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Contents ISSUE 98 | JULY / AUG / SEPT 2021 06 08 10 16 18 24 30 38 46 SACCI FOREWORD Banishing corruption and building a competent state NEWS & SNIPPETS What has been and what is to come ABILITY, AGILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY: WHAT MODERN GOVERNMENT CAN LOOK LIKE The Executive Mayor of Midvaal Local Municipality, Alderman Bongani Baloyi, is proud of seven consecutive clean audits and believes that stability and good systems are vital in attracting investors GUIDING THE TRANSITION A recent special meeting of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) focussed on renewal in the runup to elections THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL ECONOMY IS A BETTER BALANCE OF SMES As financier Business Partners Limited marks its 40th anniversary milestone, Managing Director Ben Bierman reflects on how the local SME sector has still not reached its full potential ACHIEVING ECONOMIC RECOVERY THROUGH A BRICKS-AND-MORTAR PATH Researcher and writer Sello Mabotja investigates how infrastructure investment is set to play a leading role in reversing the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and weathering the simmering economic maelstrom SOUTH AFRICA’S PETROLEUM BILL: WILL IT RETAIN AND ATTRACT INVESTORS? Nonkululeko Zondo and Callie-Jo Bouman of Bowmans run the rule over the latest draft of the Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill which has come before parliament POLICY NEEDS TO MATCH INFRASTRUCTURE FOR AFRICA’S TRADE TO THRIVE Hubs around ports and links to transport corridors will enable the newly-minted African Continental Free Trade Area to thrive, as a recent report by Dianna Games shows INVESTMENTS IN ESTATE PROPERTIES ARE PROVING THEIR WORTH A new review by New World Wealth selects 10 of the best lifestyle estates in the world, with three South African estates listed www.opportunityonline.co.za Quarterly journal for business and industry in South Africa JULY/AUG/SEPT 2021 • ISSUE 98 10 30 46 38 ESTATE PROPERTIES Ten of the best What AfCFTA means for transport and logistics JOIN US ONLINE SMME Virtual Roadshow INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT Public and private players are aligned to make it count AGILE AND RESPONSIVE LOCAL GOVERNMENT Opportunity interviews Midvaal Executive Mayor Bongani Baloyi ABOUT THE COVER: Three significant assets in the Midvaal Local Municipality are shown on the cover: the wall of the Vaal Dam (Credit: Vaal Explorer); the Heineken brewery (Credit: Heineken); Bass Lake (Credit: Burnesseo Internet Marketing Service: www. burnesseo.co.za)
ADVISORY SERVICES Mint Fresh Advisory Services Founder Thuli Magubane reflects on the popularity of innovation workshops for entrepreneurs and small businesses. When Thuli Magubane bought a shelf company in 2010, she liked the “Mint Fresh” part of the name and so that’s what this 100% black women-owned and managed boutique management consulting firm became, and it’s a name that’s become a trusted brand over the last 11 years. Mint Fresh Advisory Services arose out of Thuli’s desire to expand her horizons, something she’s been doing ever since she switched from studying politics to commerce. “I knew I was going to go into business from that time,” says Thuli. Her first business was in BEE consulting but because she didn’t want to get boxed in, she had a five-year stint in banking with Absa and Investec before launching Mint Fresh. The company offers a wide range of services from strategic and business planning, project management and market and customer strategies to financial advisory services. When the company evolved over the years, Thuli found that she had come full circle. “I found myself back in the BEE space with the focus on enterprise and supplier development.” In the early days, getting clients’ trust was tough. "'Who is this Mint Fresh?' It takes time to build trust and a rapport.” As the company built up a portfolio of work, Thuli found she could use successful projects as a reference point. “The more you do, the easier it becomes,” she says of those early days. A successful programme with Sasol showed what can be achieved. Young people were selected for an Entrepreneurship programme programme which was run by Mint Fresh while Sasol donated equipment and made facilities available at an incubator at Sasolburg. Thuli Magubane Biography Recognised in 2018 by the Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the top 50 businesswomen to watch in South Africa, Thuli was also selected by Money Today SA as one of the country’s Top 12 businesswomen in 2019. Thuli is a graduate of UCT, having majored in Political Science, and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Management (PDM) from the Wits Business School. She completed a Master’s programme in Leadership and Strategy at Instituto de Empresa (IE) Business School in Madrid, Spain. Services Sometimes corporates ask the company to find a small business as a supplier, but Mint Fresh is also asked to assist or train SMMEs that the larger company has already identified. In the case of a taxi association in the Northern Cape, Mint Fresh helped the group register as a company (as a prerequisite for trading with the mining company) and advised it on systems and compliance issues. Clients include Nedbank, Standard Bank, Tata, South32, Sasol, the National Empowerment Fund (NEF) and Transnet. The fastest-growing aspect of Mint Fresh’s business is the series of workshops that it runs on innovation. “We focus on getting small businesses to think more about innovation and helping those with an idea but who don’t know how to implement it,” says Thuli. These sessions are generally sponsored by government or corporates, who contract Mint Fresh to offer the service, which is about to be rolled out in rural areas. There are practical benefits. As Thuli asserts, “At the end of the workshop, participants walk away with a concrete action plan.” Thuli credits mentors who have helped her as an individual and supported her in her career path. Now mentorship is built into programmes that Mint Fresh offers to entrepreneurs. “We work with people who are currently running their own business and are willing to make the time to mentor,” she says. Having mentors spread around the country is an advantage because participants on Mint Fresh programmes can then “engage with someone who can direct them and they can introduce them to a network”. Mint Fresh Advisory Services Office: 63 Braam Fischer Drive, Ferndale, Randburg | Tel: +27 (011) 086 0629 Email: info@mintfreshas.co.za | Website: www.mintfreshas.co.za
