Monenebe Maintenance and Projects, a specialist cleaning plant hire business servicing South Africa’s mining industry has made its mark in the competitive space.
Sunday Independent spoke to the inspirational Beauty Monene about her entrepreneurial journey and her vision for the business.
Monene was born in Mokopane, Limpopo. She is the founder of Monenebe Maintenance and Projects, a business established and registered in 2006.
She has a passion to define herself in business and gives opportunities to those in her community. She is married with three daughters and has completed a BCom degree and a senior management diploma.
She has worked in various entities in finance and customer services, and her experience led her to establishing her business, Monenebe Maintenance and Projects.
Today, the business employs 42 people. In 2020, after the Covid pandemic hit, Monene opened another manufacturing entity. Today, she is mentoring her daughters in this business.
Monenebe Maintenance and Projects specialises in renting machinery and operators to the mines, and other plant hire.
On what inspired her to start the business, she said she had wanted to do something different.
“I’ve always believed in unique things. I don’t believe in doing what everyone else is doing. I bought a franchise for Bin Cleaning in 2006 and was washing dustbins for households and shopping malls.
“After two years, I noticed a decline in the demand for my products and then converted the machines to cleaning in the mining environment,” she said.
The company started renting machines in 2014 and started investing in the business to acquire its equipment.
In 2012, the company had only one machine, valued at R200 000 but these days, the company has assets valued at more than R16 million. The company would like to grow the business beyond South Africa.
The same equipment was used when Monenebe’s company transitioned from cleaning dustbins to cleaning the mining industry in 2012.
She grew up in a male-dominated home, with three brothers and a father who inspired and strengthened her, giving her the confidence to deal with male dominance in the industry.
Interacting with males became something that she was never intimidated by and over the years has been able to form bonds that are used in every occasion to learn and capacitate herself, she has been able to learn from them.
Monenebe plans to grow the company and leave when she is 60.
“My aspiration is to sell the business to the employees when I exit the company. I am inspired by seeing and hearing my customers happy. I also get satisfaction in leading and empowering people within my team,” she said.
Her advice to other women looking to start-up? First, know yourself and your capabilities, she said.
“Learn more about what you want to start. Be involved in your business. Learn from your counterparts. If you are in a male-dominated environment, be prepared to learn from them.”