Nonkosi lives in Johannesburg with her husband and three children, whom the company, Lebama is named after (Lethu, Bathi & Mangi). She provides communication services as a freelancer and has also recently authored a book called The Switch, which is a fictional novel, as she never discarded her first love, writing.
- Can you tell us a little bit about Nonkosi (where you grew up, where you went to school)?
I was born and bred in Cape Town, in one of the oldest townships, Langa. I completed high school at Sea Point High and completed both my degrees at Cape Technikon, which is now known as Cape Peninsula University of Cape Town. My first degree is in Public Relations Management and the other is in Business Administration Management. I always knew that one day I will venture into business, so I studied Business Administration Management to help equip myself for the future. However, I spent the first 20 years of my career leading communication departments of various multinational companies, making effective use of my Public Relations Management qualification. I left Cape Town about 15 years ago, to pursue my career and dreams at the place of gold, Johannesburg.
- Please tell us about Lebama Group Logistics (Pty) Ltd. history and what motivated you to start this?
Lebama Group Logistics is a long-haul transportation company that transports various goods and mine commodities for clients. I was motivated to venture into logistics by various factors. Firstly, working with multinationals exposed me to the world of logistics and transportation and I have been intrigued by the inner workings of this industry so I started as an investor earning passive income from a logistics operation. I used that investor relationship as a stepping stone to venture full-time and operate my own fleet. Secondly, I noted that the industry itself is male-dominated and was inspired by the few women who are in this sector, who showed me that the industry is not as intimidating as it looks, it can be done.
3. In terms of the economic engagement, how has Lebama Group Logistics (Pty) Ltd. been successful in empowering and involving young people?
Lebama Group is two years in operation and when I started out, I identified a challenge in the industry that the youth, with the relevant Code 14 driver’s licence were not hired due to lack of experience. So I hired them for a short period, and paired them with more experienced drivers in order for them to learn and gain the required experience.
I have also been actively looking for female drivers but have not had much success in that regard. However, I also understand that with the different types of trailers we use, physical strength is also important, because when you are out there loading and offloading, as the driver you are required to be hands-on and make sure the load is safely secured. Therefore, I have been mindful of this as I scout for ladies, and even if I don’t end up giving them permanent employment, my desire is to help them gain experience and exposure.
I am also assisting others with the information I have accumulated over the years on a one-on-one basis and I am proud to state there are two companies that started a logistics business and are successfully operating following my mentorship and unfailing support in helping them get started. Other entrepreneurs I have assisted and guided are in other industries and are now operating their businesses. One of the entrepreneurs I assisted challenged me to start a platform to help others with the invaluable information that helped her, so that others may be able to start or move forward with their business ideas. I, therefore, created a YouTube channel, Game Changers Field, where I envisage sharing all this information with a wider audience of like-minded people, young and old, even if I help one entrepreneur at a time.
4. As supply chain planners how do you accurately estimate in advance the amounts and types of goods likely to be needed by consumers?
Lebama Group Logistics does not supply goods, but rather transports goods from one destination to another. In terms of planning, we know what a good month looks like and we can anticipate how many loads we can make in that period. We also take into consideration, the time and duration for the service and maintenance of our trucks and trailers and how these will impact our delivery for the month. We also take into consideration public holidays and leave days for our drivers and how these coincide with delivery and loads for the month.
Seasonal fluctuations also affect our planning, for instance the fruit and vegetable industry has import and export seasons. The steel industry also has its own fluctuations which has an impact on our planning as we service this industry as well. We also have loadshedding which affects our clients and customers considerably and this has an effect on our planning and our performance for each month.
While we cannot control everything because some of these factors are outside of our control, as the Lebama team we do our best to work around these aspects, roll with the punches and keep it moving.
5. What is the most important lesson have you learnt about this business thus far?
Breakdowns can occur at any given time and at any place and this is lost time and loss of income. Drivers remain with trucks until the issue is resolved and or the truck is moved to a safe and secure place. Sometimes drivers do not have the patience for this and may leave the truck unattended. It is always good to have insurance and also a good backup plan.
Another issue is when you have a breakdown in a different province and your trusted mechanic will not be able to reach that location, one, therefore, encounters chance takers who will hold you to ransom because they see you are stranded and you are also under pressure to deliver goods. I’m not sure if the fact that I’m a woman, also plays a part in being taken advantage of. But you learn to be tough and handle your business professionally.
Costing is also a very important component which I learnt in this business. People tend to think that this industry is very lucrative but the margins are low, so it’s important to know the number of trips you will need to break even. When it comes to cost, one needs to factor in licenses, maintenance, wear and tear, diesel and everything that comes to play when providing the service. The turnover may be high, but so are the costs which reduces the margins, which means one needs to do more trips to make a profit. Therefore one needs to have their foot on the costing as it’s important for the make or break of your business.
6. A logistics supply chain begins with manufacturing and ends with the final product getting delivered to the customer. How do you maintain an integrated communication channel?
I have a standard communication group on WhatsApp for each of my drivers. In these individual group, it will be Lebama Operations Manager, Operator (client) ,driver and myself. The Operator communicates pick up location, organises the paperwork, and share expected day and time for offloading in the group. The Lebama Operations Manager keeps track of the load through a tracking device where they monitor speed and driving behaviour of driver and work out best route for travel to reach customer destination on time. Lebama Operations Manager also updates in the group the driver progress as they are travelling, because our drivers are not encouraged to speak on their cell phones while driving. I then capture the order information and keep track of loads transported, invoicing and also keep track of diesel consumption. The driver will give updates of loading and offloading. He also updates on the group any delays or challenges he encounters while travelling or challenges with loading or offloading, which most of the time needs intervention from the Client Operator. This method of communication helps everyone involved be informed and up to date with the progress of the load.
7. Can you discuss the company’s plans for future growth and expansion, both domestically and internationally?
Research shows that a move to centralized distribution has been an important trend in recent years and this is exciting because South Africa has become a supply hub to other countries, where the manufacturers produce products in the country in order to export to other countries. Therefore while we are currently operating a nationwide route as Lebama and also have loads to the port, we are also aligning ourselves to this growing trend by positioning our value proposition to venture into cross-border distribution.