Bathu one of most admired sneaker brands in Africa
ALEXANDRA – Baloyi says such recognition is always appreciated and celebrated when your company is honoured.
A South African sneaker brand has been named one of 2021’s most admired African brands.
Bathu Shoes is owned by Alex businessman Theo Baloyi whose business is based in Centurion.
The brand was named as one of Africa’s best brands by Brand Africa 100 which is the most authoritative survey and analysis on brands in Africa. Brand Africa 100’s survey was conducted between March and April this year and yielded more than 80 000 brand mentions and more than 3 500 unique brands were analysed.
This accolade comes hot on the heels of the recent launch of Bathu Shoes’ 25th store at Secunda Mall in Mpumalanga.
“Recognition is always appreciated but when your company is being honoured and celebrated for its devotion in bringing about change and bettering the lives of Africans through the organisations you represent and the work you do on the continent, that honour comes with even greater gravitas and gratitude,” said Baloyi.
The list of those surveyed boasts the who’s who of big corporates across Africa who are not only setting the bar, but have made enormous contributions to shaping the African business landscapes.
Baloyi attributes Bathu’s vast success to its ability to personify and humanise their customers’ values and establishing real and lasting relationships with them. “It isn’t about adding to the numbers, it is about being a brand that Africans can proudly affiliate with.
“We value our customers because they understand that motho ke motho ka Bathu [one is human because of others] and we constantly strive to create a brand that they can easily resonate within their life’s journey.”
Baloyi, who was born in Soshanguve and matriculated in 2009 before moving to Alexandra, said he cut his teeth in business while living in the revered and iconic ‘mother of all townships’ by selling perfume door to door.
“This was my side hustle while studying accounting at Damelin College and later at Unisa [University of South Africa] and living with the family in 10th Avenue. I later moved out but the family still has the home there,” Baloyi told Alex News in a telephonic interview recently.
Baloyi’s successful shoe manufacturing company was started in 2015 and specialises in the production of sneakers. “I grew up with this love for Converse takkies and kept telling myself one day I must start takkies of my own, and this dream evolved into reality with the passage of time.”
He is currently a mentor to young and aspiring entrepreneurs through an initiative known as Nedbank YouthX which seeks to empower the youth with business and financial skills through structuring and facilitating virtual master classes on entrepreneurship.
Through this platform, Baloyi said he other ambassadors of YouthX seek to tell their varying entrepreneurial journeys in the hope that this would inspire the youth to live their dreams.
