Mandla does his part for his community

Mandlenkosi Malope (41), a businessman from the Hazyview area believes in service to his community.

He joined Partners for Possibility, a “creative solution to South Africa’s education crisis” and partnered with Michael Nsimba, principal of Entokozweni Primary School in KaBokweni to do exactly that.

“As a business leader, my role is to assist the school management team with ideas on how to make the business side of the school profitable, while taking the basic needs of the children into consideration,” he said.

“We tend to forget that the most precious gift you can ever give to a person is your time, without expecting anything in return.”

He comes from a humble background, growing up at Phola in the Masoyi area and currently residing in Mkhuhlu.

Malope currently is a senior business consultant for MG Consultants in the finance and insurance industry. “I always wanted to work in a bank and started with Capitec Bank and Absa before moving into the financial planning sector with Old Mutual PFA.”

Eventually he ended up at MG Consultants, where he is a partner and shareholder. “I have always wanted to follow on my late father’s footsteps, who was a businessman, and I looked up to him.”

At first it was challenging for him to make the mind shift from being a salaried employee to a consultant who earns by the amount of work he puts on the table. He also had to interact with different personalities, who would challenge his thinking.

“I had to adapt fast, with lots of travelling, as I do business in Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and Swaziland.”

He was, and still is, a strong believer that anything one puts your mind into, puts an effort towards and gives their all, is achievable. “One also can never stop learning. If you want to be on top of your game, you need to evolve and allow yourself to learn so that you can grow.”

Malope and his business partner have managed to grow and sustain their business in the past couple of years, despite the difficult economic challenges that the country has been through. “So yes, I guess I can say I have been successful!”

He is married to Tebogo and was blessed with two daughters. Mandlakazi would have been 11, but she passed on in February 2016 due to leukaemia. Tshegofatso is six years old and in grade one.

Malope loves sports, football in particular, (he used to be a semi-pro player in the early 2000s) and reads a lot. His keen interest in football development at grassroots level resulted in a dream to manage or own a football academy or team in the Hazyview/White River area. “I believe there is much potential and talent, but very little exposure to the professional ranks.”

A few years ago he met Prof Tim Noakes when he gave a talk in one of their conferences. “What struck me most about him was how he had been involved in so many entities, from sports to health and academics, yet he could still find relevance to his philosophy of life.”

The most interesting place he has visited was Swakopmund, Namibia, as part of Old Mutual’s Top Performers. “I fell in love with the place instantly. The tranquility, the calmness and cleanliness of the place was on another level, and the people there were so friendly and welcoming.”

Holidays and the festive season he mostly spends at home with family and friends. “But I love the coast and always find it calming being by the sea, so as and when time allows, Durban is first on the list.”

His involvement with Partners for Possibility is also of great value to him personally. “The different backgrounds these kids come from, some from the poorest of the poor, inspires me to aid where I can, to make a change. I might not bring handouts and gifts, but the little knowledge I have, channelled correctly, is enough for me to feel that I have made a difference. The fulfilment I get from seeing just one child’s eyes light up at the opportunities that are out there, their enthusiasm and willing to succeed, is enough.”

His message to his fellow man is short and simple: “We always say government must do this and that but we tend to forget that the communities are the “state”. If each community can take ownership of what is happening around them when it comes to youth matters, the amount of crime, violence and substance abuse that we are experiencing now will be reduced.

“If every child in this country can get to be a child, be in a proper home with good values, have access to quality education and information, be in a safe and secure environment, then the level of success in our youth will be amazingly high.”

About the country’s future, Malope is quite positive too. “There are so many positives coming from this country, from its diverse cultural setup to its phenomenal tourism.

“What we as South Africans need to do is embrace the differences we have, find an amicable way to work together as a nation. Then all the stuff that is negative right now, like the economy that is not growing, the racial and political intolerance and the spate of crime, violence and unemployment will be eradicated.”

Malope himself is surely doing his part. “After the loss of my daughter, Mandlakazi to childhood cancer three years ago, we founded the Mandlakazi Foundation, to try and bring awareness about the symptoms and early detection of cancer among children, especially in the underprivileged communities.

“Along with foundations such as ‘It’s in my blood’ and ‘Melusomuhle Foundation’, we want to continue fighting until the provincial government establishes a children’s oncology ward in Mpumalanga instead of transferring to Steve Biko in Tshwane.”