Brenda Ndlovu, the founder and CEO of Imbokodo Electrical Construction, shares her story with a blend of pride and humility. “I was always curious about business,” she says, tracing her entrepreneurial roots back to her childhood in Hammarsdale, west of KwaZulu-Natal. “My mother was a street vendor, and I was exposed to the world of sales at the tender age of six. From then on, the idea of being employed by someone else never really appealed to me.”
Her company’s work involves electrifying rural areas that previously lacked power, and recently, has moved into transmission, building substations and pylons. “We’re involved in vegetation management, including clearing alien trees along power lines. Our clients include municipalities, Eskom, and private entities,” she explains. The company, which began as a small endeavour in 2002, has grown into a key player in the industry, electrifying over 100,000 homes and constructing thousands of kilometres of power lines throughout KwaZulu-Natal.
Brenda’s introduction to the electrical sector came by chance. While still in school, she was offered a job by an electrical contractor who used to give her lifts. “I was curious and eager to learn, and within a year, I’d taught myself everything in the office,” she recalls. It was during this time that she realised her potential in the field. With the encouragement of her foster father, Rob Hill, Brenda registered her own business at just 22 years old.
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