From selling ice to running a courier service, Sboniso Ngema is a firm believer that hard work produces results. And this attitude has served him well in a fast-paced business environment. Ngema told Vutivi News that his first business was focused on ice cubes. “In 2012 I bought an ice machine and packaged and distributed ice cubes,” he said.
“The nature of this business requires you to have a vehicle, so whenever we got an opportunity, someone would want to hire our car for delivery purposes.” In 2015, he decided to establish MTE Xpress, which is a courier service with its headquarters in Germiston, Gauteng. Ngema said that he started out with three vehicles. “In 2018 I got a big contract that required us to expand the business,” he said.
“The following year we secured a space to work and that was when we secured one of our biggest clients to date.” This contract, which Ngema said he could not divulge details on as he would violate a non-disclosure agreement, resulted in a sudden expansion of his business, and he opened multiple branches in most of the provinces. “This year alone we opened six branches through a concentrated effort of trying to find business every day,” he said.
Ngema employs 18 permanent staffers and has also enlisted part-time drivers, bringing his tally of employees to just over 40. His company provides domestic courier services which include same-day, overnight and 24-hour options via road, air and sea delivery. Ngema said that although his journey has been extremely tough, he has a team that perseveres as he does.
“I want to build an empire; something that will help create employment and make sure that my employees’ families don’t go hungry,” he told Vutivi News. “I believe in being self-driven, having a goal and not expecting handouts,” Ngema said that in his line of business, it was essential that customers were satisfied. “This is a very fast-paced industry because people opt for courier services as they want their parcels to be delivered in a very short space of time,” he said.
“Failure to provide excellent service drives me mad, but I have a passionate team with whom I work (with) to ensure that this is not a regular occurrence. “I also believe that nothing can substitute hard work and that if one puts in the work one is guaranteed a successful outcome… (It is) something that must be done even when the passion dies out due to fatigue and frustration,” Ngema said.
