Medical centre lives up to its motto

ONE of the few independently black-owned private hospitals in South Africa, Midlands Medical Centre, was named business of the year in the servicing sec'tor, at the Nedbank Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business awards earlier this month.

The chief executive of the chamber, Melanie Veness, said the hospital had served the community for nearly 25 years. The management was recognised for its passion, vision, exceptional financial performance, the application of sound management principles and its subscription to the highest ethics.

“The adjudicators were particularly impressed with the company’s values around people. The management care passionately about their staff and patients, and it is obvious that the company lives up to its motto, ‘we always care’.”

In the manufacturing sector, the business of the year award went to Pressure Die Castings (PDC).

“Arguably the largest brass foundry in the country, PDC’s major products are brass and aluminium alloy window and door handles, brass components used in high-voltage insulator cut-outs, and brass sprinkler heads in large volumes, mainly for export to the USA.”

The company has been operating in Pietermaritzburg for 62 years and has maintained its competitive edge, locally and internationally. It showed remarkable growth in turnover and profitability.

“The company places great value in creating a pleasant working environment and the full-time on-site clinical services are evidence of the extent to which they care about their people,” said Veness.

“The management team are committed to up-skilling their employees and, where possible, to making opportunities for personal advancement available. There is a strong customer service focus and a highlevel application of the latest technology.”

Lumen Pillay of Lumen’s Auto Solutions walked away with the champion entrepreneur award.

The company, which started in 2012, services and repairs all makes of vehicles.

It is the only privately owned Mercedes-Benz specialist workshop in Pietermaritzburg.

“The recipient is being recognised for his true entrepreneurial spirit, passion for his chosen field and his commitment to service excellence. Lumen is considered a worthy winner in this category,” said Veness.

This year, there was also a competition to acknowledge entrepreneurial skills, development and capacity building.

Of the 79 small businesses that entered, Philangezwi Ngcobo, trading as Wooden Pyramid, won the first prize of R25 000.

He started his business making wooden trays from his home in Edendale in 2010. He then began making ironing boards. Three years later, he secured 10 supermarket outlets and a cash-and-carry company as his main customers.

His production volume has more than doubled every year.

In second place, winning R20 000, was Kaamani Jangali trading as Izimbali Florist. She also began her business from home.

Last year, she shared premises at a shopping mall and moved into her own a few months ago.

Taking third place and R10 000 was Taryn Govender trading as TarynG Training.

Govender started by training ETDP Seta Skills Programme facilitators and later broadened her offering to include career development coaching, HR consulting, recruitment and selection as well as corporate workplace programmes which she now specialises in.