Modi Mining owners Motlapele and Samuel Molefi
Mining engineer Samuel Molefi and his entrepreneurial wife and business partner Motlapele Molefi have won the Entrepreneur of the Year award – a premier entrepreneurial platform sponsored by Sanlam and Business Partners every year.
Samuel and Motlapele are founders and owners of Modi Mining, a mining services supplier that provides clients with contract mining services, including sweepings and vamping, underground construction, rail installation, service pipes installations, power cable suspensions and box front installations.
The judges were particularly impressed by the business’s ability to achieve an average growth rate of over 30% a year since starting operations in 2011, despite operating within an industry that continues to face high levels of volatility.
When asked how they have been able to achieve this high level of growth during such challenging times, Samuel said it comes down to understanding the industry and clients.
“We have managed to achieve this level of expansion through our unwavering commitment to meet our clients’ ever-changing needs.
“We are able to do this because we are continually improving, based on feedback from clients, and keep a close eye on how the sector is evolving to ensure we are always providing what our clients require to remain sustainable.”
The company’s support for local economic development and the country’s transformation imperative is showcased through its creation of employment opportunities and affiliated projects.
“Sourcing most of our labour from the local communities that we serve in, we now support 420 permanent employees.
“Additionally, we can safely say we have contributed towards the creation of more than 10 000 jobs by businesses within the Black Umbrellas incubator – a nonprofit enterprise development incubation organisation that we support,” Samuel stated.