Ilanga Lezintaba Zolwandle Consulting have walked away as winners of the engineering and construction sector at the 2020 Eskom Business Investment Competition.
The Business Investment Competition (BIC) is the Eskom Development Foundation’s annual competition that has been running since 2008. Its main aim is to boost enterprise development. The competition targets black-owned small enterprises in the engineering/construction, manufacturing, agriculture/agri-processing as well as trade/services sectors.
Formed six years ago, Durban-based Ilanga Lezintaba Zolwandle Consulting (Pty) Ltd (ILZ Consulting) is an earth science consultancy dealing with a diversity of disciplines, including geotechnical engineering, and groundwater studies.
The company predominantly deals with boreholes. Its two divisions: the geo-technical division and geo-hydrology division, deal with soils and rocks, and underground water, respectively.
Lindiwe Mdlalose, Head of Finance & Administration at ILZ Consulting said; “Being part of Eskom’s Business Investment Competition was a great opportunity. Through the competition and the subsequent two-day Business Connect seminar, we discovered critical factors that we had overlooked and which are essential for the growth and development of the company. We will be implementing these immediately.”
Given the country’s drought crisis over the past years, as well as prevailing water scarcity across several municipalities, a solution such as the one offered by ILZ Consulting is in high demand.
“At ILZ Consulting, we believe that increasing borehole water availability is the way to go, particularly in rural areas. This will help improve accessibility to pure and natural water in rural communities and schools. Plus, the cost is not prohibitive,” says Mdlalose.
ILZ is a one-stop shop, with a service offering that includes surveying for water, drilling, and testing levels of available water and water quality. As the business continues to grow, they plan on acquiring a high-air compressor, among other things, as leasing one impacts on their bottom line. They have identified government departments, water boards, farm owners, accommodation providers and developers as their next markets to penetrate to grow their client base.
Mdlalose had this to add regarding their R131 250 prize money and how it will be invested into the business: “Our prize money will be invested in acquiring additional assets, which will in turn enable us to service more schools and households.”
“This is the 12th year in which the Eskom Development Foundation is hosting the Business Investment Competition. Throughout this period the event has grown into the country’s premier platform where small and medium businesses can be part of a community of like-minded entrepreneurs, and where they can benefit from the collective wisdom and accumulated experiences of our colleagues and peers,” explained Cecil Ramonotsi, Chief Executive of the Eskom Development Foundation.
Ramonotsi said that the judges were impressed with this year’s participants: “We were more impressed by the quality and resourcefulness of the participants in this year’s competition because of COVID-19. If you read through their submissions and listen to their stories, you will find countless examples of South Africans who have discovered the brilliant lights within themselves, to shine through, during the darkest of times.”
Runners up in the category were Mokgoroac Lepoka Trading and Projects (1st runner up) and Bonema Technologies Pty Ltd (2nd runner up) who walked away with R75 000 and R50 000 each.
