Having started Rocky Brands at a young age, Rishav Juglall shares common ground with the founders of Apple and Amazon in more ways than one. “I’m not ashamed to say that I started out of garage because Apple and Amazon started the same way, which makes it kind of cool,” says Rishav. And, like all world-class startups Rocky Brands didn’t let its humble beginnings get in the way of large ambitions. The company which sells and manufactures an impressive range of high-quality cleaning products and household polishes began with its founder...

Like all the best adventures, the entrepreneurial journey is challenging, takes people out of their comfort zones and stretches their limitations and imaginations. For Bee Khumalo designer and owner of event management company, Dotty Moments, it also involved coming full circle back towhere she began – almost. In this rotation, however, Bee is armed with a wealth of experience, business acumen and the support of Riversands I-Hub. Having started her business in 2014 after leaving the corporate sector, Bee began by organising children’s...

We would like to introduce four performance-orientated businesses that leverage both Riversands I-Hub’s physical infrastructure and business development offerings to grow their businesses: KLM HIGH-giene Solutions, Rocky Brands, Dotty Moments and Zanecebo Consulting. Having named their company Zanecebo after the Xhosa word meaning ‘come with a plan’, Zukisani Myeko and Effort Mokoena already had a winning recipe for a business that would combine their skills – Zukisani as Project Manager and Effort as Structural Engineer – to create service...

We would like to introduce four performance-orientated businesses that leverage both Riversands I-Hub’s physical infrastructure and business development offerings to grow their businesses: KLM HIGH-giene Solutions, Rocky Brands, Dotty Moments and Zanecebo Consulting. “I often tell people that I’m an accidental entrepreneur. I never wanted to go into business [for myself], it was never a dream of mine,” says Khutsiso Kgole, Founder and Director, KLM HIGH-giene Solutions. “But I had a very good professional relationships with my clients and...

As a sub-contractor on the original building site of Riversands I-Hub, entrepreneur Michael Tshifularo’s company MTEA Project was familiar with the Riversands I-Hub campus before it started operating. “Every new building requires a lightning protection certificate. I was fortunate enough to be involved in the construction phase of Riversands and I’m now well placed to conduct the necessary annual check for the campus,” commented Tshifularo, who started MTEA Project in 2017 after having worked in the industry for 10 years.| “Four years ago...

South Africa’s sluggish economy can largely be attributed to power supply constraints but the team at Riversands I-Hub-based i-G3N is very bullish that the country will be adopting renewable energy at a much faster rate this year to help stimulate growth. i-G3N has developed technology to assemble and distribute lithium-iron batteries which are extremely cost-effective over the life cycle of the battery, lasting up to three times longer than the lead-acid alternative. While upfront costs are slightly higher (and progressively decreasing),...

When entrepreneur Liz Letsoalo was faced with the prospect of no longer being permitted to run her Masodi Organics hair and skin care products business from her garage in the estate where she lives, she hurriedly made contact with the Hub team and applied for premises. “I don’t know who was more efficient, the Hub team or myself. From my first enquiry to taking occupation was a matter of two weeks,” remarked Letsoalo. Online sales of the natural products – specifically formulated for ethnic hair – have been impressive during lockdown. “My...

The Lucert Group grew its fibre-to-home business by 30% between March 2020 and March 2021 – taking advantage of the instant shift towards remote working during lockdown. “Thanks to the recurring income we receive from our clients, we were quite comfortable during the various stages of lockdown. There’s a saying going around that stable internet is like oxygen and we are fortunate to be the ones supplying it,” said Bongani Khosa, CEO and entrepreneur behind The Lucert Group. One of the company’s clients is The Parks@Riversands residential...

For a fortunate few, the 2020 pandemic was not all doom and gloom.  NextGen Molecular Supplies was one of those privileged companies. The company was registered in 2017 and started operating on 1 February 2020, a few months after the pandemic started. The company is uniquely positioned as one of only a few fully black-owned companies operating in a unique industry – lab testing – and that industry is uniquely relevant to COVID-19. Director and founder Dr Gerald Kimbi says, “Lab testing was the natural path of the business. We did not have to...

Crime and criminals have no-where to hide with Lekgopo Leso security services on the job. This security company founded in 2014 offers VIP services, guarding (property, construction sites, warehouses, and schools) and events security. The company now employs 300 people (120 permanent and the rest are on contracts); 25% of the work force is women. To most security guys Covid 19 was a blessing says Director of Lekgopo leso security services, Lekgaka Frans Chepape. Clients were off site due to Covid lockdown restrictions. The company experienced...

“Nothing is impossible if you create a plan and work the plan,” says Trudy Mkansi, Ambesha Africa. Ambesha Africa’s story started in September 2016 with the company’s director Trudy Mkansi designing and manufacturing furniture. Fast forward to today, when the company employs 12 people and is well known for manufacturing high-quality local custom outdoor patio furniture and covers. The company’s success is hinged on its uniqueness. Mkansi explains, “We manufacture our own wicker material known as synthetic cane, which is highly customisable,...

@foodbykirti (handle for Facebook and Instagram) White flakes, mustard and cream flowers as well as cherries dressed in rose petals are what you find when you land on the sparkling social media pages of Food by Kirti and you can almost taste her cakes and pies when you do. In 2010, Kirti Kamal founded Food by Kirti, a catering company supplying weddings, events and parties. The company has two part-time employees and two directors and is certainly going places. Food by Kirti’s reviews on social media and word-of-mouth reflects the company’s...

Established in 2014, Zozi Global Logistics and Projects specialises in providing transport solutions to quarries and civil construction industries. Zozi Global Logistics and Projects delivers innovative transport solutions and advanced fleet management capabilities with sustainable results to a diverse client base. Director Vuyo Zozi says, “We service developers, the construction industry and any business that works with building materials, rubble removal and construction site clearing.” Zozi Global Logistics and Projects employs nine...

The entrepreneurial spirit is so strong in some people that they’ll walk away from a high-powered role in an SOE to follow their dream of becoming independent and more fulfilled. This is what qualified chemical engineer Aluwani Mutamani did when she took the plunge to devote herself full-time to Motama Kitchens at the beginning of 2018 after starting it as a side-hustle in 2016. Motama Kitchens and Interiors offers turnkey architectural interior design and décor, home renovations and project management services for both residential and...

Essential services are exempt from lockdown (obviously taking social distancing and protection precautions for personnel on the road) and two businesses at Riversands I-Hub are deemed essential: Organic Matters which removes fat from grease traps for supermarkets and Montech Calibration Services which calibrates equipment for a medical client. Commenting on Organic Matters’ current situation, operations manager Mandy Collins said that the majority of the company’s clients are restaurants, which are closed but food retailers still need to have...

This past month we conducted a virtual interview with Jan Matli, Managing Director and the entrepreneur behind Passiffire-SA, a fire proofing firm based at Riversands I-Hub. This is a man who has devoted himself to self-improvement from technical studies, business skills and even the Bible. He had a twenty year career in electronics and telecommunications before switching into a very niche construction speciality. Tell us about yourself? I spent twenty years in the electronics and telecommunications industry before moving into construction in...