The constant rolling blackouts have shut down the operations of many businesses around the country, but out of the bleakness of loadshedding others have seen an opportunity to embark on a business venture.
Thandolwethu Malindi, 32, from Vanderbijilpark, falls in this category. Out of the energy woes, she identified a business gap. Now she is the CEO of MMM Solar Energy SA, an entity that specialises in solar power solutions for residential and commercial clients in Johannesburg.
She told Sunday World her business venture started in 2019. A friend advised her on the benefits of trading in solar panels. This, she said, was shortly after loadshedding gained momentum in 2018.
She then opened a black female-owned company in Evaton Mall, an area bordering Evaton outside Sebokeng in the Vaal.
“The reason I started MMM Solar Energy SA is because I wanted to help disadvantaged communities in the area to afford a solar panel with a price tag of R15 000.
“So, you basically sign a contract and pay a deposit, and the solar becomes yours after 12 months, if you do not default. I also saw this as a need to create job opportunities for the youth to become technicians,” said Malindi.
However, Malindi said some people, through ignorance, tended to think that a solar was electricity, expecting it to run the stove and geyser. “I had to explain what the solar is, in this way solving problems emanating from ignorance.”
Malindi conceded that despite the advantages solar systems bring to communities, there have been a variety of teething problems, as would with any new system.
She described some challenges facing the company, and some related to a client taking advantage because, in her words, “I am a woman”.
“We took him to court, and we won the case after three months of court proceedings. Being a female in this industry is a challenge, I had to hide my identity as the CEO of the business to protect the viability of the entity.
“The common challenge in the industry relates to clients who do not want to listen to instructions. We’ve had to come to a point where we disconnect the solar from the stove, geyser, or fridge because we were having a lot of challenges,” she said.
Despite the challenges, she takes delight in the fact that they have been helping township clients who could not afford bigger solar systems. The business employs two electricians and four technicians.
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