JONATHAN COOK: Sometimes David is crushed by Goliath
There are success stories in business, but there are also casualties among small companies
Two weeks ago I wrote the happy story of Mdu and his salon (https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/columnists/2020-02-24-jonathan-cook-how-an-ecosystem-weaves-success-for-small-businesses/) benefiting from an empowering ecosystem around his business. Today I have to relate a sad story about an entrepreneur pushed out by the larger business ecosystem.
Thandi had a successful shop in the Maponya Mall selling props, toys and similar products for events such as children’s birthday parties. It was a substantial shop with an annual turnover of about R3m. The mall was legendary entrepreneur Richard Maponya’s crowning achievement, opened in 2007 by Nelson Mandela. It brought elegant retail to Soweto residents and helped transform Soweto from a dormitory satellite of Johannesburg to a place with its own economy, creating jobs...
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