Page 44 - NHBRC Flipbook

CITY PRESS, 13 NOVEMBER 2016
A

project
index
in partnership

with the

NHBRC

opportunity
ON THE MOVE Back row from left: Nomasomi Matinise of Andile and Awonke Trading, Nomvuyo Ntame of Servinet 56, Phindiwe Ntlebi of Lathitha Construction and
Services, Nontombi Mjo of Amarhudulu Trading, Anelisa Mntuyedwa of Gilbert Civils, Ntombentsha Sigabi of The Business Zone 1300, Veliswa Dyantyi of Sithembe
General Traders, Tsepiso Mfuduka of Arufusion, Linda Ndiki of Unique Ladies Trading, Ncebakazi Mhlaba of Sikuphiwe Trading and Vuyiswa Peter of Nobunono
General Trading. Middle row: Lulama Mkhabela of Zinomongo Trading and Nomfundo Zamxaka of Midnight Star 234. Front row from left: Nomazizi Mpongwana of
Tengal Construction, Bukiwe Sipunzi of SQT Construction and Civils, Lwanda Ndlela of XSJ Projects, Nonkozimlo Sibaca of Nkanzi Training Centre, Wendy Kiviet of
Lizube Civil and Constructions, Ntombozuko Lukhozi of Dalinto Trading, Tembakazi Cube of Amangwanya Construction and Cleaning Services and Vuyelwa Solomon
of Vuyelwa Construction PHOTO: EUGENE GODDARD

The business of

getting business

Selling and marketing are regarded as two of the most challenging aspects of running your own
business. When women have to do this in the male-dominated world of construction, the hurdles

they face are breathtakingly challenging. But help was at hand for entrepreneurs who attended the

empowerment programme of the National Home Builders’ Registration Council (NHBRC), which has
been running at the Gordon Institute of Business (Gibs) for the past two months. This week, the last

of the groups of delegates, from the Eastern Cape, told Sue Grant-Marshall how they tackle this task

our most important sale in life is to sell contract. She now feels that she is on her way. where they are both selling to men and competing with them,
yourself to yourself,” said US self- Veliswa Dyantyi, director of Sithembe General Traders, is using “they need to know that preparation is everything”.
improvement guru Maxwell Maltz. LinkedIn to market her company. “It may sound rhetorical and idealistic, but if you understand
Businesspeople who believe in By doing this she is being incredibly smart, according to Gibs the fears and the issues of potential clients, you will succeed.”
themselves, who pick themselves up time lecturer and marketing practitioner Silas Matlala. It is one of the He emphasises that construction is a left-brain industry. “You
‘Yand again, no matter how hard the knocks, first questions that he asks in class. are not selling baked beans or perfume, so you are not dealing
are the ones who succeed. “It’s a cheap, quick and a really professional way of presenting with the right-brain field of emotions.”
That’s the core of the message from some of the Eastern Cape and selling your business,” he says. This means that everything these businesswomen do has to be
delegates to the NHBRC-Gibs programme. Dyantyi started her company in 2010 with no idea of what it well thought out and professionally presented.
“It took me a while to understand that accepting what you meant to run one. It took her six long years to land a contract Nomfundo Zamxaka of Midnight Star 234 in Amalinda, East
know, and what you don’t know, is a key skill all on its own,” says with the SA National Roads Agency, “and that’s where my interest London, had been a teacher for 23 years until she decided to start
Ncebakazi Mhlaba, director at Sikuphiwe Trading in Port Elizabeth. in civil works began”, she says. her own business in 2004.
She believes that women in the construction world have to She was involved in the construction of surfaced walkways and Her passion for construction really took off when she became a
prove themselves twice over, but she urges her fellow delegates community roads in Butterworth, under the mentorship of the subcontractor during the building of a shopping mall in
not to feel they owe men working in the same field an Academy for Construction Skills. Mdantsane, “where I did the brickwork and plastering”.
explanation for everything. “My CIDB grading went up from 1 to 3,” says Dyantyi, who Other good projects followed and then in 2008, through the
“Stop trying so hard. No one person knows it all,” she initially set out to trade in her business, but now sticks strictly to NHBRC, she became the principal agent for the department of
encourages, adding, “the higher you go, the colder it gets. So, building and construction. human settlements “for the rectification of 180 units”.
ladies, let us not panic.” “I have learnt that this is the reason some women are not taken Some of them had to be completely demolished, “including the
Having dealt with the more philosophical side of self-confidence, seriously in this industry – we need to concentrate on one thing.” foundations. We had to totally rebuild them.”
she moves to the practical aspects of marketing. Tembakazi Cube of Amangwanya Construction and Cleaning Lolo Ntombozuko Lukhozi of Dalinto Trading in East London
“My logo clearly shows that I am in construction and all my Services in Mthatha uses brochures to market her business. began at the bottom in the construction industry, “by building VIP
vehicles are branded with it and with my contact information.” “It works well for me,” she says. toilets in rural areas”.
Anelisa Mntuyedwa of Gilbert Civils in East London says that Today she is building and doing reconstruction work on low- She sourced labourers from communities, did renovations on
marketing a small business was one of the biggest challenges she cost housing. government buildings and worked on road construction.
has faced. “I want to help other women get into this field,” she says. “I marketed my company by handing my business cards to
She started out by knocking on the doors of municipalities and Tsepiso Mimmie Mfuduka of Arufusion in Port Elizabeth sold potential clients.
a few government institutions. “I personally spoke to people her skills by going door to door in established building companies “As I am dealing with government and municipal officials, I
responsible for supply chain services, but when I saw that and asking if she could become a subcontractor. need to be professional.
approach wasn’t working, I took it a step further.” Her slogging has paid off because she’s been working on RDP “I also sell my company by attending workshops in my
She went to directors and managers of supply chain units, with housing in disadvantaged communities. province. They help me network with possible business partners
a presentation that clearly showed her product and her She’s bowled over by the joy that people, who have never and clients.
capabilities. owned a home before, emote when they receive a house. “I want to build a strong, profitable and sustainable business so
“Nothing came of it, but it gave me confidence in my selling “It’s more powerful to see that than being a businesswoman that I can employ more unemployed people in future.”
abilities. I realised how boldly I could sit in front of an official and making a profit,” she says. Her words echo those of so many women in the construction
talk about my services without feeling intimidated.” Matlala points out in his lectures that because selling is the sector who are dedicated to alleviating the local crisis of
It paid off soon afterwards when Mntuyedwa was given a small hardest thing these women will do in a male-dominated industry, unemployment, as well as uplifting communities.

Assuring Quality

Homes Since 1998

The NHBRC is here to protect your rights as a new homeowner, by ensuring that our
registered builders deliver a quality home that you can enjoy for generations to come.
1. Use a registered builder and sub-contractors.
2. Register your new home 15 days before you start building.
3. Demand that a minimum of four inspections are done during construction.
4. Before signing your “happy letter”, make sure you are satisfied with the quality of your new home.
5. Address any construction related issues with your builder in the first three months of moving
into your new home, to take advantage of your Warranty Cover.

Toll Free: 0800 200 824 www.nhbrc.org.za @NHBRC National Home Builders Registration Council

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