Electrical engineer Sbusiso Mahlangu is passionate about job creation. He received grant funding and support to start Mthimunye Consolidated Projects at Kwaggafontein in Mpumalanga.

He does high-, medium- and low-voltage electrical work – installation, repairs and maintenance.

Mahlangu’s team finds and fixes cable faults, installs distribution boards that supply electricity to homes and office buildings, fixes electricity connectors and services electrical machinery among other things.

When asked where his passion comes from, Mahlangu says he was a curious boy who loved solving problems and coming up with solutions.

“Growing up, my older brother and I were problem solvers. I knew from there I was an innovative person.”

Mahlangu heard about the NYDA on a TV programme and approached his local office for assistance to start his own company.

The response from the NYDA was positive and Mahlangu was enrolled on an entrepreneurship skills programme offered by the NYDA.

He also received assistance to obtain a BBBEE certificate and received nearly R50,000 in grant funding. He used the cash to buy equipment, tools and a laptop for the business.

Although Mthimunye Consolidated Projects was registered in 2014, it did not start operating until 2017 because Mahlangu did not have his electrical trade certificate. He remained focused, however, and worked as a teacher to pay for the courses needed to get his trade certificate.

“I’m not where I want to be, but when I look back where I was, there’s movement,” he says.

Mahlangu currently has four temporary employees and hopes to grow his business and employ more people.

“I want to motivate the underprivileged and the youth. I would like to employ them and I want to change their situation,” says Mahlangu, who is eager to find innovative solutions through industrial automation.