With this in mind, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Alumni office, in partnership with the bhive Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) on the campus in Vanderbijlpark, will be hosting an interactive business seminar on 26 September 2018. During the event the focus will be on building business networks and identifying viable business opportunities.
According to Zanele Ngobese, alumni coordinator, the event is aimed at all members of the campus community – alumni, students, staff, business owners and community members.
During the event, two high-level local business leaders and also NWU alumni, Ms Mayleen Kyster (CEO: Africa Steel Holdings) and Mr Thami Manzi (CEO: Ola Superstores), will share their insight and experiences in business. They will also give their forecast in terms of business growth and expansion probabilities for the Vanderbijlpark region over the next couple of years.
More about the speakers
Mayleen Kyster
Africa Steel Holdings is a 100% black women owned business and is regarded as a significant player within the steel industry on the African continent. Mayleen completed her MBA studies at the NWU. She was recruited into the steel industry as a graduate-in-training and has enjoyed employment experiences across the steel value chain. She is a board member of the Steel and Engineering Federation of South Africa, RSH Mining, RSC Avelo, Northern Cape Metals Industrial Cluster and is the executive chairperson of Africa Steel Holdings.
Thami Manzi
Thamsanqa (Thami) Manzi is a successful entrepreneur who knows about giving back, and whose thriving businesses are creating job opportunities for people in his community. His hard work and perseverance have seen his retail business, Ola Superstores, expanding to three outlets with an annual turnover of more than R10 million and 26 permanent employees.
Before starting out on his own, Thami was the executive manager responsible for enterprise development at the African Dream Trust and, by extension, the Mpumelelo Business Centre. He serves on the board of the Bophelong Tutorial Programme (BTP), a registered non-profit organisation that encourages quality education by serving as an intervention unit and support structure for schools in the Bophelong community.
Thami won the Global Business Roundtable’s Global Chairperson of the Year Award in 2013 for leadership excellence. He has received numerous other awards, including the Township Entrepreneur Award from the Gauteng Department of Labour, and Khanyisa awards for service excellence from the Gauteng Department of Health and Social Development. He is also a recipient of a NWU Alumni Excellence Award.
He obtained a BCom degree in business management from the NWU’s campus in Vanderbijlpark in 1999.
Event details
Date: 26 September 2018
Time: 14:00 – 17:00
Venue: Building 3, Open Incubator, NWU Vanderbijlpark Campus
Dress code: Smart Casual
Cost: R50 per person
Snacks and wine included
Cash bar Available
To book your spot, please RSVP by sending an email to bhive@nwu.ac.za or to zanele.ngobese@nwu.ac.za, alternatively you can contact 016 910 3393.
Mayleen Kyster
Thami Manzi
