Entrepreneur of the Year Aphiwe Madikizela
Thriving towards economic freedom is a journey that one embarks on with complete devotion.” That is the message from Aphiwe Madikizela, owner of Ama X-Rays, a radiography company based in Mohlakeng township on Gauteng’s West Rand.
Madikizela left with the coveted Entrepreneur of the Year Award, together with the services category award at the second Township Entrepreneurship Awards, held this month at Carnival City in Ekurhuleni. For her two wins, she received a total of R800 000 in prize money.
“Business is hard work, takes a lot of energy, needs dedication and sacrifices have to be made along the way. However it is doable, otherwise no one would be in business if quitting was always an option,” says Madikizela. Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to do their research and not be afraid to ask for advice and assistance, including form government. “My advice is that If you want it bad enough then get up and do it. You do not need favours or connections to get assistance or achieve your goals. Just get up and do it!” she says.
Madikilzela says that while growing up she witnessed family members suffer from various afflictions, including a grandmother who had joint pain and another who suffers from cerebral palsy. “Those were the two incidents that contributed to my career choice of being a radiographer. I felt the need to learn more about human anatomy, especially about bones and joints. I was interested to know the causes of the pain in bones and how can it be diagnosed early in order for it to be cured or managed. “she says.
Madikizela then studied at the University of Johannesburg and had an opportunity to work at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital X-ray department. She says this gave her confidence, but also some cash.
“I was proud of the fact that I was still a student and was managing a department, problem solving, being in school and practicing in one of the biggest and busiest hospitals in Africa. All of that motivated me and gave me that self-belief that I could actually do this as a business,” she says.
Ama X-rays started operating in September 2014. The practice is situated in a medical centre that houses a general practitioner, a dentist and a psychologist. Ama X-rays has four permanent employees and five non-permanent employees that are used on an ad hoc basis, as some of them are trainee radiographers.
Madikizela says her biggest challenge was deciding on a suitable location for the practice given that this service is dependent on patients being referred by medical practitioners, dentists and sometimes physiotherapists.
Madikizela says her next challenge was improving the speed and efficiency of processing claims, a function which she eventually outsourced after “trying to do everything herself,” she says. Madikizela went through a phase where she worked at other practices, including night shifts, to ensure she could cover her practice costs. Her breakthrough came when she secured a mining and construction company client and says her next phase of growth would be to secure these clients on longer-term contracts.
Madikizela says although the business is only two years old and leases rather than owns its machines, she is fulfilled by the knowledge that she is providing a much-needed service to people who would otherwise have to travel to town or who are without medical aid and may require reduced X-ray fees, which she provides whenever possible.