The crisis began towards the end of 2007 when load shedding disrupted the supply of electricity to businesses and households, threatening to destabilise the national grid. Nevertheless, every crisis presents new opportunities, particularly for entrepreneurs who are quick off the mark.

Mdu Masango, an electrical engineer, who was working with power supplier Eskom as a management consultant at the time, seized the chance to succeed where others appeared to be failing. “It was a worrying time for the national economy,” he recalls. “I felt I should contribute to finding a solution rather than wait for change to happen.”

Investment in the Kusile and Medupi power stations encouraged South African entrepreneurs such as Masango to make their mark, and thereby ultimately end the crisis. Four years later, Shilangane Engineering is an established enterprise designing power distribution lines, transmission lines and sub-stations for Eskom, local municipalities and clients in the mining and engineering industries.

“Electricity supply in South Africa may be highly politicised, but at the end of the day the power needs to be rolled out,” Masango explains. “We feel we have a responsibility to deliver in this respect. Eskom relies on us, and we rely on our network. In 2007, the situation could only be remedied by everyone pulling together.”

Masango quickly learnt that being an entrepreneur required more than ambition. “Running your own business demands unique survival skills. I had never explored that side of me.” Complementing his own experience in the industry, he joined forces with John Mokoena, an electro-mechanical engineer who himself had 16 years’ experience with Eskom.  

By joining the TWP Enterprise Development (ED) programme in 2012 (now Worley Parsons Enterprise Development), Shilangane Engineering was able to accelerate its growth to meet the unpredictable and frequently urgent deadlines associated with the national power grid.

“We have programmes running in seven of the country’s nine provinces, but we don’t have offices in every area. The ED programme provided us with the kind of support all SMEs can benefit from, including office space to assist our operations in Durban and Cape Town, training in marketing and budget planning, as well as legal advice.”

As a developing economy with increasing demands for infrastructure, South Africa’s reliance on an adequate electricity supply will only grow more severe, and Masango aims to secure Shilangane’s position in the national value chain. “We hope to offer turnkey solutions within 2-3 years as we begin to construct these assets ourselves through Shilangane Construction. We will become an indispensable service provider.”

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