Funeka Nyaqela, a 38-year-old businesswoman born in Witpan, a small village near Gannalaagte in the North West region, says she has devoted much time and effort to building her empire.
She owns and founded two businesses, including BravoPro, a fiercely competitive company that delivers fuel and landscaping architecture. Kariba Consulting, her second business, was founded in 2021 and specializes in project management, transportation planning, and environmental management.
Funeka graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in Logistics Management from North-West University in 2010. She recently graduated from Consulting Engineers South Africa, a one-year program that trains future consulting engineers to be industry leaders in the consulting engineering field.
Her career began as an intern at the Department of Community Safety and Transportation Management. She then worked up the corporate ladder at Aganang Consulting Engineers before launching her own companies.
"BravoPro employs over 40 people, and we take pride in helping locals change their lives." "BravoPro serves the North West Department of Health, North West Department of Water and Sanitation, Ditsobotla Local Municipality, Ratlou Local Municipality, North West Hotel School, Mmabatho Palms Hotel, National Department of Public Works Sanral, Tourism Board, and the North West University Mahikeng Campus," Funeka explained.
Funeka attributes her interest in the business to her late grandfather, a prosperous farmer who always encouraged her to work hard and respect everyone.
"I founded BravoPro because I saw an opportunity to enter a niche market." The scarcity of women in this field inspired me. Our goal was to provide opportunities for underprivileged people in our community," Funeka explained.
"Honesty, transparency, dependability, and ethics are the aims and objectives of my companies. We strive to uphold these values in all our interactions by focusing on the consumer as we work to understand and satisfy their demands excellence calls for always doing the right thing, on time, and correctly. Empowerment occurs when we provide employees with the tools they need to execute to the best of their abilities, give them responsibility, and assist them in their work. The commitment that drives us to produce "unmatched" levels of service to our customers while also exceeding expectations in terms of sales and delivery,” she said.
Funeka describes the most challenging aspect of her profession as obtaining financing from the government or financial organizations to purchase equipment. "Financial institutions always claim to be willing to help entrepreneurs, but I have never seen this. I purchased most of my equipment without the help of banking institutions. Even if we try to transform the globe and develop the economy, we will fail," she concluded.
Funeka's inspiration comes from seeing her colleagues satisfied and happy at the end of each month. "It inspires me to take on more projects and employ more people. With over 40 employees, we look after many families," she explained.
Funeka considers her most significant achievement to be the first black woman to operate a landscaping company in North West. While BravoPro believes its greatest triumph this year is being awarded a three-year subcontract for the North West University landscape.
She studies Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene at the Rand Water Foundation. This program focuses on rural sanitation and bulk water supply design, and she is aiding Nessa Solutions in the North West through her consultancy firm Kariba Consultancy.
She advised young people not to let their upbringing dictate their future. "We must exert more effort while using our limited resources efficiently. The network I have developed over the years has allowed me to accomplish what I have, and the help I receive from my family, co-workers, and friends has allowed me to accomplish what I have," she concluded.