INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR ENTREPRENEUR JULIA PETLA

Nkgomeleng Julia Petla is the founder and MD
of Amedzo
Trading and Projects, a 100% black-women-owned construction company
which turns 10 this year.

Her success can be attributed to a long list of
achievements, including a master’s degree in business leadership, her
appointment as head of the Gordon Institute of Business Science: Women Economic
Empowerment Programme (2014-15), and an alumni and ambassador for the South
African Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Recognising her success, Petla
was recently awarded a Global Impact Leadership Award in the Construction
Industry – Gold category from the Centre for Economic and
Leadership Development, Nigeria.

Give us some background on how you came to be an
entrepreneur in the construction space in SA.

Petla: After returning from the UK, where I had migrated from
2005-2009, I could not find employment that met my salary expectation and I saw
an opportunity to deal with the employment creation challenge. As a female
black entrepreneur, I was inspired to start Amedzo Trading and Projects as an
entity providing turnkey projects for the full spectrum of building solutions
in the construction fraternity. 

With ten years of experience under your belt, what
does it take to make it in SA?

Businesses need to be solution oriented. It is not about just being in it for
the money. South Africa is a developing economy which requires many gaps to be
filled from infrastructure development to technology, educational, health and
food security solutions. Businesses at whatever level need to play their part
in being part of a grand ecosystem that exists to develop South Africa.
Businesses always have to:

• Aim at
  quality and Amedzo’s pay-off line is ‘Quality as lifestyle’.
• Cost
  management containment is critical to ensure profitability.
• Working
  capital management is important to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in
  handling projects.
• Professionalism
  is also required to build goodwill and credibility.
• Human
  resource management also ensures that we keep the best talent and teams who can
  deliver.
• Great
  leadership skills are also required and this involves situational leadership,
  flexibility and emotional intelligence.
• Entrepreneurs
  also need to know their macro-environment and also adhere to compliance
  regulations.

You were recently awarded a Global Impact
Leadership Award from the Centre for Economic and Leadership Development – what
does the recognition mean to you?

It is indeed an honour not for me as an individual only but mostly to the
company I represent which gets to show that the daily efforts compound to
contribution which is significant on the global map.

It is also a recognition for women in Africa to remind us that we have
potential and that we should be part of a broader partnership to foster
development firstly in the communities we represent, our nation and the entire
continent. 

Who are some of your business mentors?

I have had mentors from the following organisations: Denel business mentorship
programme; De Beers Enterprise Development programme; and AIF Business Development.

What advice do you have for other women trying to
get a foothold in the male-dominated construction industry?

Self-confidence opens new doors and it is important to have a healthy
self-belief and strong internal control. Armed with this, you can be able to
stand up shoulder to shoulder or even shoulders above the rest, despite the
stiff competition prevailing. 

Do you think women in construction still face the
same challenges you did when starting out in the industry, or have you noticed
a shift in mindset at all?

Women are being given opportunities. However, stereotypes still exist at
grassroots where the girl-child is not given priority for education and, as a
result, there are higher drop-outs of female students as compared to their male
counterparts. 

The construction industry has female entrants over the years; however, they
need to move from the building maintenance sector and occupy other sectors in
the industry like property development and large infrastructure development
projects.. 

• What are
  some of the impacts your business has had in terms of empowering South Africa’s
  previously disadvantaged?

Amedzo has been taking on interns for the past nine years. The company takes
six interns every year and ensures that at least three are females. Amedzo
employed 40 workers from Limpopo province at the Venetia Underground Project
(VUP) in 2018. The number consists of 14 female employees and 26 male
employees. The 14 females consist of six skilled and semi-skilled
labourers. 

Do you have any expansion plans for Amedzo?

Amedzo will have a higher CIBD level (Level 7/9) after completing the VUP
project on October 2019. The higher CIBD grading will ensure that we have the
capacity to go for bigger projects. Amedzo will continue to offer turnkey solutions
and expand operations to other provinces in SA.