Case Studies

Initially established in 1982 after recognizing a gap in the availability of industrial chemicals in South Africa, Reba Chemicals (http://www.rebachemicals.co.za/) was sold in 2008 to its current owner and Managing Director, Mr. Freddy Motau. 
Reba Chemicals manufactures a wide range of products, including water treatment chemicals, inorganic metal salts, and industrial acids. The company currently employs 18 staff and exports its products to Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Swaziland, and Mozambique.

Nozihle Cleaning Services (Nozihle) (http://www.nozihlecleaningservices.co.za/) provides tailored cleaning, gardening, and hygiene services, specialising in environmentallyfriendly methods. Based in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, Nozihle was established in 2003 by Ms Dolly Mbuyane, initially on a part-time basis, with operations being-scaled up to a full-time basis in 2007. The company currently has more than 100 employees and has won several awards, including being a Finalist in the 2011 Award for Small Enterprises given by the Lowveld Chamber Business and Tourism (LCBT) and Nedbank, and a winner in the 2012 Mpumalanga Productivity Awards.

Deltron Consulting was started in 2012 and currently has offices in both Johannesburg and Durban. The Durban office is responsible for all coastal projects in KZN, Eastern Cape, and Western Cape. Deltron Consulting (http://www.deltron.co.za/index.html) is a professional services company that operates as an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Management Company based in Johannesburg, with the second premise in Kwa-Zulu Natal. The KZN operation enables Deltron to service Foskor, a large phosphate and phosphoric acid producer based in Richards Bay. 

In 2005, Eskom’s Horticulture Services Department decided to outsource their services. This affected many employees, including Ms. Lebo Ramakuela, who had worked at Eskom for 9 years. Ms. Ramakuela, a young black South African horticulturist, and her colleague Christo Saaiman, a landscape technologist, saw an opportunity to create a company to deliver horticultural services to Eskom. They became business partners and started Libra Landscape (http://libralandscape.co.za/), focusing initially on horticulture, landscaping, and maintenance services, and later expanding to cleaning services.

In 2012, Ms. Ramakuela was introduced to SASDC during an exhibition that took place at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. She was impressed by SASDC’s offering to black businesses, in terms of exposure to large corporations and training opportunities, and became a SASDC certified supplier. She enthusiastically used various SASDC opportunities to build the capacity of Libra’s employees and to promote the company.