The world of business is a tough one to navigate but Lindiwe Nakedi has proven to be tougher. A Wits University Industrial Psychology graduate, with a background in recruitment, she soon realised that that career path didn’t resonate with her at all.
The mining sector turned out to be the perfect fit and she hasn’t looked back since joining the industry more than 10 years ago.
“I love working with people, which is why my first venture was in recruitment. I started a business, called People Shop in 2005. It was about more than just finding people jobs but connecting job seekers with the right companies. The downside was that I only made money once someone had been placed in a job. I decided to change fields,” Nakedi reflects.
The Diepkloof-born entrepreneur went on a mission to find something that would challenge her. Her search landed her in mining.
“My husband is a geologist and worked in mining, so he sparked my interest in the industry. While on-site with him, I realised that the living conditions of the employees weren’t ideal. They make so much money for the business owners but live in small caravans.
“The main reason I chose to get into drilling was so I could make a difference in people’s lives. I felt there was an opportunity for me as a young Black woman and thought ‘why not?’” she says.
Tackling mining
In August 2009, Gubhani Exploration was born. It’s a surface exploration drilling company, which reports and presents geological borehole data by combining geological and technical drilling knowledge to create innovative solutions in the drilling industry. Nakedi admits there was a lot of learning involved.
“I’d never been introduced to drilling and I soon learned that some businesses aren’t easy to get into. With drilling, you need equipment that can cost up to R3 million. It’s either you hire it or get financing from the banks. But banks aren’t big on financing the mining industry because of its unpredictable nature,” she says.
Nakedi learned early on that there would be hurdles. Suppliers, for starters, let her down.
“Starting and we messed up along the way. You can meet a supplier who says they’ve got equipment but they’ll deliver something that’s not the same as the specifications on paper. That’s when you need to rise above the challenge,” she says.
The knocks in her journey taught Nakedi to diversify and broaden Gubhani’s service offering.
“I forced my husband to do what he hated the most — to be a geologist — and consult to get money in. I’ve always found ways to shape, shift and adapt during hard times. I have three children that I must provide for – I had to make a plan.
“I remember a project that fell through that had a lot riding on it. Guess what? I started teaching ballet to pay the bills because it’s one of my passions,” she recalls.
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The lessons
The 10-year journey has thickened Nakedi’s skin, which goes to show that one must never give up on their dreams. She insists that there’s always a skill that can keep you afloat when you’re in a tight corner.
“When my business wasn’t doing well around 2013, a friend of mine, Xoliswa Ndoyiya, asked for my assistance in getting her brand off the ground. She used to cook for Tata Nelson Mandela. I assisted her in meeting potential sponsors and getting partnership deals after her cookbook was published,” she beams, adding that, around that same time, Gubhani Exploration started gaining traction once more.
That moment of helping a friend enriched her. She learnt that one of life’s biggest secrets is that it doesn’t take anything away from you to help build someone else, even when life is throwing hurdles your way.
The relationships Nakedi established came in handy when it was time to expand the company. She points out that her projects have mostly come from referrals, something she is grateful for because she didn’t need to convince anyone that she’s capable of delivering quality work.
“People talk, so let it be all great things. What I do isn’t just about me – it’s about other Black women who come after me. Being the first Black female to own a drilling company is great but that’s really not the point. If I mess up, I’ll be giving all of us a bad reputation,” she explains.
Nakedi is very passionate about paying it forward. “If I had been more confident early on, I would be much further. There were so many opportunities that I passed up because I doubted myself,” she says.
Greater heights
Gubhani Exploration is finally reaching the heights Nakedi’s always dreamed of. The shift was the nickel mining project they were offered. She admits that the Nkomati Mine contract facilitated the growth the company needed but it was all gradual. They went from having no machinery to hiring subcontractors and then buying secondhand equipment to do the work themselves.
“We’ve since been able to buy newer equipment and are now handling bigger projects,” Nakedi shares. Many might think that the multi-million projects Gubhani’s been entrusted with were an overnight success but resilience and courage got Nakedi to the top.
Nakedi is solution-oriented and her ‘can do’ attitude has afforded her many opportunities, one of them being appointed chairperson of Women in Mining South Africa (WiMSA). She even made the Women in Mining UK’s 2018 list of 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining.
“WiMSA came after I’d been knocking on many doors. I wanted to connect with like-minded women. I didn’t know that six months after offering to volunteer my time at the organisation, I’d become chairperson. That opened doors for me to sit on advisory boards, head panel discussions at the Mining Indaba and be a patron liaison at WiMSA,” Nakedi says.
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However, she’s still set on challenging the status quo. She wants the youth to grow up in a world where gender equality is a reality.
“I have two girls and a boy, but I teach them that there are no specified gender roles in marriage. I’m building the kind of world that I want them to live in. At my age, I don’t want them to ever experience some of the issues that used to bug me,” she says.
1. Be observant of and hone the strengths of others. If you continue to tell people how great they are, they’ll become the best they can be.
2. I’m the type of leader who encourages others, because I feel that, as Black people, we have a confidence complex. Maybe it’s due to how we were brought up, but we don’t always believe we have something to offer.
3. Don’t be scared to refer others or to give opportunities. I will always refer someone if I can’t do the job or if I feel someone else is better suited. You don’t have to say ‘yes’ to everything that comes your way.
4. There’s enough room for everyone and the pie is big enough for all of us. Like Stephen R. Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, says, “Have an abundance mentality — if you think and believe there is more, there will be more.”
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