Believing in an African child’s dream is a big investment you can give to any country- Mampho Sotshongaye

November 17, 2022

By Ajong Mbapndah L [caption id="attachment_102328" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Believing in an African child’s dream is a big investment you can give to any country,says Mampho Sotshongaye[/caption] Believing in an African child’s dream is a big investment you can give to any country, says Mampho Sotshongaye, Founder Golden Rewards 1981cc. The ABH Local connect lead for Southern Africa (from South Africa); ABH 2020 Top 20 finalist and participant in 2022 Alibaba Netpreneur Training says   the commitment and willingness of the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Group to help African entrepreneurs has given her and many others the platforms to empower others.  Could we start with an introduction of your company Golden Rewards 1981cc? Mampho Sotshongaye: Golden Rewards 1981 cc is a Construction Company founded by myself in 2010, we are based in Cape Town, South Africa. The company employs 118 people of which 90%  are from disadvantaged communities. We specialize in Road Maintenance and Construction. Even though our primary focus is on maintenance of major national routes, provincial routes and municipal roads, our expertise extends to other Civil Engineering Construction projects. We pride ourselves with high standard construction and maintenance techniques. What are some of the success stories you can share with us about the country, what difference has it or how successful has it been in fulfilling the vision that led to its creation? Mampho Sotshongaye: As a young girl from poor rural areas of South Africa I always dreamed of making a positive impact that will benefit everyone and not discriminate people by their gender, colour or religion. Being recognized in my country and to the world as one of the people who are contributing to job creation and empowerment is very fulfilling. To name the few our successful and awards

1. Eskom BIC overall winner 2021
2. Africa’s Business Heroes 2021 Top 20
3. 2021 BRICS Women Innovation Contest Recognition
4. Africa’s Business Heroes Community Connect Lead for South Africa

[caption id="attachment_102329" align="alignnone" width="1040"] Golden Rewards 1981cc prides itself with high standard construction and maintenance techniques, says Mampho Sotshongaye[/caption] How useful has the experience you garnered in the 2020 ABH Prize Competition helped in making you and the company attain your goals? Mampho Sotshongaye: Being part of Africa’s Business Heroes has been an amazing journey. I have grown as a person and seeing business goals that I thought were unreal coming together is mind blowing. I took all the feedback from the competition and made big changes for the benefit of the business. You are part of the ABH Participants taking part in training on Digital Economy by Alibaba Global Initiatives, what are your expectations, and would this help you in pushing Golden Rewards forward? Mampho Sotshongaye: Entrepreneurship is a very lonely journey and being part of the programme will afford us opportunity to be better. Entrepreneurs fail because of lack of knowledge, unwilling to take risks, no support and competitive drive. I am hoping to redefine who Golden Rewards is, what we stand for and what makes us stand out from the rest. What are some of the challenges you have face in building and growing Golden Rewards? Mampho Sotshongaye: As a woman in an industry that is known as male dominated industry, I have faced many challenges, being rejected and undermined. As an Emerging Contractor we also struggle with access to finance as we need resources to compete in a bigger scale. [caption id="attachment_102330" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Being recognized in my country and to the world as one of the people who are contributing to job creation and empowerment is very fulfilling, says Mampho Sotshongaye[/caption] Any words of advice or success tips to young South Africans who may want to emulate the success story that you are? Mampho Sotshongaye: I would suggest aspiring entrepreneurs in my country to listen to how Alibaba was started and the challenges they faced. One person had a dream like all of us and when you believe in it, no one can stop you. Challenges will not go away but your perseverance will attract people will contribute to your dreams. Nothing comes easy be willing to make sacrifices for your vision. As for the ABH and Alibaba Global Initiatives, any message you want to share on that and their leadership on the opportunities young Africans are getting from them? Mampho Sotshongaye : Believing in an African child’s dream is a big investment you can give to any country. The commitment and willingness of the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Group to help African entrepreneurs has given many of us platforms to empower others. May their leadership continue to grow in strength, as we also continue to impact more people in our communities by giving back. *Culled from November Issue of PAV Magazine