If there is one thing 38 year old Tswini Kleinboy Mahlangu will aways cherish about moving to Johannesburg from Middelburg in 1990 is accumulating experience in the construction industry. Indeed, the decisions we take or don’t can determine the course of our destiny! And Mahlangu took the right one and he has been rewarded handsomely.
Mahlangu came to Johannesburg naïve, raw and unqualified. Now, he is confident that he can handle projects of any magnitude in the residential and commercial property sectors. “I moved to the City of Gold looking for opportunities, as most South Africans still do. I did not have the best of a beginning, but now I am in a position I could not barely dream I could reach.”
Mahlangu is not shy to tell that it was the misfortune of being laid off from his last job in 2008 that compelled him to establish a company, Seepa Construction, of which he is the sole owner. “The anguish might have been a blessing in disguise,” he says, after seven years of self-employed.
Seepa Construction builds houses, plasters, renovates and paints. Mahlangu says the company is now known and respected by clients.
The company has reached this stage after enduring a dry spell where projects trickled in dribs and drabs. The real test of Mahlangu’s character was the recession which he discloses hit operations “big time”. “During the recession there was no work. I almost gave up on my dream but decided to give this business one last shot”, Tswini recounts.
The natural instinct would have been to quit and go job hunting but he soldiered on with grit; he had come too far to let go of a very promising business project!
Mahlangu’s big break only came after a former employer asked for his services. “The recession hit and there was no work. I almost gave up on my dream but decided to give this business one last shot. Then, bang! I got a contract,” he recalls.
Seepa Construction has just delivered to the client’s satisfaction a project valued at R18 million as part of a group of contractors. The project has taken two years to be finished. This feat, he believes, is only the beginning. The project is a springboard for future projects. “We want to be the contractors of first resort for major projects.”
After more than twenty five years in the industry, perseverance is a trait Mahlangu has grown to appreciate even more. “Not always getting paid on the expected date teaches you about patience and the importance of managing your funds as if they were last.”
Based in Johannesburg, Seepa Construction has eight permanent workers. The company owns construction equipment and a bakkie. As business grows, it will increase its inventory.
For more information on Seepa Construction’s services, do not hesitate to contact Tswini Mahlangu through
email: tkmahlangu@5.gmail.com
cellphone: 0820628400
Information submitted by Joy Kunene, edited for Transform SA Online by Transform SA Online Editor
