WOMEN IN MINING BENEFICIARY BELIEVE THAT “YOU NEED TO WORK SMART TO GAIN MUCH”
Inqubeko yomama (pty)Ltd, loosely translated as the achievement of women, was founded in 2019 by eMalahleni businesswomen Prima Mokgokoloshi. This enterprise employs six employees and renders industrial and domestic cleaning services to the mining sector and other clients.
Prima is one of twenty beneficiaries of Seriti’s Women in Mining programme, a holistic development programme aiming at empowering woman entrepreneurs in the eMalahleni/Middelburg area, which was launched in May 2022 by Seriti. This programme is being run by Collective Value Creation (CVC) until the end of 2023 and emphasises Seriti’s focus on women’s empowerment.
Like most entrepreneurs, Prima dreamed of owning her own business and noticed an opportunity in her neighbourhood to render a cleaning service. She was however faced with serious challenges such as adequate cleaning equipment and obtaining sustainable cleaning projects. To an extent, she still struggles to overcome these challenges and hence, this mother of six regards the Women in Mining programme as heaven sent where she hopes to gain more expertise, improve her business skills and grow as a businesswoman and individual. In particular, she would like to acquire more knowledge of the bidding and pricing process.
Also read: Women in Mining – Tebogo Rametse participates in Seriti’s programme
Prima, who likes to read wide on social media and enjoys jogging, says the programme has taught her so far that a business’ image, advertising and networking play an important part on how you present your business offering to clients. “As a woman, I was only relying on my own knowledge and experience in the field where I was mostly disadvantaged due to lack of knowledge on business management. This programme enables me to gain more exposure in the field and network with other experienced female entrepreneurs.”
CVC’s Project Manager on the programme, Orla Ollewagen, said that “As women have unique needs and face diverse challenges, particularly as an entrepreneur, a common thread arose from workshopping these needs prior to designing the programme. Some core shared concerns include feelings of loneliness as a female leader; the daily struggle of juggling numerous roles, and not being taken seriously as a woman in business. I have a passion for women’s development and am excited to see these ladies develop individually and collectively as they support one another to grow their own businesses as well as those of others.”
Prima has praise for her family’s support and especially her husband who stands in for her when she has to attend courses and meetings. He is also the company’s project manager. Asking her what advice she would give to other prospective female entrepreneurs, she replies, “You first need to love what you do and commit to your business. Ensure that you become proactive, and daily search for opportunities. It is not an easy journey but first gain knowledge and do thorough research on the type of business.”
Apart from growing her business, she would like to explore the field of property investment.
In closure, Prima has the following message to the sponsor of the programme. “It is an honour to be selected and be part of this programme. The sponsors have truly invested in the socio-economic growth of women. I have never thought that I would be considered for an opportunity of this magnitude and be groomed by a team of such great calibre. They are professional, kind, and understand our different backgrounds and ethics. I thank the sponsors for their investment, and I will ensure that their commitment will not be in vain.”
