From packing parcels to packing a punch
Doreen Mbhalati-Mashele from Myakayaka Village outside Tzaneen used to work at the local Pick n Pay where she was a grocery packer.
A humble start did, however, not stand in the way of her ambitions and today she employs some 500 people and recently received the Special Recognition Award at the 2021 BRICS Women Innovation Contest, for her efforts in environmental sustainability, and green design. Doreen is the founder and sole shareholder of Deliz Investments which specialises in Fibre To The Home (FTTH).
She is very passionate about women empowerment and encouraging women to never give up, to lead by example so they can build a great future for the next generation. She wants women especially in ICT to work together and be proud of what they are accomplishing and expose their talents to the world. Doreen says she was ecstatic to receive this news, especially during August, which is Women’s Month in the country.
“I was speechless when I found out that I’d won,” she says. I didn’t think that I’d be recognised at the BRICS level at this stage of my career. The award has motivated me to go the extra mile when it comes to project delivery, environmental sustainability and job creation,” she said.
First formulated in 2017, the BRICS Woman Innovation Contest aims to enhance the role of women in economic growth and promote women’s economic empowerment in all five BRICS nations. Huawei nominated three of its suppliers and 16 other women-owned businesses for the competition. Derliz Investments delivers full turnkey communication solutions in South Africa and works together with Huawei Technologies to minimise the environmental impact of ICT products through technological innovation and green designs.
Doreen describes her relationship with Huawei as life-changing. When she first came to the company’s attention, she was working night shifts full time and was subcontracted by other subcontractors to oversee project sites. She says that her good work was noticed by Huawei, who within months, gave her five trial sites, before bringing her on as a full-time contractor.
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“This helped me to grow from nothing because they gave me a chance,” she says. “And they keep giving me work because they know that I am committed to getting the job done, within good time and quality delivery.” Huawei COO Christina Naidoo says Derliz Investments has been working in Huawei projects for more than five years and has grown exponentially within its supply chain. It is also a beneficiary of Huawei’s Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) program which is geared at supporting black-owned SMMEs in the ICT sector.
The programme provides training and/or providing equipment that the SMMEs require to enhance their operational activities. “Derliz Investments is one of the top-performing subcontractors in the Huawei Telkom FTTH project with high-quality delivery and efficiency. This achievement is due to the hard work, dedication and tenacity of its CEO, Doreen MbhalatiMashele. We congratulate her on this special award,” says Naidoo. This year’s iteration of the contest was organised by the Chinese Chapter of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance (WBA) and co-sponsored by the Indian, Russian, Brazilian and South African Chapters of the WBA.
