Name: Peterson Khumalo and Mojalefa Molete Company: Molete & Khumalo Chartered Accountants Ages: 29 & 31
AFTER a gap year, Khumalo, co-director of Molete and Khumalo Chartered Accountants, applied to study at the University of Zululand. Upon his arrival he bumped into a friend who would prove to be vital in his career choice. His friend had been accepted for BSc Physics and Khumalo, who had been accepted for both BSc Physics and BCom Accounting, decided that the smartest idea would be to diversify the careers within their friendship. “It could have only been a calling, a subconsciously made decision, but most importantly it was the spirit to defy all odds as the CA route is renowned as the hardest one to pursue. ” After finishing his degree, Khumalo met Molete while at KPMG to do his articles. His partner Molete believes that if it wasn ’ t for his grandmother, you may have found him selling tomatoes on the side of the road. “She believed in me when I gave her no hope.” Molete ’ s life nearly fell off the rails when he lost his father in the last year of his undergraduate degree. He missed lectures and struggled to cope with his studies. “I then read somewhere that the places in the world with the most potential were cemeteries. I had to realise that my father had passed away but that I didn ’ t pass away with him. “I decided that I wanted to be all used up when my time came and from that moment I ’ ve just pushed to reach my potential.” After qualifying as a CA and a short stint in the corporate world, Molete dabbled in a few busines deals that once again left him with no hope when he lost all his life savings. It was at this point that he decided to go back to basics and focus on building his company. Khumalo joined him two years ago. “It was a calculated risk with serious implications, but it took five months of being down, low and indebted before Lady Luck smiled at us. From then on we have never looked back.” The Rivonia-based company has won the Shanduka Black Umbrellas award for jobs created and has five employees. Contact: 010-5905555/072-879-3417