Ten years ago, in 2014, Gcina and Mumsy Maseko established Sekozee Waste Management, a business dedicated to making a clean and sustainable environment a reality. From small beginnings in Northriding, Gauteng, the Masekos’ ambition is to make a national impact. “I thrive on risk,” says Mumsy and Gcina adds, “We believe there are opportunities everywhere; with the right people, set up and systems we will achieve our vision. We are going to be a listed company very soon.”
In an era where South Africans’ appreciation of the need to conserve the environment and leave a smaller footprint on the planet is growing, Sekozee is the right business at the right time. It supplies containers, such as wheelie bins and skips, for the disposal of household, industrial waste, rubble, medical and chemical waste, as well as the service to collect the containers and dispose of the waste at the correct landfill sites or waste management facilities. The company also does tree felling, recycling and the placement of waste-handling staff.
Back in 2014, before Gcina resigned from his corporate job to join Sekozee fulltime, Mumsy was the business’ first truck driver. When demand exceeded their capacity, Business Partners Limited entered the Sekozee picture.
“Business Partners Ltd was very friendly and gave us the opportunity to work with them,” says Gcina. “They understand the entrepreneurship journey and its challenges much better than traditional financial institutions. The approval process was quick. We submitted our application on the Friday night, got a call on the Monday and on the Wednesday we had our first engagement with a Business Partners Ltd advisor.”
The business currently employes about 30 people, but growth is on the cards. Demand is yet again threatening to exceed supply, and the Masekos want to own the full waste-management value chain. Gcina explains: “Currently we own the clients, the waste containers, the mode of transport and the workers. What we don’t own is the dumping sites, and that’s where we want to move into. Chemical waste in particular is a struggle. A handful of people own the chemical waste dumping sites and they just go directly to the clients instead of partnering with companies like us.”
Mumsy and Gcina’s instinct for business is strong and smart. Their decision to branch out into medical waste came about during Covid-19 when they realized the pandemic could make one very rich or very poor. “There were tenders going for so many things, but we looked at what was in our area of expertise, which is waste management of course.,” says Gcina. “We identified the healthcare sector and moved fast to comply with all the requirements and get the necessary approvals.” These days, Sekozee works with private doctors in malls. It supplies these customers with the containers they need and collect and deliver the full containers to waste incinerators.
The couple’s business acumen is also evident in the advisory board they have established. The board convenes every three months and advises on business strategy and the skills the business needs to make progress.
As for their relationship with Business Partners Ltd, Mumsy says the next application will be for funding to buy a premises to house the Sekozee fleet of vehicles and the company offices. If the site is suitable, they will also set up office space that could be rented out to other companies.
Sekozee is certainly going places and Business Partners Ltd is proud to be associated with this dynamic company.
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