4 Black-Owned Businesses Participating in This Enterprise Development Programme That Are Growing – Fast The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) and Property Point have joined forces to take 16 small to medium-sized, black-owned, businesses, through a life-changing enterprise development programme.

The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) and Property Point have joined forces to take 16 small to medium-sized, black-owned, businesses, through a life-changing enterprise development programme.

In its first three months of operation, this programme has already seen incredible results with an average growth rate of 27% per business, R17,8million in contract secured and 21 direct jobs created. This is a unique collaboration in that it is set up specifically to encourage access to markets for the beneficiary businesses and is the first of its kind in the industry.

But who are the people behind the numbers? Meet four out of the 16 business owners , Thabiso, Falvia, Malusi and Mandla taking full advantage of this opportunity.

Thabiso Makgoka

Thabiso Makgoka, Managing Director of Mokibelo Investment Holdings. Started in 2012, Mokibelo is a construction company and general building maintainence company which holds a level 6 CIDB rating. Thabiso is a qualified Quantity Surveyer with 10 years of expereince in the construction sector and a heart and passion for her community.

"This business was started because of a long standing desire to work for ourselves and a lifelong passion to improve the livelihoods of the people in our community" explains Thabiso. "My husband and I both come from tough backgrounds and so we both understood that we had to work hard and be enthusiastic about everything that we do."

• Mokibelo employs 159 people, turnover of R7010897 and secured R8 310 200 worth of contracts since being in the programme.

Flavia Tau

Flavia Tau, Director of Tumagole Trading and Enterprises. Tumagole specialises in renovations, building and general maintenance and has been in operation for the past 12 years. "The idea of being independent and being able to have full control of my life and the direction I wanted to take was what made me start the business", explains Flavia. "I was excited to be venturing into a new path even though I was afraid"

In the beginning Flavia struggled with sourcing clients and very quickly learned the importance of having the right information so that she didn't miss out on any opportunities. "I remember having to deal with a potential client who was making it difficult for me to execute a project that could have been a breakthrough for me, but when I look back on that, It helped me develop a thick skin towards wanting to achieve my goals".

• Tumagole employs 11 people and has turned over R687 159 since being on the programme

Malusi Ndebele

Malusi Ndebele, Technical Services Director and founder of VM Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning and Electrical projects (VM Refrigeration). The company was formally established in 2015 by Malusi and his wife Gugulethu Ndebele.

"After six years of working at SANBS, and saving the company thousands of Rands, I realised that I could utilise the skills and knowledge to build my own business" explains Malusi. He admits that starting a business is no easy task, in the beginning access to finance in order to purchase air-conditioning units was a challenge.

• VM Refrigeration employs 5 people and has turned over R173 5218 since being on the programme.

Mandla Ndlovu

Mandla Ndlovu, Director of G and Sons Construction which specialises in building maintenance, plumbing, painting and paving. "I was inspired by my mother" says Mandla, "I had always had a desire to grow and create family wealth, and so when I saw a gap in the market, I knew that I needed to take it and do better."

The company was established in 2003 when Mandla decided to tap into his own savings to follow his dreams. He admits that financing the business and accessing markets was a serious challenge in the beginning but he focused on making sure that he was registered and compliant and that he created relationships with the relevant people in the industry, this helped his business to gain the momentum it needed.

Today, the organisation employs a total of eight staff member and has secured lucrative contracts with companies such as Growthpoint Properties and The University of Johannesburg. "Our goal is to reach a turnover of R10million this year, and long-term, we hope to expand into other provinces and even start our own property portfolio."

• G and Sons employs 17 people, has turned over R2 723 707