It has been a remarkable five years for Mulwane Investments after the local youth enterprise first started working with Khanye Colliery. At the company’s anniversary celebration held in Bronkhorspruit on 12 December, Mulwane Directors Berry Masingi and Dumisani Mazibuko reminisced about how they started supplying the mine with only two machines back in 2018. Fast forward to 2023, Mulwane has grown its fleet and the company employs 20 people which include administrative staff, operators, and drivers. Dumisani and Berry have taken advantage of the mentorship they have been getting at the mine since inception.

“The growth was gradual and Canyon was also helping us along the way. We are benefiting not just by supplying business to the mine, but we are also learning from the mine’s employees,” says Dumisani. He admits that it has not been easy as they had to overcome some of the challenges that come with running a business, such as ensuring that your cashflow and paperwork is intact.

The future is promising as they intend to add big machinery to their fleet including a 75-tonne excavator in 2024. “Once we have achieved that milestone, we will also be acquiring more trucks to grow in the transportation of commodities,” he says. Berry also remarked on the company’s progress from having to hire some of the machines used on site to completely owning all the assets. “With the help of Canyon Coal, we managed to get qualified mechanics and operators and to comply with the standard operating procedures. Today, all the machines we supply to the mine are owned by us,” says Berry.