Women have been breaking barriers for generations, yet there are many industries and sectors “preserved” for men.
But even in those areas, women are proving themselves to be capable of making a contribution, excelling and even outdoing their male counterparts.
Take Selinah Mtilene, who runs Diamond Panelbeaters in Mabopane, Pretoria, who used to believe men needed to wear work overalls, while women stayed in the kitchen.
But all changed when she was faced with the challenge of running a business with her husband, an operator of a backyard panelbeater.
Over 11 years, Mtilene developed such a passion for motor mechanics to the extent she quit her office job to work with her husband at his Diamond Panelbeaters.
After three years in the business as partners, her hubby left the business and today Mtilene runs the business on her own.
She found running the business tough, especially when it came to accessing finance. After her three-year stint as a solo business owner, Mtilene was forced to return to a full-time job so that she could obtain a personal loan to buy the necessary equipment.
While at work, she relied on her assistant, Valencia Khoza, to run the business.
“Having a woman assistant I could rely on and a fixed income to steady the course, I grew in self-confidence. I became a strong businesswoman at the same time,” she says.
She recalls, however, the lack of knowledgeable and qualified women in the field of panel-beating meant little support from what she refers to as the “sisterhood”, commonly found in women’s social circles and family networks.
“Regardless of how long or how hard the road was, I couldn’t and didn’t allow myself to lose focus,” Mtilene remembers. “My biggest client and account since 2019 has been the insurance company MiWay.
“They gave me an opportunity to really spread my wings, to fly. Today, Diamond Panelbeaters still employs assistant Valencia, but we also have 48 professional full-time employees.”
“Yes, mine is a success story against all odds, but we need more of such stories, especially of women using their small businesses as a vehicle to create employment opportunities and, ultimately, to alleviate poverty.”
“My vision has always been to give back to the community and create opportunities where poverty is rife and where there is high unemployment, especially among the youth. “Becoming a MiWay service provider meant Diamond Panelbeaters had the foundation to expand its services to include a 24-hour towing and roadside assistance services, something it
previously had to outsource.
“The new towing services has created a further 20 jobs in the surrounding community,” Mtilene says.
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