NGWANE PARK – A local businessman is turning his success into an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and create jobs.
Lincoln Motsa, the OK Foods Eswatini boss and Linac Group of Companies Chairperson, has opened his new commercial premises at Ngwane Park to young entrepreneurs operating a car wash and a shisanyama alongside his L’s Chillers Liquor and Restaurant.
The initiative has provided a platform for three young entrepreneurs to expand their businesses while creating employment for fellow emaSwati, with the entire establishment supporting 29 jobs.
The premises, officially opened yesterday, comprise L’s Chillers Liquor and Restaurant, MAPS Village Car Wash and SISAJ Shisanyama.
MAPS Village Car Wash is operated by Thabang Maphalala, while SISAJ Shisanyama is run by Sibusiso Shabangu and Sandile Mkhulisi. Motsa’s L’s Chillers Liquor and Restaurant completes the three-business establishment.
For Motsa, the initiative is about more than expanding his own commercial interests. It reflects his desire to help young people establish themselves in business and, in turn, create opportunities for others.
He said it was no longer just about him growing his businesses, but also about uplifting other young people and helping them succeed.
The arrangement allows the young entrepreneurs to operate within an established commercial setting, where customers can access different services in one location while the businesses benefit from the activity generated by one another.
The establishment has nine employees at MAPS Village Car Wash, six at SISAJ Shisanyama and 10 at L’s Chillers Liquor and Restaurant. A further two people are employed as cleaners and two as security personnel.
For Maphalala, the opportunity represents a significant step in the growth of a business he hopes to develop into a recognised brand with a presence beyond its current market.
Speaking during the official opening, he thanked Motsa for believing in his vision and providing a platform for MAPS Car Wash to grow.
“There are many young people with ideas. Many young people who want to start businesses, create employment and make a difference in their communities. But sometimes the biggest challenge is not a lack of ambition or a lack of willingness to work. Sometimes, it is simply a lack of opportunity,” Maphalala said.
He said Motsa had provided more than a place to wash vehicles, as the opportunity had enabled the business to build on its existing operations and pursue further growth.
Maphalala explained that MAPS Car Wash had always aspired to become more than a conventional car wash, with ambitions to build a recognisable brand, provide quality services and create employment.
The Ngwane Park outlet is the business’s second location in the Manzini Region, marking another step towards its expansion ambitions.
He said he hoped to establish more outlets in other parts of Eswatini, adding that the opportunity had encouraged the business to think beyond its current operations.
Maphalala also highlighted the importance of partnerships between businesses, saying operating alongside other enterprises could help attract customers and create mutual benefits.
A customer visiting the car wash could also patronise the restaurant or shisanyama, while customers visiting the other businesses could discover MAPS Car Wash.
He said this arrangement demonstrated how businesses could complement one another instead of operating in isolation.
Beyond car washing, Maphalala has diversified into technology, providing point-of-sale systems and security camera solutions to businesses and households. According to Minister for Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo, the technology business is also expanding into South Africa.
Maphalala encouraged young entrepreneurs not to allow the size of their current businesses to limit their ambitions.
He said entrepreneurs needed to take their work seriously, remain willing to learn and make the most of opportunities when they arose.
He added that business growth did not always begin with substantial investment, as sometimes the decisive factor was having someone willing to believe in an entrepreneur’s vision and provide an opportunity to prove what they could achieve.
“Never judge the potential of a business only by what it is today. Sometimes, the smallest businesses carry the biggest visions. All they need is an opportunity to grow,” he said.
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