business
Cheche Selepe
Aspirant Soweto oil tycoon Nhlanhla Masango is a committed socialist. But despite his political beliefs, he is determined to compete with top companies in South Africa.
The 22-year-old recently won the best business plan award and prize money of R15 000 in the Shell-sponsored youth entrepreneurship programme called LiveWire – something like a business version of the Shell Road to Fame.
He aims to set up a cooking oil manufacturing plant, Soweto Edible Oil Milling Company, early next year and a financial institution has approved his application for a loan to make his dream come true.
Masango’s inspiration has been his mother, who raised three children on her own. “My father passed away in 1995. He was a clerk at Ernst and Young for 13 years. I learned nothing from my father, except that he didn’t take care of his children. I spent most of my time with my mother, and learned many things from her.”
Masango, an Africanist, is a former Congress of South African Students (Cosas) Orlando West High School leader, and African National Congress Youth League organiser. He is a card-carrying member of the Orlando West branches of the South African Communist Party and the ANC.
“If it was not for business, I could have been active in the branches of the alliance partners today. Cosas taught us to be active members of the community.
“I believe in socialism, hence I joined the party. Socialism will, in a way, help to eliminate poverty. All state-owned companies must be run along socialist lines and be geared towards the advancement of development, especially of the poor. I believe there will be a world where the economic system improves the standards of living of everybody.
“The business I am starting is one of its kind, it will make a difference and add value to the quality of life in Soweto. It will improve the economic wellbeing of the people of Soweto.”
Masango first conceived the idea of starting his oil company in 1996 while working for the Soweto Milling Company as a productivity supervisor. He held that job for four months before he resigned because he wanted to earn more.
From there on he developed his business plan and attended a number of business training programmes.
“When you start a business, you should have a competitive edge, something that makes you different from others, otherwise you shouldn’t be in business,” he says.
His competitive edge lies in his direct delivery to customers, the bulk of whom include owners of fish-and-chips shops in the sprawling township. He also aspires to making a deal with a supermarket chain to supply them with no-name-brand cooking oil.
His products are checked by the South African Bureau of Standards and the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research, and both have given the green light to his African Sun Oil. His business will create eight to 10 jobs.
November
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