Turning houses into homes with a splash of new paint

Township-based company Splash Coatings Africa is on a mission to make its affordable, high-quality paint accessible to more people — and thanks to the Gauteng department of economic development (GDED), it’s received the support to drive its expansion plans.

“We are not necessarily in the business of selling paint, we are in the business of selling the feeling of a home, and that will always be a need,” says Bonga Masoka, Splash Coatings Africa’s founding director.

“We paint houses with independent in-house painting contractors, using premium paint products that we manufacture and retail through in-house stores managed by young people.”

Splash Coatings Africa has been piloting stores in Midrand and Ga-Rankuwa, northwest of Pretoria, for two years and is opening retail outlets in Soweto, Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, and Dawn Park, in Boksburg. Some of the properties are owned by the company, while other stores are based in leased retail spaces. 

Masoka, a former business development executive, was introduced to paint manufacturing by a company partnering with the one he was working for at the time.

He was so enthused by this company’s approach to finding a balance between affordability and premium quality, that he bought their paint formulations and started his own operation, Splash Coatings Africa, in 2017.

“Coming from a rural village in the North West, I knew it was a cultural norm to always paint [one’s home] every year, and to a large extent. the market didn't understand why,” he says.

“But after doing my research, I found the difference between [having to paint every year as opposed to every 10 years] is paint quality, but quality paint is not easily accessible because of price.”

Not only did Masoka want to fill this gap in the market but for him, the process of painting one’s home has a deeper meaning. He grew up in the houses of several family members and says he never felt like he had a home of his own. He dreamed of building his mother a home, but she passed away before he could do so.  

For Masoka, paint is a fundamental part of what makes a house a home. “By founding my own company, I could live my dream of building my mom a home through other people, our clients.”

Though Splash Coatings Africa has done limited marketing and advertising since its inception, the demand for its products and services has been growing. Masoka says it is the personalised customer experience he offers that has played a significant role in its success.

Financing through the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller

The business is now expanding thanks, in part, to a loan from GDED through the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP). “The department has been putting in the effort to allow the business to reach its highest level,” says Masoka, adding that his company’s relationship with the GDED has brought benefits such as greater access to market.

The GEP offers a variety of financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises. These loans include start-up finance, contract finance, growth finance, franchise finance and microfinance. The GEP also provides grant funding to small enterprises that don’t meet the qualification criteria for formal loans.

In addition, Splash Coatings Africa is one of the 200 targeted township-based enterprises receiving support through the Township Economy Partnership Fund (TEPF). The fund is a partnership between the GDED, GEP and the Industrial Development Corp, which focuses on sectors such as manufacturing, the taxi economy, ICT, backyard real estate upgrading and retail.

“We want to create self-sustainable enterprises that can create jobs for the youth in the townships and inspire hope,” says Mathopane Masha, the GDED’s director for inclusive economy.

“While there are other players in the township paint market, Splash Coatings Africa has a high level of product quality and success. The intention is to celebrate this young township-based entrepreneur, who is manufacturing paint and contributing to our re-industrialisation agenda as a province.

“It is important that his [company’s] expansion has an impact in the township in the form of jobs and skills.” 

GDED MEC Tasneem Motara says the department’s investment into township businesses, particularly those which train or employ young people, is a way to strengthen the economy. 

“We've got to create and sustain a growing tax base, formalising [businesses] and getting them into the mainstream economy so that they contribute, and then we can grow the fiscus and  respond to socioeconomic demands.” 

Click here to find out more about the GEP or call 087-057-2000.

Click here to find out more about the TEPF and apply.