Everyone in this organisation has “equal opportunity to be a part of this family and contribute towards the transformation of this country…” Lindani Dhlamini is the CEO and co-founder of SekelaXabiso, a risk and advisory firm that provides internal audit services, IT audit services, forensic business consulting along with actuarial and transactional advisory services.
Merger births auditing firm of great stature
The firm was the result of a merger between two stable and successful auditing and advisory firms; Xabiso owned by Lindani Dhlamini, current CEO of SekelaXabiso, and Sekela owned by Abel Dlamini, now executive chairman of SekelaXabiso. Chatting to Thriving Magazine about how the company was founded, Dhlamini says: “I am one of the founders, I founded Xabiso in 2003 as a woman-owned and woman-led organisation and then 2012 I merged with Sekela to form SekelaXabiso.”
BEE level one and 100% black owned
She says SekelaXabiso is all about transformation. “We’ve embraced the transformation agenda of the country and what it means for us to be a level one BEE company is to say that every South African in our organisation has an equal opportunity to be a part of this family and contribute towards the transformation of this country.” The 100% black-owned firm has grown in strides within a short time. “The growth has been phenomenal. “The firm is only 13 years old and we employ close to 200 people, with offices nationally and we have in excess of R200 million in revenue. This has been done within a short time.”
Initiatives for the less fortunate
With this growth Sekela Xabiso has not forgotten the underprivileged. This is evident in the firm’s CSI. Dhlamini says they have assisted three schools where they “adopt” grade 10 pupils. This initiative is aimed at supporting these pupils from underprivileged homes in such a way they have nothing to worry about beside their academic progress. “We pay their school fees, clothe them and make sure they have vacation programmes to support them through school. It is one of our proud initiatives because some of those children have found bursaries and scholarships and have gone to university.” Outreach initiatives do not end with scholars, but also take on women through the Imbokodo Women’s Forum. The forum nurtures young women who are up-and-coming leaders by mentoring and empowering them. “We guide them here in the corporate arena because being a woman in the corporate environment is very difficult. There are few role models and more often than not the burden of looking after the family falls on the woman. So women need a lot of nurturing and through this Imbokodo Women’s Forum we have at SekelaXabiso, that’s exactly what we are trying to do for our young women.”
Growth and positioning
The firm is only 13 years old and employs close to 200 people, with offices nationally. “We are humbled by this and not arrogant about it, we know it has taken a lot. It has taken a lot from our people. It has taken a lot from the clients who have supported us. We appreciate it and hope we will still be around in the next 13 years or so. “Business is about the people and I can honestly say what sets us apart from competitors is that they don’t have the people that we have here. We have people who love what they do, and we’ve got authentic people. They bring it all, when they come to work they give it all and I think that’s why we are here and why we have been able to achieve the level of success.”
Challenges in building the firm
Dhlamini maintains the word failure has a negative connotation and that all challenges and obstacles in life are just an opportunity to learn. “Even if you failed in life, you tried many times, the next time you try, you will succeed.” In reflecting on challenges in building the firm, Dhlamini says there were plenty. From landing the first client to challenges of collecting from debtors and challenges around retaining people. “Our key resource in this organisation is our people. We hire highly skilled individuals, highly sought after individuals who can compete in the market.” Another challenge is the financial implications of running a firm. “Cash is key in our environment. Like any business, you have your ups and downs and you have your challenges. But you have to manage these. From cash flow to landing the first client, to challenges of collecting from debtors and challenges around retaining people.” She says people are their key resources – highly skilled staff members who allow the company to compete in a competitive market.
‘These are individuals who are highly sought after. We have a proper value proposition for people to join our business and believe with this view the company will grow even more.’
