, advising and helping them achieve a different world view. When I was just 10 and growing up in a broken home, I stayed up many nights conjuring comforting and wise words to tell my mother in the morning.

What does a life coach really do?

Generally, we advise people on life. We aim to train clients to reach goals instead of just dreaming about them, and those objectives can include working in a family or business set-up – for example to get employees to buy into a founder’s vision or even motivating for better performance. To be a good coach and motivational speaker, you need a story to tell, to speak with passion and credibility, and to make personal connections. I think I have an exciting story to tell – a story of a person who started with nothing and created a profitable enterprise.

How big is the industry in South Africa? Do you see growth prospects for your company?

Life coaching is big business due to the pressures facing businesses in these hard economic times, and the myriad problems in our society. More business executives are increasingly looking for sources of honest feedback, and spaces where they can be challenged on their thinking and approach.

The speaking industry is lagging behind, compared with countries like the US and UK. More work is needed to bring more organisations on board.

We see exciting opportunities for our company going forward. We have already through commission-based agents made inroads in Namibia, Swaziland and Lesotho. In the short-term we plan to continue expanding in South Africa and to enter more Southern African countries and Kenya. We just need to establish a suitable and cost-effective mode of entry.

What can you share with aspiring entrepreneurs?

The most important thing is to find a business idea you are passionate about. Be an expert in your field. I have seen many small businesses fail because they didn’t have a firm grasp of their trade. Learn how to work and deal with other people, whether it’s your employees or customers. I believe dreams come true, but of course one has to work hard. One big challenge for businesses is staff retention, and I can testify to this. You’ve got to find creative ways of keeping employees. For example, at Dreamworld we help the employees to understand our vision – that it is not just about sales, but making a difference in people’s lives.

Your thoughts on xenophobia in South Africa and businesses that have been ruined due to the attacks?

Our society is in turmoil. Life coaches should be out there talking to people, reminding them of the concept of humanity. I can imagine the hopelessness felt by people who worked extremely hard to establish their businesses, only to wake up one day and it’s all gone. And just because someone feels that you were born in the wrong place. It’s not a trend we expected to see, and it doesn’t augur well for the country and the business climate. We need to start instilling the culture of humanity in young people. A good start is the classroom. Additionally, responsible and accountable leadership is important.

Looking across borders, insecurity is a concerning issue. I think people are taking out their anger and frustration on innocent people, and in terrible ways. We need to cultivate a culture of dialogue, to start believing in the power of conversation. And governments need to start taking people more seriously, addressing grievances rather than waiting for protests.

Ghanaian millionaire Patrick Awuah quits Microsoft to build university that Educates young Africans

2015-04-07T20:20:00.002+02:00

VENTURES AFRICA – In a time where Africans still queue up at the embassies of foreign countries, with the hope of being granted visas into countries with ‘better living conditions’, a rare few like Patrick Awuah are sacrificing a life abroad to make a difference at home.

In 2001, after living in America for almost two decades, Patrick Awuah returned to Ghana, leaving his job at Microsoft, where he earned millions as program manager to set up Ashesi University in Accra, to educate young Africans. “If the current leadership core was educated a certain way, if they were problem solvers, if they had deep compassion for society, we would be in a different place,” he thought. Hence, Ashesi University is known for its innovative curriculum, high tech facilities, and strong emphasis on leadership. The University stirs a new path in African education.

In his TED Global talk in 2007, Patrick Awuah explains his call to educate Africa’s future leaders, and why he believes this is very important.

At the age of 16 in Ghana, Patrick Awuah had his first memorable experience of leadership. At the airport to meet his father, he is stopped by two soldiers wielding AK-47 assault weapons. “They asked me to join a crowd of people that were running up and down this embankment. Why? Because the path I had taken was considered out of bounds. No sign to this effect,” he noted.

Typical of teenagers, Patrick was quite concerned of what his peers, especially girls, would think if they saw him running up and down the hill. So he argued with soldiers. Luckily for him, a pilot falls into the same predicament. The soldiers addressed him differently because he wore a uniform; they explained that they were only following orders. The pilot takes their radio, talks to their boss, and gets everyone released. Patrick learnt several things from that experience. “Leadership matters – those men are following the orders of a superior officer. I learned something about courage – it was important not to look at those guns.”

A few years after that event, Patrick left Ghana to attend Swarthmore College in the United States. “The faculty there didn’t want us to memorise information and repeat back to them as I was used to back in Ghana. They wanted us to think critically. They wanted us to be analytical. They wanted us to be concerned about social issues.” At Swarthmore, Patrick got high marks for his understanding of basic economics in his economic classes, but the deeper lesson was that, the leaders, the managers of Ghana’s economy were making really bad decisions, some of which had fuelled the near-collapse of the country’s economy. “And so here was this lesson again – leadership matters. It matters a great deal,” he explained.

In spite of Patrick’s Epiphany at Swarthmore, it wasn’t until he started working at Microsoft Corporation that he realised it. “I was part of this team, this thinking, learning team whose job it was to design and implement new software that created value in the world…. And I realised just what had happened to me at Swarthmore … The ability to confront problem, complex problems, and to design solutions to those problems. The ability to create is the most empowering thing that can happen to an individual.”

At Microsoft, Patrick became a parent. The thought of his children’s perception of Africa in comparison to the rest of the world instigated a desire to return home and change the overwhelming narrative that portrayed the dark continent. He was determined to contribute his quota towards the continents development.

On his return 14 years ago, he found out that for every problem three things kept coming up; corruption, weak institutions, and the people who run them – the leaders. Patrick asked two very important questions: where are these leaders coming from? What is it about Ghana that produces leaders that are unethical or unable to solve problems?

In search of answers, he scanned the country’s educational system and realised that nothing had changed during his time away. “It was the same learning by rote, from primary school through graduate school. Very little emphasis on ethics … and the typical graduate from a university in Ghana has a stronger sense of entitlement than a sense of responsibility. This is wrong.” Patrick’s resolve to address this problem resulted in the conception and birth of Ashesi University, an institution launched to develop young African leaders. “Every society must be very intentional about educating its leaders … so this is what I’m doing now. I’m trying to bring the experience I had at Swarthmore to Africa. What Ashesi University is trying to do, is to train a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial leaders. We’re trying to train leaders of exceptional integrity, who have the ability to confront the complex problems, ask the right questions, and come up with workable solutions.”

Ashesi started with 30 students in 2002 in a rented building. Today the university campus is set on a 100 acre land near Aburi, an hour’s drive from Ghana’s capital, Accra, with over 500 students. The academic curriculum is a blend of Liberal arts and Sciences. “we’re going to educate computer science students who’ve also done philosophy, and leadership, and ethics … we’re going to educate business majors who’ve studied literature and have also done computer programming because we think that broad perspectives are important,” a bullish Patrick told the audience at the TEDEx talk.

The university has an Honour Code, where the students pledge to be honest and to hold each other accountable. The students of Ashesi University take ownership of their ethical posture on campus. “This is a huge break from the norm in most African universities, where corrupt practices run free,”Patrick says. “While the Honour Code may constitute a reach for a perfect society, which is unachievable, we cannot achieve perfection, but if we reach for it, we can achieve excellence.”

If more exceptionally minded and critical thinking individuals like Patrick Awuah would rise to the occasion of transforming Africa, the continent will make great strides in ridding itself off corruption, weak institutions, and most importantly unethical and inefficient leaders.

Dick Enthoven Billionaire Founder of Nandos

2015-03-20T20:34:00.000+02:00

As one who queued in the original Nando’s in Rosettenville for many a Sunday evening meal, I’ve been a close observer of the rise and rise of the spicy chicken empire. As you would. The management have changed from the original Nandocas led by ever ebullient Robbie Brozin, but that hasn’t stopped the brand expanding into one one now recognised from Wimbledon to Bondi Beach. Brozin spends most of his time on philanthropic causes. Replaced by the sons of his original backer, Dick Enthoven, who is reputed to have made more than R5bn on that investment. In this fascinating insight into the family behind Nando’s, Bloomberg lifts the veil ever so slightly on one of South Africa’s most successful and most reclusive entrepreneurs. – AH

Nando’s Afro-Portuguese-themed, quick-service restaurants are known for their signature peri-peri chili marinated chicken. A half bird sells for seven pounds ($10.27) in London and 57.90 rand ($4.70) in Cape Town. Photo credit: h0lydevil / Foter / CC BY

By Devon Pendleton

(Bloomberg) — It’s lunchtime in Cape Town, and a stream of customers are lining up at the Nando’s restaurant on Long Street. A cashier, Zimktha Loza, tries to take phone orders over the din of Portuguese-inspired music.

“I have regular customers every day,” Loza said. “I hear their voice and know what they are going to order.”

Long lines at Nando’s, which opened its first eatery in South Africa in the late 1980s, are a common sight at outlets far away from Cape Town. The fast-growing spicy-chicken chain has 1,100 locations in 22 countries, helping make its original backer, Dick Enthoven, a billionaire.

The son of an insurance magnate, Enthoven kick-started the business by giving two entrepreneurs, Robbie Brozin and Fernando “Nando” Duarte, a loan to expand their chain of chicken restaurants in the early 1990s. Today, he owns more than 320 Nando’s outlets in the U.K.

The business accounts for half of his $1.1 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The rest of his net worth derives from Hollard Insurance Company Ltd., South Africa’s largest closely held insurer. He’s never appeared on an international wealth ranking.

“At its heart Nando’s is a private family business,” said a Nando’s U.K. spokeswoman who asked not to be identified, citing company policy. “The principal backers in Nando’s, shortly after its founding, are the Enthoven family who have provided private capital and significant business know-how to grow the business in South Africa and globally.”

She declined to comment on Enthoven’s net worth.

Quick Service

“Nando’s has done really well because the whole concept is based around a very simple product which everyone understands,” said Peter Backman, managing director at Horizons, a London- based food service consultancy. “They deliver this product imaginatively, with great fun and at a very good price.”

The company’s playful marketing ploys, such as a “finger selfie” campaign where people share pictures of their digits in creative situations, play especially well with youthful customers, said Backman. On Twitter, Nando’s is the most popular restaurant in the U.K., according to a study by Southampton- based consultancy eDigitalResearch, with twice as many followers as second-ranked Domino’s Pizza Inc.

One Direction

The fervor of Nando’s loyalists has spawned a fan website, RateYourNandos.com, featuring reviews and statistics, such as the most populous U.K. city without a Nando’s (Stoke-on-Trent) and the first Nando’s to see the new day (a location in Suva City, Fiji). Celebrity devotees include singer Harry Styles from the band One Direction and rapper Wiz Khalifa.

The company’s parent, Nando’s Group Holdings Ltd., had revenue of 535 million pounds ($802 million) in the year ending Feb. 23, 2014. Enthoven, whose age couldn’t be confirmed, shares ownership of Nando’s international businesses, a mix of company- owned and franchised restaurants, with Duarte and Brozin, according to Nando’s spokeswoman.

The origin of the Enthoven family fortune dates back to the 1950s, when Enthoven’s father, Robert, an insurance broker and Dutch immigrant, identified the need for corporate insurance services in South Africa. Today, Johannesburg-based Hollard Insurance sells life and short-term policies on four continents. It had a book value of 5.99 billion rand ($563.1 million) as of June 2014.

Table Service

Dick Enthoven’s Oxford-educated son Adrian serves as chairman of Hollard while another son, Robby, is head of Nando’s U.K. Robby was tapped to run Nando’s in 1993, when the company had just two branches in west London, according to a 2011 profile in The Caterer magazine. He tweaked the format, switching from the South African takeout model to a combination of counter and table service.

The company opened its first U.K. location outside of London in 2000. By 2013, there were 300 Nando’s throughout the U.K. Part of the chain’s success, said Horizons’ Backman, is location. It’s hard to find a bustling street or shopping center anywhere in the country that doesn’t have a Nando’s.

“They’ve become the anchor site for new developments,” he said. “Nando’s is the must-have brand to be in there.”

While Dick Enthoven isn’t involved in Nando’s daily management, his influence is reflected in the restaurants’ decor. An art collector, he’s wallpapered the head office of Hollard with works by African artists and hired a curator to build a collection for Nando’s.

Art Collection

Altogether, the U.K. restaurants showcase 5,000 pieces of South African art, according to the company’s website, a collection ten times bigger than the one at the Tate Britain museum.

“I never buy anything with the view of selling it or to invest in it,” Enthoven said in a 2010 interview with Johannesburg-based newspaper Business Day. “I buy it because I enjoy it, because it is important to have it.”

The billionaire also helped assemble the art collection on display at Spier, his Stellenbosch wine estate. One of South Africa’s oldest wine farms, the property also has a hotel, conference center, restaurants and biodynamic farm.

Wines from the 300-year-old vineyards appear on Nando’s U.K. menu. They include a chenin-sauvignon blanc blend and merlot, both of which are said to “partner spicy foods perfectly.”

Gloria Serobe: A champion of economic freedom for women

2015-02-23T16:36:00.001+02:00

FOUNDING MEMBER OF WIPHOLD AND CEO OF WIPCAPITAL

Author: Jane Notten
Publisher: Oshun Books
This is an extract from My Success, Your Success: Top tips from South African women entrepreneurs. It is reproduced with permission.

When the lists of black South African women who have played a significant role in the empowerment and inspiration of women in this country are drawn up, Gloria Tomato Serobe is usually somewhere in the top five. Co-founder of South Africa’s first and most successful women’s investment company – WIPHOLD – Gloria might only be a little over five foot tall, but she commands a reputation that dwarfs that of many other businesswomen.

It’s a reputation that has been fuelled by a 30-year career in financial services that is as illustrious as they come. On the eve of her 50th birthday (something she intends to celebrate for all she is worth), Gloria can look back with a certain amount of satisfaction. In her working life so far she has seen action on two continents with some of the heavyweight multinationals, been the Financial Director of a top parastatal and launched and sustained a women’s investment company that is making real progress in ushering ordinary South African women into the mainstream economy. Of all her achievements this last is probably the one of which she is most proud.

Gloria is, quite simply, driven by a passion to empower her fellow women, or more precisely, to give women economic freedom in a world that she perceives is still very much dominated by men.

‘It is still difficult for women to get the same opportunities in business as men,’ says Gloria. ‘That is what often discourages women from entering business. Our role is to make the world accept that women are taking their rightful place in business. All we want is to compete on an equal footing!’

It is these sentiments that brought Gloria and three like-minded women – Wendy Luhabe, Louisa Mojela and Nomhle Canca – together in 1993, on the eve of the country’s transition into democracy, when opportunity for previously disadvantaged people was knocking.

Each an executive in her own right, the four were determined to heed the knock and open the door to opportunity. They did not want to see men waltz away with all the opportunities. They put their heads together and decided that, with their collective experience, they could launch an investment company that could take advantage of the new economic climate. Together they raised R500 000 of seed capital (in investment terms a laughably small amount) and set about the seemingly daunting prospect of launching such a company. But from the beginning they were thinking of more than just opportunity for themselves. They wanted it to be an investment company that brought wealth not only to the four founders but also to the vast numbers of South Africa’s women – black and white – who were then still excluded from the mainstream economy.

‘We all had the one dream of creating a critical mass of women in business as opposed to each one doing their own thing. We knew that if we succeeded we would be rich, but we thought it would be so much nicer if we were also surrounded by other rich women,’ says Gloria.

For this reason they decided to do an initial public offer/private placement to women only. After two years of laying the groundwork – which included touring the country to mobilise and galvanise potential women investors and building up a decent portfolio of business for them to buy into – their dream became a reality. In 1997 the fund was launched with an Initial Public Offer to women throughout South Africa for R25 million. The response, says Gloria, was mind boggling. Eighteen thousand women took up the invitation to become part of the dream and bought shares. Some of them were individuals, others were groups of women drawn from all nine provinces in the country, urban and rural. WIPHOLD (Women Investment Portfolio Holdings Ltd) had arrived on the South African financial scene with a bang.

‘Effectively from day one we were public company,’ says Gloria. ‘WIPHOLD was the first BEE company to establish a permanent broad-based shareholding – long before the BEE rules shifted in that direction.’

This early and intuitive understanding of the need for broad-based empowerment may have something to do with the fact that each of the four founders had a very personal experience of what it means.

Gloria, for example, knows first hand what it is to rise above your circumstances. From a conventionally disempowered background – she was one of nine children born in Langa township in Cape Town – she was fortunate to be given the opportunities in life to go far. Opportunities that she grabbed with both hands.

‘I have always treated all opportunities as if they would not be there tomorrow,’ she says simply.

The first of these was the chance to learn from her parents. Both superb role models to a bright young girl, Gloria’s parents were entrepreneurs and ran shops in the community. From them she learned much about the perseverance and hard work needed to make a success of life. Then her grandfather, whom she always cites as the most important formative influence in her life, gave her something equally important and utterly priceless – self-belief.

‘Like any grandfather mine doted on his grandchildren,’ says Gloria. ‘He always celebrated our successes and downplayed our failures. He made me feel important and that I could do anything I wanted.’

Showing promise from an early age, Gloria was given the opportunity to be the first girl to study at St John’s school for Boys in the Eastern Cape (one of the few good schools for black children at the time). Of course she jumped at it. From there she went on to earn her BCom from the University of Transkei and then won a Fulbright Scholarship that took her to Rutgers University in New Jersey, where she attained an MBA. After her formal education Gloria became an accountant for Exxon and worked in the US for a few years before returning to South Africa where she worked in the accounting sphere (for Munich Reinsurance and Premier Group). Then at age 32 she took a sudden leap from accounting into the world of investment and merchant banking taking a role with Standard Corporate & Merchant Bank (SCMB). There she learned all about corporate and project finance and mergers and acquisitions. The move was also significant because at SCMB she met one of her future business partners– Louisa Mojela.

By the time she reached WIPHOLD, Gloria was therefore already a seasoned and much-respected business woman. So much so that around the time that she participated in setting up WIPHOLD she was offered (and had to accept obviously as it was another one of those opportunities she couldn’t let pass) a job as Financial Director of Transnet. It was to be one of the most challenging, but also very rewarding, legs of her career.

While working at Transnet she continued to be involved in WIPHOLD, helping it with its rights offer to women (R76 million) in 1998 and private placements worth R 424 million in 1999 as well as assisting with listing the business on the stock exchange that same year. However, by 2001 it became clear that WIPHOLD needed more than her peripheral involvement.

After its listing, WIPHOLD ran into trouble. A natural downswing in markets from 1999 coupled with the lack of full-time involvement by its founders meant that the company was suddenly in danger of going where all the other post-apartheid women-owned investment firms had gone – down the tubes. But Gloria and her co-founders were not about to let that happen.

‘The burden of being a pioneer is that you can’t afford to fail,’ she says. ‘You find you have attracted a following and become an inspiration and a role model. You become anxious to succeed, not only for your own sake but for your followers.’

Thus, Gloria resigned from Transnet and joined WIPHOLD full-time in 2001 in a bid to get the organisation back on track. She believes that it is necessary for the founders to stay sharp and committed at the helm so that they can continue to hold the organisation to its original vision. Today, three of the four original founders still work in the business.

‘If WIPHOLD fails it won’t be because the founders are not there,’ she says.

As part of the turnaround strategy, one of the first things they did was to establish Wipcapital, as a wholly owned financial services subsidiary of WIPHOLD, which allowed them to have a more operational focus. Gloria became its CEO.

Then, in 2003, WIPHOLD bought out its minority shareholders and delisted as a R1,5-billion company, a move that Gloria says was all about taking back control.

‘We felt that with listing we could no longer control who bought shares and our ideology of being a women-owned company was being eroded,’ she says. ‘Now just over 60% of the company is again owned by women, which is the way we like it.’

After that there was no looking back. In 2005 WIPHOLD grabbed headlines when it secured stakes in the local- and London-listed insurance giant Old Mutual – as well as in subsidiaries Nedbank and Mutual & Federal. A deal worth R7,2 billion, it was one of the biggest BEE deals in the country at the time and also the first sizeable transaction to be driven equally by women. In the same year, WIPHOLD also concluded a significant BEE deal worth R396 million with Distell and acquired a 1,12% stake in Telkom. Most recently, WIPHOLD and Sasol Mining announced a transaction (valued at almost R1.9 billion) which has seen thousands of rural and peri-urban women participating in a BEE transaction for the first time as WIPHOLD, through a new entity called WIPCoal Investments, became the BEE partner to Sasol Mining.

Now almost 15 years old, WIPHOLD represents over 300 000 women investors and over 50% of the stock owners are black. Although it has been bigger, it employs a stable workforce of 60.

Gloria says that one of the secrets of their success has been the fact that they are an operational company and not just a portfolio holding company. ‘For the deals we do we don’t have outside advisors. We have got our own, very powerful investment banking team in house,’ she says.

She says that being able to demonstrate that they are self standing and have the technical expertise and capacity for the deal is important for their credibility, particularly as BEE deals are often subject to criticism.

‘We need to be able to demonstrate that we are not just a bunch of lucky people hanging around to collect our dividend without doing any work. Here we work for our money.

‘It’s an obsession for us. We want to be indispensable in business and the only way to do that is to be knowledgeable and to work hard at it.’

It’s an obsession that has paid off. The impressive turnaround led by Gloria and co-founder Louisa Mojela (the CEO of WIPHOLD), that bought the company back from the brink to one of the top performing investment companies in South Africa, has earned the two of them numerous accolades. Leading South African weekly business journal the Financial Mail named Gloria among the country’s 20 most influential women in 2004 and in 2006 she and Louisa were finalists in the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year. Gloria was also crowned the Businesswomen’s Association Businesswoman of the Year in 2006 and sits on numerous boards – including that of the JSE and the UCT Graduate School of Business.

It all sounds like a lot of hard work, but Gloria is definitely not all work and no play. In fact the ratio seems to be a little the other way around. She believes firmly that nothing can be achieved without hard work, but that it needs to be balanced out with a fair dollop of fun.

‘Our strategy sessions, for example, are about 30% intense working and 70% fun,’ she says, adding that to make sure of the fun they tend to go away somewhere special for these annual sessions. In 2008 it took place in Kenya (in time to watch the annual game migrations) and in 2007 they went to Mauritius.

She also finds time to be a mother (to two boys) and a wife (to husband Gaur Serobe) something she also believes in passionately. Despite her fervent championing of women’s rights, she describes herself as ‘not quite a feminist’ in the sense that she espouses home values.

‘I think marriage and home life play a vital role. Given the loneliness you experience in the boardroom, it is nice to know there is something at home for you,’ she says.

This of course comes at a cost. ‘There is no such thing as balancing home and career,’ she says, ‘It is not balanceable. You have to have a good support network in place.’

For Gloria, that support comes mainly from her mother-in-law, a woman who she says understands the difficulties of being a working woman herself and who is committed to the happiness of her sons. The other key to keeping both spheres of life in harmony, says Gloria, is making sure that there are no surprises for anyone.

‘You must either be in or not in. Your family must know where you are and how they can find you so they know how to support you,’ she says.

She must be doing something right because the stresses and strains don’t appear to be taking their toll. Gloria seems relaxed and ready for anything. Which is just as well because with tough economic times ahead, WIPHOLD is facing a potentially bumpy ride. But Gloria is happy that they have done all they can to weather the storm. Firstly, their business is diversified. ‘The whole purpose of WIPHOLD now is to be strong in a few sectors and trust that they can’t all fall apart at the same time,’ she says.

Secondly, she is confident that they have the best possible team in place. Hard work and excellence have always been non-negotiables in the company and now this will count for a lot.

‘Excellence is everything here,’ says Gloria. ‘You are only going to win on the back of that. There is no substitute for super, super performance. We have a very bright team in place with enough conservatism to make sure things work.’

It is also a close-knit team, although good people come and go – WIPHOLD does not have the deep pockets necessary to keep some of their top staff from being poached by other financial services companies – there is a loyal core of people working in the business. Gloria reports that the average service for staff is 10 years.

With these fundamentals in place, Gloria is confident that WIPHOLD will continue on its march towards equity in South Africa.

‘It has always been part of WIPHOLD’s ethos to make women our business by finding ways to bring disadvantaged women into the economic mainstream,’ she said, ‘and we think that we are achieving that.’

Indeed, many of the women that bought into WIPHOLD right at the beginning remain shareholders today and have seen their investment grow exponentially over the years. Somehow, it seems likely that with Gloria and Louisa at the helm, they won’t have seen the end of that growth yet.

‘There are short cuts,’ she says. ‘We will never be billionaires because there are so many of us, but we will never be miserable either!’

GLORIA’S TOP TIPS

1. Don’t be afraid to try.

2. Believe in yourself. Without being arrogant it is necessary to believe that you can do it no matter what. This belief will always have to come from somewhere, in my case, I always talk about my grandfather who was so eager for our success that we grew up thinking we could do anything.

3. Treat every opportunity like it won’t be there tomorrow. Every opportunity I have had in my life I have grabbed with both hands.

4. Have fun. It’s a big part of business, you cannot carry your sadness into your workplace and hope to make it. Celebrate every little achievement – there is nothing wrong with Champaigne really! Find the opportunity to pick out the most positive and best things about your colleagues and celebrate those. It is also important because the younger people in an organisation will look to you the leader for motivation and will need to see the light heartedness in you.

5. Let people know where you stand. Your principles have to be clear at all times. That’s the only way people get comfortable working with you. You may lose business as a result of taking a principled stand, but then it was probably not worth having in the first place.

6. Acknowledge the people who support and mentor you and hang onto them – especially the men. I have only been mentored by men all my life. I have never had the opportunity to be mentored by a woman in my 30-year working career. One of the enablers of my success has always been the fact that the ruling party in general and President Thabo Mbeki in particular has a strong, well-articulated policy on women empowerment. The president has gone out of his way to empower women during his presidency and I honour that.

7. Learn how to be tough! It’s not easy out there and you will be on your own.

8. Look out for and encourage other women – without scaring them you have got to make them believe that they can do it too.

9. Open yourself to criticism, as that is how you will learn.

Mark Willcox Mvelaphanda Holdings

2015-02-17T21:56:00.001+02:00

The Mail & Guardian’s Kevin Davie mused that of all the beneficiaries of empowerment since 2000, Wilcox was probably one of the whites to have done best. He was 32nd on a list in which the value of BEE investments was measured. Wilcox has earned R493m from his wheeling and dealing. His future presumably lies with Mvelapanda Holdings, especially while founder Tokyo Sexwale disavows all operational involvement in his businesses while fulfilling the role of minister of human settlements on President Jacob Zuma’s new cabinet. Deeply evasive, but now “looking prosperous”, Wilcox’s close relationship with David Brown, Impala Platinum CEO, was a reason why Fred Roux quit the chairmanship of Impala. Brown and Wilcox had been hatching the takeover of Mvela Holdings’ mining investment, Mvelaphanda Resources, which owns 64% of Northam Platinum, by Impala. The deal failed but represented another chapter in the on-off delisting of Mvelaphanda Resources.

LIFE OF MARK
Wilcox is a non-executive director of Mvelaphanda Resources, the CEO of Mvelaphanda Holdings and chief investment office for the Mvelaphanda Group. The son of a butcher from Manchester, he was born in Cape Town in 1970 and graduated with a BA LLB from the University of Cape Town. There are many urban legends about Wilcox, but one is that he read about this “Sexwale fellow” on a long-haul flight and decided to offer his services after a stint in the Congo’s diamond industry.

Web Address: www.mvelares.co.za

No one could have predicted that a white South African would amass a R100Â Â -million-plus fortune from the empowerment process, but Mark Willcox, the CE of Mvelaphanda Holdings,has done exactly that. Willcox, holds 4,4% of the JSE Securities Exchange-listed conglomerate.
No one could have predicted that a white South African would amass a R100Â -million-plus fortune from the empowerment process, but Mark Willcox, the CE of Mvelaphanda Holdings,has done exactly that.

Willcox, Mvelaphanda chairperson Tokyo Sexwale’s right-hand man since the formation of the empowerment group in 1998, holds 4,4% of the JSE Securities Exchange-listed conglomerate. Mvelaphanda Group is capitalised at R2,7-billion, giving Willcox a R118-million stake at this weeks prices.

Sexwale holds 18,5% of Mvelaphanda, valuing his holding at R480-million.

The company has shown remarkable growth since it formed with zero capital in 1998 and has strung together a succession of empowerment deals.

Sexwale, who stars in the new television series The Apprentice, which begins next week, has with a handful of other players dominated the empowerment landscape in recent years, concluding billions of rands of empowerment transactions.

Cape Town-born Willcox (35) has benefited too, netting one share for every 3,5 which has gone to Sexwale.

Sexwale (35%), Willcox (10%) and deputy executive chairperson, Mikki Xayiya (10%), jointly held 55% of Mvelaphanda before it listed on the JSE Securities Exchange last year when it merged with services group Rebserve. The three hold 27,3% of the merged company.

Mvelaphanda held 52,8% of the shares of the merged entity, enough to keep its status as a black-owned company as defined by the black economic empowerment (BEE) codes of conduct issued late last year.

Willcox’s 4,4 stake, though, would appear to be sufficient to drop its black ownership below the 50% level as he does not comply with the definition of black (African, coloured and Indian) South African as defined in BEE codes.

Mvelaphanda is aware of the threat that falling below 50% poses. The Rebserve listing document says that bringing in new historically disadvantaged South Africans (HDSA) as shareholders will mean there is a “lesser risk that the HDSA shareholding will be diluted below 50,1%”.

Department of Trade and Industry figures show that 72% of deals last year went to just six companies, one of which was Mvelaphanda.

It is usually not possible to estimate the value of empowerment deals to the individuals concerned because the companies are not public and do not disclose their financials. Deals are often linked to future targets and can be underpinned by complex financing.

Most of Mvelaphanda’s assets are now listed, though, the exception being its energy interests. There are two listed entities, Mvelaphanda Group and Mvelaphanda Resources, in which the Group has a 22,9% stake.

Where companies disclose the shareholdings of their key executives, it is not possible to calculate the net value of the holding as it may be funded by debt, but this is nonetheless the methodology widely used to assess wealth, such as by Fortune magazine.

In Willcox’s case, the R118-million position he has accumulated is possibly a sign of more to come. A corporate advisor in the BEE sector says that Willcox tells associates he has netted R300-million in empowerment deals.

Mvelaphanda sees the pace of BEE deal-making picking up. “BEE deal flow is expected to be a major driver of mergers and acquisitions in South Africa in the forseeable future. According to Ernst & Young, 2002 saw total BEE deal value of R12,4-billion and this increased by 240% in 2003 to R42,2 billion.

“New Mvelaphanda is well positioned to benefit from this anticipated increase in merger and acquisition activity,” says the Rebserve circular.

Willcox has a BA LLB from the University of Cape Town. He worked for an investment bank in the United States before returning to South Africa. He reportedly met Sexwale while structuring a deal to sell him some Kimberlite diamond mines in Kimberley in 1998.

Willcox did not respond to e-mailed questions on his role in Mvelaphanda, his unlikely status as an empowerment beneficiary and whether his personal stake affects Mvelaphanda’s standing as a black company.

In three parts

Mvelaphanda’s upstream energy interests are housed in Mvelaphanda Holdings, which is not listed. Mvelaphanda Group, which merged with JSE Securities Exchange-listed Rebserve last year, has a 22,9% stake in Mvelaphanda Resources, also JSE-listed. Mvelaphanda Group includes a range of diversified activities in property, financial and industrial services. Activities include fuel transport, technology, air transport, deliveries, actuaries and consultants, property management, property development, security systems, private equity and health care.Mvelaphanda Group also holds 20% of Batho Bonke, which has been allocated 10% of Absa.

Sinomtha Linda Lawyer

2015-02-12T20:39:00.001+02:00

At age 23, advocate Sinomtha Linda had achieved what most of her peers could only dream of, and that was just the beginning . . .

She finished her Masters degree at 22 and just one year later Sinomtha Linda became the youngest black advocate to be admitted to the bar. In the same year she opened her own law practice, which she says was just another way to challenge herself.

Now 31, Linda says she has her mother, Dr Nolitha Vukuza, to thank for her achievements, as she always emphasised the importance of education.

Dr Vukuza, who is now based in Paris, France, and is the representative of the South African Department of Higher Education and Training at UNESCO, not only pushed her children to do well at school, but led by example, continuing to study and push the boundaries in her own career.

“It was through her that my brother and I have learnt the importance and value of education, hard work, determination, self belief and daring to push the envelope. She played an important role in the realisation of my dreams and goals, which included supporting and enabling me to further my studies after my undergrad degree,” she says.

Linda adds that her mother went even further and supported her while she completed her legal training.

“She allowed me to undertake pupillage, which is a year of vigorous legal training (without an income) for admission to the Bar Council of Advocates. Of course this was after I passed my Bar exam,” she says.

Linda adds that to this day her mother is still acquiring knowledge, and just last year graduated with her PhD.

“That kind of zest for accomplishment, both personal and professional, keeps me on my toes. She is my example of someone who has invested immensely in her self-development. I have witnessed her journey of self-discovery, self-mastery and ultimately self-actualisation,” she says in praise of her mother.

Born in the township of Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape, Linda grew up in Mthatha and initially had no intention of becoming a law practitioner. It may surprise many to learn that she actually wanted to be a kwaito dancer!

She laughs when she recalls how she would have done anything to become a dancer at that time. But her mother would not have it; no daughter of hers was going to be a dancer! While her mother was a staunch believer in the importance of education, it was also her late school principal, Principal Drake, who nurtured her love of learning.

Outspoken from a young age, Linda says it became apparent in primary school that she was destined to become a lawyer.

She says the dream to become a lawyer was cemented by her adoration for her uncle, Chris Bodlani, who was a lawyer. The respect he earned in the family because of his career motivated Linda even more.

All these pictures that I had envisioned for myself were a culmination of a yearning to one day appear in the law reports – so that I too, could have the honour of my peers referring to a case I argued to advance their case on that particular issue

You would think that being accepted to the Bar Council at the age of 23, and becoming the youngest black woman to achieve this would have satisfied Linda. But this would never be enough for this over achiever.

Already discovering the challenges of being part of the Bar Council, Linda says starting her own practice was difficult, but something she was more than happy to take on.

“Besides seeking to challenge myself, it was my vision. I wanted to be involved with the substance of the law, the less administrative side of it. The concept of litigation and imagining myself addressing a judge in court had always appealed to me, including the idea of being robed (wearing an Advocates’ court uniform).

“But ultimately, all these pictures I had envisioned for myself were a culmination of a yearning to one day appear in the law reports – so that I too, could have the honour of my peers referring to a case I argued to advance their case on that particular issue,” says The Group 21 Advocate attorney.

But getting her practice off the ground proved more difficult than she anticipated. Because she was new to the legal fraternity she had no leverage over her peers, as she did not have the necessary business contacts that are required to get started. But this did not discourage her. Linda had to adapt to the fast-paced and mature work environment she found herself in.

“I say mature work environment because not only was the average age of my colleagues, at least twice my own age (and more), but this was also the case in respect of the clients I represented, which I found to be a tad daunting initially,” she says.

While she admits encountering some challenges in her career, Linda is quick to add that the highlights completely outweigh the difficulties she has faced. In the coming years she hopes to build her practice and also grow in her career as an advocate.

“It was always my plan to pursue a Doctorate of Laws (LLD) and I anticipate that I will be taking it on in the next three years or so. But before then and in the near future, I aim to take a course within the commerce and management fields,” she concludes.

George Wachiuri Optiven Limited Investments Real Estate Mogul

2015-02-11T00:04:00.000+02:00

George Wachiuri is the CEO of Optiven Limited Investments.
He set up 15 ventures which failed before finding success in Optiven.
The company won the Top 100 mid-sized companies 2014/15 edition.
Optiven was also the best real estate company in the mid-sized category.
The firm started as a general supplies entity before diversifying into the real estate sector in 2008. It employs over 50 people.
He once lost Sh5m in a deal gone sour and sold his property to refund the money.

The many challenges that stood in the way of George Wachiuri’s earlier start-ups did not dampen his hopes of becoming a successful businessman.

Today Mr Wachiuri, the CEO of Optiven Limited Investments, can look back at the hurdles which dogged him for more than 15 years with a smile. This is because the real estate developer has earned prestigious accolades over time.

They include the company’s surprise ranking as the overall winner in the Top 100 mid-sized companies 2014/15 edition. Optiven was also the best real estate company in the mid-sized category.

Mr Wachiuri’s journey to the top was strewn with hurdles. He described the path through his previous 15 enterprises as depressing, stressing but also rewarding. He recalls a time when he sold his property to refund a client’s money after making a Sh5 million loss in a deal gone sour.

“After the loss I swore that I would never do business again, but I remembered that winners never quit and quitters never win,” he said.

Mr Wachiuri founded Optiven as a general supplies entity which diversified operations into the real estate sector in 2008.

“My previous businesses failed but they acted as a lesson to do better, my appetite for taking risks grew as a result of many failed ventures that I started.”

Among his failed enterprises were joint ventures, partnerships and sole proprietorships.

“I learnt from the initiatives that no one should ever give up. I learnt to focus on my vision, trust in God, be self-disciplined, network relentlessly, be passionate about my undertakings, work smart and hire people who are smarter than me,” he said.

Having wizened up through lessons in failure, Mr Wachiuri set up Optiven using a paltry Sh80,000 as seed capital and an additional Sh300,000 borrowed from a bank.

“Despite the dramatic start which forced us to rely on debt financing, the company has grown and employs more than 50 today. Our projects have gradually raised the company’s asset value to more than Sh1 billion,” Mr Wachiuri said.

He attributed the firm’s growth to a culture of honesty, professionalism, creativity and innovation.

Wealthy customers

“At Optiven we do not promise what we cannot deliver. The secret of our growth is keeping our word and integrity. We aspire to keep our focus on making our customers wealthy,” he said.

The MBA graduate of the University of Nairobi said they have set a 200 per cent growth target for 2015/16, adding that the business environment has improved with many Kenyans joining the middle class.

“We have seen more lenders willing to offer us credit facilities. We also have seen our main lender reduce interest on loans and our customers have increased, too” he said.

Winning the Top 100 competition has also placed the company on a pedestal, making it a pace-setter in the real estate industry, he said. He has set up a YouTube site, Optiven Kenya, to advise people on investment.

The company interacts with clients through investment forums, radio programmes, videos on mentoring and investments and one-on-one talks. Mr Wachiuri plans to decentralise the firm the counties.

“We are targeting 20 counties before the end of 2016. This is part of our five-year strategic plan.” The main challenge in the business, he said, is getting “clean property”.

“One can spend six to eight months before getting clean property. I lost over Sh5 million on a bad deal which was all my 10-year savings in employment. That loss drives my passion. No single Kenyan will ever loss money if they deal with us,” he said.

He advises property developers to build more homes to meet the country’s rising demand for them.

“We need more affordable homes as real estate companies are currently providing only 42,000 per year.”

Optiven sells value-added plots with emphasis on conserving the environment, which includes planting trees. The firm also emphasises on providing security, piped clean water and infrastructure among other facilities.

“There are places where the focus has been on making life easy for dwellers by providing commercial centres, provision of children’s playing fields, setting up green zones and resting parks,” he said. Clients can pay for property in instalments of up to three years.

Mr Wachiuri, who described himself as an early riser, often takes a break from his busy schedule to go swimming with his children. He also creates time to read and write books. His works include Soaring Like an Eagle, a book whose proceeds go to charity, and Unleash Your Full Potential.

“I also take my wife for coffee once a week. We travel a lot to the village to see our dairy farm and I run mentoring forums,” he said.

Optiven runs a foundation which pays fees for needy children, plants trees to conserve the environment, runs medical camps and builds houses for elderly people as part of its social responsibility contract.

mogada@ke.nationmedia.com

South African Sue Anderson CP+B Adversiting Guru

2015-02-10T22:25:00.001+02:00

09Sep, 2014by Deva Lee in UNITED STATES

Font size -16+

Recently named one of the 36 most creative women in advertising by Business Insider, Sue Anderson proves that South African creatives offer some of the best ideas.

Now the executive creative director at CP+B in Los Angeles, Anderson started her career as a copywriter in Jo’burg. Along with a fellow Saffa in the States, Mariota Essery, she was recently included in Business Insider‘s list. We caught up with her to chat about the ad industry, her advice on living abroad and her favourite city.

Was your move away from SA personal or professional?

Professional. I was offered a job in Amsterdam and it seemed like a great adventure.

What are the starkest differences between the SA and US ad industries?

Advertising is amazingly similar the world over. The market needs differ, the culture references differ, but everyone still engages with a good idea that speaks to them.

What were the best and worst aspects of working in Amsterdam?

I was lucky enough to work at Wieden+Kennedy with a bunch of crazy talented people. It was an amazingly stimulating environment to be in, and those people will be friends of mine forever. Nothing bad to say really. It’s a cliche but grey weather does get dull.

SA’s creatives box way above their weight in terms of awards and creative work, often completely outranking much larger or sophisticated countries. South African Adtalent is highly regarded and is snapped up in New York, London, Singapore etc. Why is that, do you think?

I think SA creatives still value great ideas over everything. I think not always having huge budgets, or fancy production to rely on the idea has to be king. At Hunt Lascaris that’s all the ever mattered — and it’s still the thing I stop and ask myself all the time: Is this the best idea to solve this problem?

Do you have any advice for SA creatives looking to make a move abroad?

Think about where you want to live and experience new things. It’s important that when you come home from work (where you spend a lot of time) you like where you are. Moving is hard, so you must like where you are. And when you are there — be open minded. Seeing how other people work is great learning experience.

What do you miss most about SA, personally and professionally?

Personally I miss my family and friends hugely. Followed by Woolies and biltong. Is that weird? Professionally I miss the “Let’s get it done” attitude South Africans have. We are a tenacious bunch, and it’s great.

What’s the best thing about living in LA?

The LA/California lifestyle is amazing. The sun shines all the time. I love that people are making films in this town all the time. I find that very inspiring.

Do you prefer Joburg or Cape Town?

Joburg is where most of my favorite people are so I always go there, but the more I travel the more beautiful I think Cape Town is. I don’t want to have to choose!

LA or New York?
New York is the best city is the world. Hands down

Learn the 7 Life Habits of Extremely Wealthy Africans

2015-01-31T00:48:00.001+02:00

We all have the potential to build streams of income and wealth. Here are some powerful ways to get there.
During the long course of my life in business, I've had the opportunity to meet somevery wealthy people. For the most part, I've found that they're just like you and me--with the added bonus that their bank accounts make mine look like a teeny-tiny mosquito, or maybe a gnat.
And there's one more thing I've noticed about people who are truly wealthy--they have a different way of looking at the world than most of us. It's this different way of perceiving the world that allows them to see opportunities and convert them into successful businesses that build wealth.
Try these seven hacks of really wealthy people and see what they do for your bottom line.

1. They truly love what they do.

The really wealthy never settle--they go after what they really love in life and pursue a career in a field that means something to them. They live the advice, "Choose the career that you will be excited to get up for every morning." And if there's not a business that meets their needs, they create one themselves. Because they don't settle and instead go for what they truly love, wealthy people throw themselves into their work, they continue their search for answers to make their career even better, and they don't waste their time on frivolous things.

2. They constantly evolve.

Whether it is the latest technological advancement or a better way of listening and communicating with their staff, they continually educate themselves, keeping up with the latest trends for the betterment of all in their lives.

3. They edit their lives.

Really wealthy people frequently take a close look at where they are currently and where they want to go in their lives and edit as needed. Instead of merely existingwithin a company or staying in a not-so-great relationship, they move on and out to better choices for themselves.

4. They give generously of themselves.

They volunteer their time to help those causes they strongly believe in. They help the old lady in the store pick up her groceries when the bottom of the bag falls out. They effortlessly praise the work of their staff and genuinely appreciate those who work for them.

5. "Bad luck" is not part of their vocabulary.

Wealthy people believe, with every fiber of their being, that there is no such thing asbad luck--they believe that the lives they lead are the end product of the choices they have made. They tend to have a lot of very positive habits. Most regularly exercise and eat healthy, they work tirelessly, and they read and observe insatiably. All of these positive habits are the catalyst for their good luck like new business opportunities and a long, healthy life.

6. They ask a lot of questions.

The very wealthy ask a lot of questions and tend to be the best listeners. They are motivated by the desire to learn what it's like to live in another's shoes and they thrive on learning about others--some of their best ideas come from these conversations and really listening.

7. They don't live on wishes--they thrive on goals.

So often you hear people say, "I wish I was rich," or, "I wish I could find a different job." The very wealthy got where they are today by setting goals, not wishing--in fact, a very high percentage of them go after one significant goal yearly, whether it's a major career change or purchasing an island. What fuels their goals? Avoiding procrastination at all costs--the wealthy create lists daily and then conquer them.

Paul Kagame Rwanda President Wealth

2015-01-30T21:44:00.000+02:00

(SALEM) - Sources in Kigali have reported how our President his Excellence Paul Kagame experienced an accident on his way from Village Urugwiro heading to the state house in Kiyovu. At the time of the accident he was driving himself as he has always done, this has prompted me to think back when I was still one of the people responsible for his security and transport.

Kagame's Range Rover

Kagame was the sort of person who enjoyed driving and sadly he was a very bad driver. As very important person (VIP) Kagame owns expensive cars and enjoys all the luxury that goes along with it. He has the opportunity of staying still on the road, even when he drives at high speed. During my time among his body guards he was surrounded by a team of very experienced drivers including myself, with the belief that we were building our nation.

However, accidents occurred although we would manage to keep his car safe. I remember the accident I had at Mulindi near Kanombe as we were on our way from Gabiro to demobilize our heroes that he did not need in the army at the time.

Hours before we left Kigali as I was chatting to Captain Silas Udahemuka, who is now a Colonel, a bird passed by and defecated on Silas Udahemuka’s head, then he said to me that he did not think that our journey was going to end safely, he said that he believed it was bad luck. As I smiled I was called on the Motorola to let me know that His Excellence was coming out of his room and so we needed to be ready for a move.

In VIP protection we had the five minute car known as the lead car; this one opens the road with alarms and red lights just to inform everyone on the road that they should give way.

The next car was the advance car which goes in front of the President; this car is responsible for guiding the principle car which carries the president. And the final one was the rear guard car which is supposed to protect the president; this car is normally filled with the most trusted soldiers who can die to save the president.

This is the car I was driving, which is also allowed to hit other cars or even shot what may come from left or right whether intentional or unintentional, they must be hit to save the president because the president does not stop. During my time with the Presidential guards, I drove this car for quite a long time was involved in most of the incidents that happened where I had to hit a number of cars, this was intentional believing that it’s a way of protecting the President.

A number of injuries occurred and even the death to the poor people who could not even afford insurance covers on their cars. Even though the cars we were using in VIP protection were very expensive and guarded, they never got even a scratch, but most of us we are still haunted, tormented with regrets and disappointment due causing accidents, death and damages to our citizens.

It is my responsibility to take this opportunity to apologise to all of the people who were involved in that sort of dangerous driving while believing that I was doing a good job for our nation.

Most of the accidents were caused by over speeding. An example is the accident I had in Mulindi, His Excellence wanted to arrive in Kigali in a very short timeframe. We drove 140KPH which was very dangerous, unfortunately a TATA lorry which was heavily loaded coming from front failed to stop, and so as a rear guard driver I had to overtake the principle car in order to push the lorry off the road.

This was very dangerous and scary but had to do it to save our president as that is what I believed at the time, we never had time to think on the consequences of what we were doing.

Mercedes Benz SUV from Kagame's 'collection'.

I managed to push the lorry off the road, but lost control and my car rolled three times in the farm. However, I thank God there was no death this time. It was the first time when Kagame indicated that he appreciated my actions because he came out of his car and said to me that the lorry was going to hit his car if I had not overtook him and told him to stay behind. God knows where the lorry driver is today.

On another Presidential transport we were travelling from Gisenyi, His Excellence Paul Kagame was on the wheel and he was over speeding, as usual. As we were approaching Kigali one of our drivers lost control, he ended up in the nearest swamp and two soldiers died on the spot including 19 year old Pte Mushaija, and I wonder what his next of kin think happened to him.

Obviously, like many Rwandans believe, he died to save his country. This occurred on the lead car which was just in front of Kagame’s principle car. The lead car was driven by Cliopa Rutonesha, my comrade; poor Cliopa had experienced another accident before while guiding the first lady. The accident occurred at Hotel Meridian where 23 year old Bugingo Davis lost his leg. Emmanuel Rutagengwa injured both his legs, 29 year old Aimable ended up in a wheel chair, and Cliopa’s back was broken but he recovered.

Noble Marara today.

On the day of the Gisenyi route accident, Kagame was flashing the head lights to the lead car driver signaling him to increase his speed. These drivers were very afraid of Kagame because whenever anyone took the blame for slowing down his speed he would stop the car and punch them. It was a problem because Rwanda is the country of a thousand hills and so the roads were built at an expense and are made of sharp corners at every mile.

President Kagame saw the lead car roll over into the swamp and he never stopped. The driver was in hospital for months and later was imprisoned after being accused of sleeping on the wheel. However even if he had fallen asleep while driving it would have not been surprising because we were always on standby to the President 24/7.

Whether Kagame is asleep or awake we never had a minute to rest, we were over worked and only paid peanuts. It was after the death Desire’s Kabila’s that Kagame realized the dangers of a hungry body guard because he realized that having managed to pay off for Desire Kabila’s death somebody else may pay a hungry one among us for his head too.

Most of the accidents we experienced were man made accidents and mainly by Kagame, a man who was born to Rutagambwa, who was also a driver, this may have been the source of Kagame’s obsession with cars. He started with the cars we used to take from civilians as we fought along, until when he obtained the opportunity to lead the country and gain the access on funds to buy every car he desired.

Sergeant Noble Marara as an RFP soldier

He even ended up buying planes and heavy weapons that nations like Rwanda do not need.

But, why and what caused his obsession? Obsessions come about when one fails to get something that interests them or is tempted to get something out of their reach. Once this occurs, the satisfaction is never fulfilled, meaning one is in a constant state of torture. Obsessions can also arise from having something and becoming too attached and controlling to the extent of maniacal proportions like in the case of spouses, children or friends.

An obsession is a very serious illness that causes a person to be someone other than themselves. It can also be caused by a person thinking someone’s life is so much better than theirs or thinking their life would be so much better if they had something else in their life. This is why Kagame travels the world over looking for awards and even begging for qualifications, as we all know that he has obtained honorary degrees just to experience the title of becoming a PHD holder and get to be called a Doctor.

In VIP protection we were to make sure that the president was safe on the road and if anyone needed to save him in case of an accident or ambush, we could do it in any way possible. No matter the cost human or otherwise.

One of Paul Kagame's sleek Mercedes Benz cars

After his recent accident in Kimihurura as he had a press conference, he lost his tongue and accused the USA of having planned to overthrow the president of DRC Joseph Kabila, before his previous elections.

This was out of order, a president accusing another country for planning to over throw a different country’s President, what was our president thinking? Congo has become the center of the great lakes region politics; he is out of words the world now understands who really Kagame is from A-Z. very disappointing President who is obsessed with cars and to make things worse these cars are bullet proof, no one else can use them in Rwanda as they are expensive to maintain. They are only driven by Kagame who gets rid of them after a couple of years, they get parked in the Garage and until he finds out of a new car advertised in the western countries.

That is our President, who is being praised for fighting corruption in the tiny nation of Africa Rwanda, accusing his comrades of not being accountable of their actions. President Kagame is and has always been corrupt, greedy, selfish, arrogant and more to come.

By: Noble Marara, former Presidential Guard to Paul Kagame, Rwanda

____________________________________________________

Edited and submitted by: Jennifer Fierberg, MSW; a correspondent, Assistant Editor, and Volunteer Coordinator for NGO News Africa through the volunteer project of the UN. Jennifer is also the media co-coordinator and senior funding executive for The Africa Global Village (www.africaglobalvillage.com)

Musa Ngcobo Property Mogul

2014-12-27T06:01:00.001+02:00

Musa Ngcobo Musa Ngcobo

Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa Zimbabwe

2014-10-19T00:18:00.000+02:00

Ambassador Christopher Hatikure Mutsvangwa: A Life of Rich and Colourful Tapestry

Early life and Education

Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa was born 24 May 1955 at Harare General Hospital. He spent his early childhood in the now Mbare high density suburb of Harare before going to his rural village in Chief Nyamweda to do his primary education at Masawi and Marirangwe South schools. Thereafter he proceeded to Kutama Marist Secondary where he studied with prominent luminaries like Minister Ignatious Chombo, Advocate Mucahadeyi Masunda, Dr Christopher Tapfumaneyi and Dr Washington Mbizvo under teachers such as Dr Ibbo Mandaza, Stanley Chigwedere among others. He completed his high school at St. Augustines Penhalonga scoring the highest national academic results at A Level in 1974.

Ambassador Mutsvangwa was among the seven black students selected to enter the Faculty of Law of the then University of Rhodesia in 1975. This was the highest number of African students ever selected to study in this specialized field which the racially skewed colonial education had hitherto preserved for white kindred. His record of academic achievement accorded him a full merit scholarship from the then colonial government of Rhodesia. His fellow students included Judge Paddington Garwe, late Judge Sandra Mwamuka Ngwira, Advocates Eric Matinenga, Joseph James and Sobusa Gula Ndebele.

Ambassador Mutsvangwa has a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and a Master of Public Management from St. John’s Catholic University in New York. He holds a diploma in Informatics from Boston University in Massachusetts.

Political Consciousness

As a young man, Ambassador Mutsvangwa grew up with stories of how the people of Mhondoro and Zvimba were forcibly moved from their original home in the Lake Chivero area to the narrow strip of rock strewn fields where we grew up to make way for white colonial settlers. Among them was Joseph Norton, a particularly notorious land depredator who fell along with his entire family to my clansmen as they defended their lands from his rapacity. It is after him that Norton Town is named. His grave is by the Morton Jaffray Waterworks. His death signaled the First Chimurenga where great Shona Chiefs like Mashaymombe led victorious battles that decimated early settlers only to be defeated by fresh reinforcements from Port Elizabeth.

The rebellious locals kept to their tradition of resistance all way to the nationalist politics. Young Mutsvangwa used to go to school amidst the smoke of houses torched by Rhodesian racist police as they raided radical politicians who were burning tobacco farms of surrounding white racist commercial farmers.

Kutama was also a cauldron of nationalism with its streak of Quebec French Marist antipathy to British imperial dominance. St Augustines would augment this political radicalism with the non-conformist Father Prosser who had clear sympathies for the most intelligent among his pupils who were melting into the bush to cross into independent Zimbabwe as of 1975.

The National Liberation War

Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa together with Sobusa Gula Ndebele, the national heroes Ambassador Designate Willard Zororo Duri and Ambassador John Mayowe and pediatrician Dr. Masimba Mwazha all absconded from university studies and crossed into free Mozambique in 1975. They were among the early groups of the avalanche of patriotic youths that went on to join the fight for freedom and train as guerillas as they swelled the ranks of the ZANLA and ZIPRA forces of the ZANU and ZAPU led joint national liberation movement. The fighting prowess of these highly motivated cadres did not take that long in sweeping away the racist colonial order of Rhodesia. By 1980 the victorious forces of the Patriotic Front had succeeded in ushering Zimbabwe to national independence and full sovereignty.

Diplomatic Service

Ambassador Mutsvangwa was among the pioneer corps of the diplomats of new Zimbabwe. He was posted to Brussels, Belgium where he was accredited to both the European Union and the Benelux till 1985. Thereafter he proceeded to serve at the United Nations in New York under illustrious Dr Stanley Mudenge, a national hero. In 1989 he was seconded to Windhoek, where he was part of the Frontline States Observer Team sent to help chaperon the SWAPO victory to the national independence of Namibia. Ambassador Mutsvangwa left diplomatic service in 1990.

Professional and Business Life

Ambassador Mutsvangwa was appointed Director General of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation in 1991. In 1994 eying business opportunities of the dotcom era, he left for a career in telecommunications as one of the early pioneers of the cellular, broadband and Internet industry of Zimbabwe. He was a leader consultant for the deployment of the first Siemens GSM digital switch of NetOne in 1998 and the first CISCO internet switch of TelOne in 1999. He was also behind several other trunk and ADSL projects with TelOne. Ambassador Mutsvangwa was a key player in the formation of POTRAZ together with the late Sarah Kachingwe, then Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.

Politics and Ambassadorial Post to China

The epochal land reform program of President Mugabe and ZANU-PF by the close of the past century spawned new national challenges even as it opened up so many opportunities for the multitude of Zimbabweans. Most serious was the mortal threat the young republic as the irate Anglo-Saxon and West Europeans took umbrage at the dispossession of their racial kinsmen by the black indigenous majority. Sanctions and regime change were instituted to smother Zimbabwe out and if need be turn it to tinder by a war of aggression.

Ambassador Mutsvangwa waded back into political life to once again join a new fight in defence of the republic. Abandoning a promising family business career waded back to active politics and was elected to the Secretary of the Harare Province of ZANU-PF in 2000. After the elections in 2002, he was posted to the People’s Republic of China as ambassador. His brief was to anchor and drive the Look East Policy as Zimbabwe’s riposte to sanctions and regime change with the help of a China in phenomenal resurgence.

The assignment was a great success as it blunted and eventually overturned the western onslaught on Zimbabwe. The Look East Policy born out of necessity by President Mugabe has since become a boon not only to Zimbabwe but to the African continent as a whole. The now very topical African Renaissance is very much a product of the engagement with China that is rapidly ascending to pole position of the world economy.

Chairman of MMCZ and the Thaw with Washington

In 2012, Ambassador Mutsvangwa became Chairman of Mineral Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe, a company that oversees the sale of $2.5 billion worth of Zimbabwe’s treasure trove of diamonds, platinum, coal, chrome, nickel and other minerals. He has successfully engaged major players in the diamond trade to blunt the effect of unfair American sanctions that are contrary to the KPCS spirit. He has also been at the heart of engaging the Obama Administration to the extent of helping in Mayor Andrew Young to Zimbabwe as a Special Envoy of President Obama to President Mugabe. This diplomatic coup is a clear pointer to a thaw in the hitherto glacial relations that have been the hallmark of bilateral relations for more than a decade. Better prospects now await the aftermath of the July 2013 Elections.

Mutsvangwa is married to Monica Mutsvangwa, the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs. She is a fellow veteran of the armed struggle for national independence. Together they are blessed with four sons and a granddaughter.

Andrew Youn One Acre Fund

2014-10-13T23:27:00.002+02:00

Meet the Boss is a How we made it in Africa interview series in which we pose the same 10 questions to business leaders across the continent.

1. What was your first job?

I was a delivery driver for a photography studio. At the time, I thought it paid good money.

2. Who has had the biggest impact on your career and why?

The biggest impact has been the real bosses of One Acre Fund, our farmers. Particularly those who are mothers. You will see them working the field with just a hand hoe and babies strapped to their backs – their strength constantly inspires me to keep improving the One Acre Fund model.

3. What parts of your job keep you awake at night?

Hungry children. We should never, ever not be able to feed a child. There are 239m undernourished people on this continent, and conveniently, most of them live in farming families whose sole profession is to grow food. One Acre Fund has a solution that helps farmers to grow their own way out of hunger – and it’s time to scale that solution to reach as many people as possible.

4. What are the top reasons why you have been successful?

Listening and learning from the farmers we serve. Living among them in their rural communities has informed so much of One Acre Fund’s programme model and enables us to continually improve it. We get to see first-hand what’s working and what’s not, every day.

5. What are the best things about your country, Rwanda?

I just moved to Rwanda after living in Kenya for eight years, so I’m looking forward to exploring it more. One Acre Fund serves 75,000 farmers in Rwanda and I’m eager to meet more of them.

6. And the worst?

The mountains. It’s hard to get around. Living in rural Rwanda gives one a real sense of what access means – even if the smallholder farmers we work with could afford the inputs they need, physically reaching them on foot or bicycle is nearly impossible.

7. Your future career plans?

To serve 1m smallholder farmers by 2020.

8. How do you relax?

I enjoy baking bread. There’s a great recipe for no-knead bread that I use and I like being in the kitchen after a long day.

9. What is your message to Africa’s young aspiring business people and entrepreneurs?

Apply your skills and ideas towards the positive social good. Use the principles and rigor of business to advance a cause you care about and spend time learning directly from the people you want to serve.

10. How can Africa realise its full potential?

Invest and support in its smallholder farmers and meet their agriculture, economic and educational needs. Farmers are the answer.

In 2006, Andrew Youn co-founded One Acre Fund, a non-profit organisation that provides low-interest loans in the form of seeds and fertilisers to small-scale farmers in the East African countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. The organisation currently serves about 180,000 farmers, typically living on one acre of land. Youn graduated from Yale magna cum laude, is a former management consultant, and received his MBA from Kellogg School of Management.

Jaswinder Bedi Bedi Investments

2014-10-13T23:21:00.001+02:00

Meet the Boss: Jaswinder Bedi, CEO, Bedi Investments

1. What was your first job?

In my father’s factory. My first assignment was to dye blue fabric that would be used to make blazers. Not only did the fabric come out purple, but it was also bleeding colour. I had done everything right except the temperature control. I learnt from my mistake and eventually became CEO. You learn a lot when you start from ground zero.

2. Who has had the biggest impact on your career?

I have always wanted to run a multinational company. For that reason I have always looked at opportunities beyond Kenya. I admire what Bill Gates and the late Steve Jobs have done in disrupting technology. I call these people MAD and I also want to be MAD. I mean ‘Make A Difference’ (MAD). I want to make a difference.

3. The parts of your job keep you awake at night?

What keeps me up at night are all these big plans I have. Will I realise them or am I just going to become NATO (No Action, Talk Only)? A lot of people and governments are NATO. I want to deliver to myself. When I can’t deliver, it keeps me up at night.

4. The top reasons you have been successful?

I think I am an inspirational leader. I give people hope. When you look at the world with a mindset of teaching and encouraging people how to catch fish, you create a productive society.

5. What are the best things about your country, Kenya?

The weather is amazing. We have sunshine every day. There is no winter and no summer. That means our costs of doing business should be among the lowest in the world. We have neither the expense of heating or cooling. I also love the Kenyan people.

6. And the worst?

I think the worst is over. Yes there are challenges, but I look at them as opportunities. As a country we are on the runway sitting pretty ready for take-off. This continent is going to fly. Once we take off, there is no coming back.

7. Your future career plans?

I want to continue with the work I am involved in. There are many goals. What I enjoy doing the most is making a difference. I enjoy leadership positions where I negotiate trade agreements such as with the EU and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) legislation. If given the job of director general of the World Trade Organisation I’d probably take it because I’d be able to improve legislation in terms of trade. I have enjoyed working with different industry bodies. People call me ‘Mr AGOA’ because of my involvement in lobbying the extension of the legislation. Through that work I got to visit the Capitol Hill, testified in a congressional hearing and met many people including former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. I enjoy making an impact in society, and I think that will largely happen through trade.

8. How do you relax?

I don’t (laughs). I try to, but I don’t. I feel energised all the time. Even if I go to the Kenyan coast I quickly call and meet a customer to talk about work. I wouldn’t call myself a workaholic, but my wife does.

9. Your message to Africa’s young aspiring business people and entrepreneurs?

Never give up hope. Don’t be driven by desire to get rich quick. Learn the tricks of the trade. Walk up the ladder with patience. Persevere. Many people give up after six months. I persevered for 20 years to see this day where the textiles industry is now starting to boom across the continent. I could have easily jumped ship on many occasions but didn’t. You have to persevere. If you have a dream, chase it to the very end.

10. How can Africa realise its full potential?

I think Africa has all the right ingredients. What it needs is leadership to turn these ingredients into real life success stories. We have the talent, we have the labour and the financing is now backing us. We just need a common goal. Our society too often gets distracted easily. What we need is an alignment of vision and good leadership.

Bedi is the CEO of Bedi Investments, a textile mill manufacturing synthetic yarns, woven fabrics and apparel for export to the US and the EU. He is also executive director at Fine Spinners, a company that spins cotton yarns and manufacturers sewing threads.

Ranjith Kally Photographer South Africa

2014-10-11T23:35:00.000+02:00

Internationally acclaimed, Durban-born photographer Ranjith Kally, has documented some of the key people and events involved in South Africa’s struggle for democracy. His pictures, dating back over 60 years, give us a glimpse into the tensions of the past, of the events that shaped our future.

Kally’s first camera, a humble Kodak Postcard, purchased for just sixpence, ignited a passion for photography that saw him quit his job at a shoe factory and pursue a career in photojournalism. He worked for two of the foremost publications of the time – the Golden City Post and Drum, where he spent nearly three decades, capturing pictures of anti-apartheid leaders like Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Monty Naicker and Chief Albert Luthuli; and capturing poignant moments in South African history, including the Treason Trial, the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Chief Albert Luthuli, and the Rivonia Trial.

In 1952, Kally won third prize in an international competition held in Japan out of a field of 150,000 entries, and in 1967 he was admitted to the Royal Photographic Society, London, for a selection of portraits. His pictures have graced newspapers around the world, they are part of the Nobel Collection, are featured in school textbooks, and are depicted on two South African postage stamps, yet he only held his debut solo exhibition in 2004, at the age of 79.

In April 2013, Kally was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Literature by the University of KwaZulu-Natal, in recognition of his long and prestigious career. An unsung living legend, he ranks among the most politically courageous and artistically gifted photographers of his generation. Kally’s life through the lens has left us a lasting visual legacy that will enlighten generations to come, of our fallen heroes and celebrated liberties.

Professor Thandinkosi E. Madiba

2014-10-11T23:20:00.002+02:00

Professor Thandinkosi E. Madiba is an international authority on diseases of the colon and has established the first Colorectal Unit in KZN. He is founder of the Colorectal Cancer and Stoma Support Group as well as the UKZN Surgical Society. Madiba has played and continues to play an active role in the official structures of the University and the medical School by contributing to policy and strategy formulation. He has championed transformation at the Medical School and has initiated numerous sessions that have promoted and encouraged the notion of black women surgeons.

Vivian Reddy Edison Power Group

2014-10-11T23:12:00.000+02:00

Vivian Reddy is a story of rags to riches, achieved through sheer determination and hard work. He is a great success story and shining example of the resilience and trailblazing new generation of Black South Africans. He started Edison Power with R500 and a bakkie and today Edison Power Group is the largest electrical company in South Africa, employing 2000 people with a multibillion Rand turnover. Born in Durban and from very humble beginnings, he has virtually single-handedly created a business empire with diverse interests in energy, casinos, healthcare, financial services and property development.

His stature and profile easily dwells among that of the top icons in South Africa and he commands the respect of both the financial and political hierarchy in this country and most parts of Africa.

On the road map to his formidable success, Vivian Reddy has never abandoned his commitment to contributing to the upliftment of the poverty stricken and downtrodden - providing amongst other things, numerous educational bursaries and launching and sponsoring the orphans of Aids Trust. Vivian Reddy's philanthropy extends to him being a patron of over 10 organizations in the fields of education, religion, the disabled, welfare organizations, community centers, health associations, feeding schemes, conservation programs, peace initiatives and cultural initiatives. The impoverished community of the Bayview Flats refer to him as a 'Community Hero' and he is in the process of creating a Community Centre and Soup Kitchen in the area which is home to the poorest of the poor.

Recently, he purchased the Luthuli Art Collection, which is to be donated to the Chief Albert Luthuli Museum in Groutville, on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Chief Luthuli receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. The leading political, religious and business leaders in the country have acknowledged and are deeply appreciative of Mr Reddy's great philanthropic spirit. His successful track record has been underlined by numerous international and humanitarian awards that span from recognition in Japan, of his contribution to development of the Previously Disadvantaged People in South Africa to The Paul Harris International Fellowship Award for recognition of his contribution to the society.

Awards

1992 Four Outstanding South Africans (FOYSA Award)

1993 International Senate Award

1993 Distinguished Service Award

1993 South African Young Achiever Award

1998 Rotary International - Paul Harris Community Service Award

2003 Global Indian Entrepreneur of the Year Award

2007 Voted most Admired Business Person in KZN for Outstanding Service and Contribution to economic growth and Development

2009 Award for Sustainable Contribution to Engineering and Business

2011 B Living Legend Award

2012 Invited to Bill Clinton Global Initiative

David Masondo Soul Brothers

2014-10-11T22:57:00.001+02:00

David Masondo was born in Hammersdale, Durban in 1950. He started his musical career, doing gigs in townships as Groovy Boys. He later founded the Soul Brothers, the band that has successfully realized the South African soul concept (umbhaqanga). He is the solo writer of all songs, and lead vocalist for the band.

The Soul Brothers have recorded over 30 albums since its formation in 1974.

STALWARTS of South Africa’s music scene, the Soul Brothers have recorded over 30 albums since their formation in 1974.

Initially formed in KwaZulu Natal, the group have remained the slickest and most successful proponents of the mbaqanga sound which dominated South African urban music for over three decades

While their costume, choreography and some harmonies bear comparison to the American Soul music which inspired them, the group originated a sound and style which captivated South African audiences, most especially amongst migrant labourers who under Apartheid, were forced to leave rural homes to seek work in the cities.

The Soul Brothers themselves trod this path to Joburg, and it was this shared frame of reference which endeared the group to the massive working class audience of South African cities.

The band was built around the rhythm section comprising bassist Zenzele "Zakes" Mchunu, drummer David Masondo, and guitarist Tuza Mthethwa who first played together in the “Groovy Boys?in Kwazulu Natal, and later as part of the “Young Brothers?

Instrumentation:

band

Genre: mbaqanga

It was in Joburg that keyboardist Moses Ngwenya joined to create the Soul Brothers, and David Masondo made the move from drums to lead vocals. The combination of Masondo’s quavering soprano voice and Ngwenya’s percussive Hammond organ playing gave the Soul Brothers a unique and instantly recognizable sound. This core rhythm section was typically augmented with a brass section, guitars, and multiple vocal harmonies.

Although the Soul Brothers enjoyed massive acclaim and commercial success, the audience remained limited to South Africa, and neighbouring states. In 1983, members of the group travelled to Botswana, where they worked with the then-exiled Hugh Masekela, affording a mbaqanga underpinning to his seminal “Technobush" album.

Car crashes saw the deaths of three band members in 1979, and then bassist and founder member Zakes Mchunu in 1984. Despite these setbacks, Masondo and Ngwenya continued, performing with an expanded group that included not only musicians, but dedicated dancers.

David Masondo. © Steve Gordon The Soul Brothers visited UK and Europe in 1990 on their first international tour. Despite international releases, the group remain primarily a domestic phenomenon, who continue to notch album after album achieving gold status. They also operate their own successful recording, publishing and entertainment companies.

This biography Steve Gordon 2004

Themba Mkhize Millionaire Artiste

2014-10-11T22:46:00.001+02:00

Themba Mkhize, born in Durban in 1957, was introduced to music at an early age. He discovered jazz while in high school and was spotted by local band, “Dukes Combo”. In 1981 he started performing professionally with the band “Sakhile”.

In 1984 Themba joined renowned band “Bayete”, and remained part of the celebrated ensemble for over ten years. He took a role in the musical “Buwa”, which was written by Caiphus Semenya and toured around Africa, featuring many musical greats.

After having worked with the best of South African musicians, including Hugh Masekela, Sibongile Khumalo and Miriam Makeba, Themba released his long overdue solo album, Tales from the South in 1999. His debut album was a glorious celebration of the experiences he had gained and served as a signature release of energy from this talented Durban musician.

The album received a warm response from critics and won three awards at the South African Music Awards in 2000, followed by Daimler-Chrysler’s Best Musician Award.

Themba’s musical virtuosity, coupled with his persistent attempts to marry traditional Zulu and Jazz idioms, have made him an artist worthy of world-wide attention.

In 2008, Themba released Scenes from South Africa, which presented key recordings from his solo albums, with trumpeter Hugh Masekela and vocalist Sibongile Khumalo as featured guests. His mix of African rhythms with American jazz created a pioneering style in the evolution of jazz and world music.

In addition to music and performances, Themba owns Mavovo Production Studios, and co-owns Thella Music with partner Stella Khumalo. The multi-award winning jazz maestro, producer, pianist and music director also conducts workshops to impart his musical skills and knowledge. His son Afrika Mkhize is also a world renowned Jazz musician who was awarded the prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist of the year for Jazz in 2012.