Q & A SMARTOPS SOLUTIONS waste, and make data-driven decisions. In sectors like mining, for example, digital tools monitor energy consumption, minimise water usage, and ensure compliance with environmental regulations. This boosts sustainability while increasing profitability by cutting unnecessary costs.
For industries like mining, achieving ESG targets is a priority. Digital transformation aids this by providing precise tracking and measurement through monitoring systems and data analytics.
How would you assess South Africa’ s current efforts in using digital transformation to enhance efficiency across various sectors?
South Africa has made significant progress in adopting digital transformation across several sectors, but there’ s still much to be done to drive efficiency at scale. While industries like finance and telecommunications are advanced, others, such as mining, manufacturing, and healthcare lag in fully leveraging digital tools.
Automation, data analytics, and IoT technologies offer tremendous potential to enhance operational efficiency, especially in the mining and energy sectors. In healthcare, digital tools can improve service delivery, leading to cost savings and better patient outcomes.
Infrastructure limitations, especially in rural areas, along with regulatory hurdles and skills shortages, are significant barriers. These can be overcome through investment in digital literacy, public-private partnerships, and enabling policies that foster tech adoption across sectors.
What are some upcoming key projects that SmartOps is planning to roll out, which could potentially be game-changers?
• We are launching Thiba Ingozi, a peer-to-peer emergency alert platform. The name comes from Southern African languages, where“ Thiba”( Sotho / Tswana) means“ Prevent” or“ Block,” and“ Ingozi”( Zulu / Xhosa) means“ Danger” or“ Risk.” This app allows users to send instant alerts and share their real-time location with nearby users and registered law enforcement officers, ensuring swift assistance. As the first of its kind, Thiba Ingozi offers a community-driven approach to faster, more reliable support in emergencies.
• We are launching a Supplier Financing Platform that allows suppliers to receive payment for approved invoices within 24 hours, at no additional cost. This eliminates the usual 30- to 90-day wait, providing immediate working capital. Affiliated companies can save up to 5 % on annual supplier costs while improving cash flow. It’ s a win-win solution and the first of its kind.
• Financial inclusion is a key priority for us, which is why we are launching a Vehicle Asset Finance programme specifically for e-hailing drivers in South Africa – a first of its kind as well.
What drives you to expand your portfolio, and what are some highlights of your entrepreneurial journey?
I consider myself a serial entrepreneur, and my primary motivation is to create solutions to real-world problems. Some highlights of my journey include starting as an independent consultant for SmartOps Solutions without an office and progressing to multiple office locations. I ' ve built a strong team, collaborated with like-minded organisations, and competed with larger companies. Above all, creating employment opportunities stands out as my greatest achievement.
What are the key lessons you have learned as a leader?
You can only do so much alone; therefore, collaboration is essential. Surround yourself with individuals who believe in your vision and contribute to the company’ s goals. While entrepreneurship can be rewarding, it is important to acknowledge the significant challenges and barriers to success, particularly in South Africa. Despite these obstacles, we need more individuals to enter this space to drive job creation and economic growth. ■
The industry was ripe for innovation, yet many businesses hesitated to adopt digital solutions due to perceived complexity and cost. This gap motivated me to focus on digital transformation to enable solutions in sectors reliant on manual processes.
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