BBQ sat down with Thabile Nkomo and Mbali Milanzi, Co-Founders of Tshepa Basadi to find out more about the business and women in the industry.
Tshepa Basadi, a wholly female-black-owned business, offers Professional Project Management and Technical Services to its clients while staying true to its founding principles. They are unapologetically female-owned and allow those inherent characteristics to come through in how they do business. They are very customer-centric in the delivery of their services and place great importance on managing the relationships they have with their clients. In collaborating with Tshepa Basadi, clients experience professionalism, quality output, integrity, and care.
Thabile Nkomo
Nkomo studied Metallurgical engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) and shortly thereafter, moved into the mining industry. She excelled as a project manager and later became Superintendent of the Project Management Department. This is where, according to Nkomo, her leadership and execution skills were honed. Nkomo’s role within Tshepa Basadi entails overall business strategy with a key focus on sustainable performance and growth, business risk identification and mitigation, ensuring statutory compliance while building a culture of care, boldness and excellence within the organisation. The reason Nkomo decided to collaborate with like-minded women in the founding of Tshepa Basadi is twofold:
“Firstly”, Nkomo says, “the lack of female-owned enterprises within the mining sector was something that I saw as an opportunity for me to contribute to tangible change.” Throughout her career, she has always taken inspiration from other women who were ahead of her as she saw her career aspirations personified in them. Nkomo continues, “Secondly, it is the business opportunity that existed and the identification of ‘first mover’ advantage that we had in the local market as a black women-owned entity providing technical services.
” Nkomo’s proudest achievement of working for Tshepa Basadi is becoming a Generic Enterprise in a space of five/six years. “This speaks to the hard work we put in, in steering the company forward, the efforts of our amazing team of diverse professionals who make Tshepa Basadi what it is and their continuous risk mitigation efforts in managing the organisation’s growth.”Considering the statistics around the rate of business failure in South Africa, just getting to the five-year mark is nothing short of commemorative. “Achieving that along with tangible growth in revenue and staff compliment is even more noteworthy,” claims Nkomo. Tshepa Basadi started with minimal employees in the organisation, but today, with over 60 employees and over 600 completed projects, their portfolio continues to grow.
The bulk of the business is currently in the Northern Cape, where their head office is based, and Nkomo says they are working towards branching out into other provinces and diversifying into other commodities as a means of growth, as well as business risk management.Tshepa Basadi has made entry into North West and Limpopo and are currently focused on growing their services in these areas.
They do harbour aspirations of working in other African countries as they look for further growth. Aside from their core service offering, which is Project Management, Nkomo says they are continuously scanning the business environment for new opportunities, and they are currently investigating some exciting avenues. Their vision for Tshepa Basadi is to become a formidable force within the business landscape, extending service offerings beyond the borders of South Africa in the hopes of achieving sustainable growth and becoming a preferred service provider across a diverse range of sectors.
“Most importantly, we hope to leave an indelible mark in society as a women-owned entity that has inspired others to throw caution to the wind and chase after their dreams,” says Nkomo. In conclusion, Nkomo says, “What I have found to be most valuable in building a successful business is Persistence. It is the most important because it allows you to keep knocking on doors even when very few are opening. It also allows you to remain steadfast in your business ambitions regardless of the challenges that you encounter.”
Mbali Milanzi
Milanzi is a wife and mother of two, who grew up in KwaNdebele, Mpumalanga, upon completing her matric she was awarded a bursary by a mining company in Hotazel, enabling her to pursue an Honours degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Witwatersrand (WITS). Working in the mining industry in Hotazel, Northern Cape, she knew early on that she would not pursue a career in production-oriented roles. Her curiosity eventually led her to the project management office, marking a pivotal juncture in her professional trajectory. Milanzi is a fervent advocate for women’s advancement and a speaker at Women in Mining forums, championing gender equality and inclusivity. Beyond her professional purview, she is ardently dedicated to fostering employment opportunities and nurturing the aspirations of women and youth through voluntary engagements with various community initiatives.
Milanzi began her journey as co-Founder and Executive Director of Tshepa Basadi at the age of 26 years old. As a young director, she has steered the strategy, operational management, human resources, business development, financial and governance aspects of the business. Over the course of six years, their collaborative efforts have propelled Tshepa Basadi from a humble SMME to a robust enterprise, offering services to various mining giants. Their proudest achievement has been their ability to sustain a Level 1 BBBEE ranking over the past four years. Tshepa Basadi differentiates itself from the competition by offering a comprehensive range of project management services through its expert teams. Milanzi says, “We serve as a one-stop shop for all project management needs, delivering tailored solutions to help project management offices thrive.”
Their business is grounded in a human-centric approach, prioritizing the development and well-being of their employees, who are integral to their success. They collaborate closely with their clients, even working on-site to ensure seamless service delivery.
“Tshepa Basadi’s journey has been supported by male allies as well, whose willingness to take a chance on them has been instrumental to their success,” says Milanzi. While their journey has not been without challenges, Milanzi says, “if there is one aspect I could alter, it would be fostering an environment where women are free from unconscious biases, enabling them to support and appoint fellow women without fear of judgment.”
Gender diversity is a core aspect of their organisational structure. Out of their workforce of 67 individuals, 29 are female, constituting over 41% of their employees. In the previous fiscal year, they executed multiple impactful programs and allocated more than 10% of their NPAT towards advancing their empowerment objectives.
During the 2023 financial year, they made substantial investments in providing informal training opportunities to female staff with over 20 different courses offered. Additionally, they allocated a substantial amount towards educational bursaries specifically for their female employees.
While the above is a big focus point for the company, Milanzi also points out that addressing the issue of youth unemployment in South Africa is another key focus for them. Furthermore, Tshepa Basadi has implemented a supplier development initiative to support a 100% female-owned supplier within their network. As a company rooted in a previously disadvantaged community, we strive to uplift and empower those around us.
“As we grow, we will continue to show our commitment to fostering the professional development of women within our organisation and in our communities.”
In the future, Milanzi hopes that Tshepa Basadi will dominate the realm of project management services with fearless ambition. The organization stands at the forefront of its industry, serving a wide range of clients across different sectors. They are the epitome of female empowerment, with strong women leaders paving the way for others to rise.
Milanzi says, “Our influence extends far beyond our national borders, leaving an indelible mark on the global stage. And we do all this with a stern commitment to making a positive change in our communities.”
