Limpopo Business 2019-20 edition

FOCUS Ikefree Projects

FOCUS Ikefree Projects looks to take its mission to a higher level Patience Nqaba wants to grow the company and create jobs. Ikefree Projects is a maintenance and services company that operates in the Musina area and is growing through its exposure to the De Beers Zimele programme and opportunities on offer through the Venetia Mine. Patience Nqaba, the co-owner of the business, says that when Ikefree Projects was established about five years ago, it was with a desire to not only promote innovation in Musina, but to inspire confidence in the hearts of unemployed young people. And when she agreed to kickstart the business, she admitted the plan was to keep going despite having encountered difficulties, as she could clearly see how valuable the business would be to the community of Musina. But rather than just keep going, Nqaba has committed to taking the business to a much higher level. And with the help of her life partner and co-owner, Ikemeleng Mokoena, she is driving Ikefree Projects in doing just that. “We realised there was a gap and asked ourselves how we could effectively penetrate the market. It was not easy but when we came across the opportunity at Venetia Mine, things started LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2019/20 84

FOCUS picking up. We applied for a tender, and have never looked back since,” she says. The business offers a full spectrum of civil maintenance services to residential and commercial properties, including building, painting, plumbing, carpentry and tiling. Nqaba says that Ikefree Projects currently employs 29 skilled and driven young people to help the company grow, and to allow them to improve their craft. “A lot of young people from our community who are willing to do this kind of work do not have the necessary tertiary education but because they have the skills, we take them on. Right now, we have added four other young people to join us for a three-month basis, and even though it is just a short period, I think they will leave this place more skilled than before,” she said. Together, Nqaba and Mokoena are working to make the business an important part of the ecosystem in Musina as they have also recently started a food delivery service in partnership with Nando’s. “We recently signed a contract with Nando’s to deliver orders to their customers and are in the process of approaching other fast food franchises in and around Musina. This has been one of our greatest achievements as we continue to receive positive feedback from them,” she said. In addition to this, Ikefree Projects signed a contract with Top 40 JSE company, Tiger Brands, to provide maintenance services to their property. “It was purely by chance that we landed the contract. We conducted some research and realised they had no maintenance company. Thereafter, we pitched and presented our proposal, and they were highly impressed with our profile as we had listed Venetia Mine as one of our clients. They then gave us a contract to renovate an office. As the saying goes, the rest is history,” says Nqaba. With the help of the De Beers Zimele programme, the owners of Ikefree Projects are now equipped to run the business more efficiently than before. “We are continuously trained in interpreting financial statements and budgeting, and we are shown how to create provision for unexpected expenses. We are also guided on how to apply for tenders and how to market the business better while complying with the mandatory regulations,” she says. Like any business, Ikefree Projects has the broad goal to be a trusted and sustainable company in Musina. The business owners are actively laying a solid foundation that will enable it to do just that. “The goal is to continue doing what we are doing but at an even larger scale. Yes, there will be challenges and equally, there will be opportunities. And thanks to the exposure Venetia Mine has given us, we – the small business that secured a contract with Tiger Brands – shall continue to move steadily forward,” she laughs. 85 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2019/20