Page 158 - KZN Top Business Portfolio 2025 V1-EBOOK

SKY TENTS
SOUTH AFRICA

castles, tables and chairs, mobile toilets, mobile cold
rooms and mobile freezer rooms
Date Established: 2015
No. of Employees: 75+
B-BBEE Status: BBBEE Level 1
KEY PERSONNEL
CEO: Mr Isaac Mbatha
CEO: Financial Manager: Ismail Lockat
Mr Isaac Mbatha
CONTACT DETAILS
Full Name of Company: Sky Tents South Africa Physical Address: 47 Westmead Road, Westmead,
Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal 4001
Nature of Business: Manufacturer and wholesaler Tel: +27 (0)81 880 2197
Products and Services: Tents, including party tents, E-mail: sales2@skytentsa.co.za
wedding tents, stretch tents, dome tents, jumping Website: www.skytentsa.co.za

A DECADE OF GROWTH AND profit margins meant that every order depended on
ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT a 50 per cent customer deposit to purchase material.
To promote his fledgling business, Isaac walked
In 2025, Sky Tents celebrates its 10th anniversary, the streets handing out flyers at traffic lights, in
marking a decade of determination, innovation, townships, and even on taxi windows. These efforts
and community impact under the leadership of often left him in remote areas where his personal
founder and Chief Executive Officer, Isaac Mbatha. safety was at risk, yet his commitment never wavered.
Established in 2015, the company has grown from a By 2015 and 2016, financial pressures reached a
modest start into one of South Africa’s leading tent breaking point. Isaac accumulated heavy debts
manufacturers and event solutions providers, with a and struggled with stress, anxiety, and insomnia.
footprint that extends well beyond national borders. Reflecting on that time, he admitted, “What you plan
Isaac’s entrepreneurial journey began long before for in your head and what happens on your road to
Sky Tents was formally established. With limited success are two different things.” Instead of giving
resources but a strong vision, he entered the tent up, he resolved to persevere. “I learnt that I had to
business by washing and repairing used tents and be brave. There was only one way to get out of the
occasionally working as a middleman in the hire trade. predicament I was in and that was to pick myself up.”
His reputation for reliability soon brought repeated Breakthrough And Community Impact
requests from clients, prompting him to move into
tent manufacturing. That decision laid the foundation Isaac’s turning point came in 2017 with an innovative
for what would become a thriving enterprise. partnership with Ukhozi FM, South Africa’s largest
radio station. Proposing the first initiative of
When choosing the company name, Isaac was its kind, he convinced the station to give away
deliberate. Sky Tents represented his philosophy 100 tents to aspiring entrepreneurs. These tents
that growth should have no boundaries. As he became the foundation for new rental businesses,
explained, “There is nothing above the sky – there helping participants to generate income and build
are no limits on the road to growth and success.”
sustainable livelihoods. The campaign was an
Overcoming Early Challenges outstanding success and a highlight of Isaac’s career,
The first year of operation was marked by numerous combining his personal drive with a commitment to
challenges. Opposition from competitors and slim social empowerment.

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