MUSGRAVE resident and business owner Ntokoza Ntleko participated in the Standard Bank Top Woman EmpowHer Awards that were held recently at the Radisson Blu, where she was named the 2023 Standard Bank Top Woman EmpowerHer title holder for KwaZulu-Natal.

Ntleko is the founder of Takkie Wash, which has branches in Musgrave, Berea and uMhlanga, and the business owner said that having a business based in KZN over the past few years has not been easy. “The unpredictability of our province keeps any businessperson on their toes. The crime rate and load-shedding remain our greatest challenges. We made the decision to operate as a cashless business and take only card payments early this year, and we still get chancers from time to time. Moreover, we do our best to work around load-shedding, but it still affects our turnaround time and overall quality.”

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Ntleko says she thinks there should be more female entrepreneurs in the province. “I do feel it is important for female entrepreneurs to open businesses in Durban and KZN because there is a lack of a diverse community of women in business. I’ve pushed myself to attend more business seminars, and the likelihood of connecting with a woman in the same field as I am or similar is very low.”

Her pitch for the recent competition focused on sustainability, gender equality and economic growth. “My pitch was about my company and the services we provide. I then went in-depth, focusing on economic growth, sustainability and gender equality within my company. The pitch was easy for me because I simply had to speak about what I do. The challenge was preparing the order in which I would present so that it made sense to the judges and the audience.”

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Ntleko says she hopes to build her brand and promote gender equality in the South African business world. “I dream of building a brand that South Africans can be proud of and be the first to understand what it means, ie, ‘takkie’ is 100% SA Slang and not known anywhere else in the world. I wish to build a brand so well-balanced and sustainable that it can withstand anything. Gender equality is no question, and growing and advancing the staff is a regular task.”

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