BUSINESS NEWS - While most businesses were trying to remain afloat over the last few months, DJ Sbu (Sibusiso Leope) and his business partners at MoFaya were planning an expansion like one rarely seen by fledgeling township businesses.
Speaking at the grand announcement of MoFaya’s launch of 12 new carbonated soft drink flavours in Johannesburg on Tuesday, Leope reflected on how excited he was when his business partner, Siphiwe Likhuleni Shongwe, approached him with the idea for the brand.
In Leope’s mind, he would have been an instant millionaire within a year, however, as he has come to find out the hard way, it takes a lot more than that – even when you are one of the country’s most-loved personalities.
“It became the most difficult thing I have had to do in my life, but I’m glad I got into it. No matter how difficult the journey has been, I’m very blessed that I met this brother,” added Leope, before touching on some of the financial struggles that he and Shongwe faced in the early days.
Among those struggles was a hiccup that almost saw their business shutting down. Someone that Leope and Shongwe were planning to do business with allegedly absconded with R5 million worth of stock.
Leope refuses to name names, and claims to have never seen the culprit again, but says that the thief knows who he is and what he did and that that is enough for Leope.
“What we saying here in front is not the unique story of MoFaya, it is the unique story of a lot of small businesses in South Africa. It’s the unique story of a lot of small businesses in South Africa that don’t have a famous face, that are not based in Rosebank, that do not have relationships…”
Seven years later and the pair finally have some sort of security that allows them to look firmly into the future.
