SINGLE MOM AND BUSINESSWOMAN HOPES TO LEAVE A LEGACY BECAUSE OF SERITI’S WOMEN IN MINING PROGRAMME
“Hard work and determination have excellent pay-offs” Phuti Sibanda
Middelburg-based businesswoman and owner of Sibbs Alluring, Phuti Sibanda has been attending the Women in Mining programme launched earlier in 2022. Seriti’s Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) programmes, aim to develop local SMMEs to create a pipeline of supply chain-ready businesses that can secure procurement opportunities both inside and outside Seriti and develop existing local suppliers and SMMEs to enable them to realise the scale and drive supplier diversity in their supply chain.
Phuti’s printing and environmental business was established seven years ago after she was involved with environmental campaigns and saw a gap in the printing market. Her company employs three full-time and two part-time employees and although the printing side of the business is doing well and providing the necessary cash flow, she is focusing more and more on providing environmental consulting due to increasing demand. In order to save on overheads and as a result of the challenges from the recent pandemic, she took over most of the administrative tasks of the business.
Growing up in Polokwane in Limpopo, she spread her wings in the environmental sector, starting as an intern at Isibonelo coal mine (now Thungela coal mine) as a requirement for her diploma in Environmental Management.
Regarding the Women in Mining programme, Phuti says the programme means a lot to her and the business as she wants to be better equipped in order to grow her company. As her goal is to ensure financial freedom for her family and one day leave a legacy and a well-rounded business for her two children, she wants to expand her business network and learn more about the procurement process and how to increase sales. “It is very important to build your business on the back of proven systems” according to Phuti.
Her siblings and children are her biggest support structure. She explains: “They are always there to listen to my challenges and offer advice where necessary. My son asks me every evening how many quotes I have sent out and the possibility of sales from those quotes. I always make sure I have something to share with him in the evenings.” Being a single mom, she has little time for hobbies but rather enjoys spending time with her two children and supporting them in their activities like swimming and soccer.
Also read: Women in Mining – Lifa Mafu participates in Seriti’s programme
On a question, if she could go back and give herself advice at age eighteen, she had the following words of wisdom: “I would realise my dreams much earlier. I believe, had I realised that I would run a business one day, I would have started earlier before I had kids. I would also have chosen better courses in light of where I was going. However, if one is dedicated and prepared to work hard, the pay-offs are great.”
She gives praise to God and Seriti for the opportunity to undergo the training and mentoring process and allowing her and her fellow beneficiaries to achieve their dreams.
Nyaniso Rapiya, Preferential Procurement & ESD Lead said: “Seriti continues to introduce initiatives aimed at developing communities surrounding our operations and the Women in Mining ESD programme is one such initiative. We base our Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) policies and actions to support the country’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) strategy in order to redress historical socio-economic imbalances.
Through this Women-focused programme, we believe we are able to grow and sustain Women entrepreneurs, enabling them to enter the economy and augment the creation of employment through their successful businesses.
This programme will be run by Collective Value Creation (CVC) over the next eighteen months and emphasises Seriti’s focus on women empowerment.
