Sebenza diversifies and moves into new markets

Sebenza Forwarding & Shipping managing director Ntokozo Mogorosi was recently named one of South Africa’s most influential women in the category Automotive, Logistics, Shipping and Transport by CEO magazine. Through a public nomination process, and in conjunction with industry bodies and a panel of judges, she was chosen ahead of BMW’s Lindsay Pieterse and media relations manager for Nissan South Africa Veralda Schmidt in her category, one of 19 ranging from property and financial services to telecommunication and tourism. It was a surprise accolade for the softly-spoken Mogorosi who has seen exponential growth in the company since she took over the reins in 2004. “The past three years have been hugely successful,” she told FTW, “with growth of 30% recorded last year – much of that related to growing southern African business.” And despite the current gloomy economic outlook, she has set a growth target of 42% for the year ahead – and is confident that it is achievable. Historically Sebenza has focused on parastatal business. “But we realised the need to diversify and have been aggressively targeting other sectors.” Automotive is an important part of the mix, with the opening of offices in East London and Port Elizabeth two years ago adding impetus to the drive for business in this sector. And while Europe, the US and the UK are the company’s traditional markets of focus, China, the Middle East and Africa are moving into strong contention. “Our overseas network in the Far East has expanded significantly and Africa has also produced pleasing growth for the company. Telecommunications equipment into Nigeria is a strong focus.” In line with general sentiment, Mogorosi believes the skills dearth is one of the greatest challenges facing the industry. “We offer a number of learnerships and have absorbed many of the trainees, which helps with staff retention. But in a demand-led environment, staff turnover will always be an issue for all industry players.”