Meet the business mogul, Senzo Tsabedze

He had a tough childhood growing up in an impoverished family at Kamshayazafe village in Mpumalanga with seven other siblings. “I didn’t enjoy school because my family was very poor. I went to school hungry and without shoes,” he said. After completing his Grade 12 in 1994 he went to Nelspruit for greener pastures. His first job was washing dishes at a Chinese restaurant where he earned R15 a day. Not being able to afford accommodation, he slept under a tree near Rob Ferreira Hospital until a good Samaritan offered him her garage to sleep in.

For some time, he changed  jobs working in restaurants as a waiter and at a five-star hotel as an assistant food and beverages manager. His lucky break came a few years later when he won a
three-year contract to supply linen to hotels through his first company Siyenza Consulting which he registered when he heard of an opportunity while working as an operational manager for a company that had restaurants in the Kruger National Park. From that life-changing deal, more opportunities came his way. Today, Tsabendze’s business is worth R1.5 billion.

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Some of his companies include Afrirent Holdings, an investment company that owns companies like Indalo Hotels and Leisure which invest in hotels and golf courses; Afrirent Logistics; Afrirent Energy which invests in solar, energy solutions and gas; Indalo Fuel which is in the petroleum business; Afrirent Fleet Management which is the biggest fleet management company in the country, Sobantu Rent to Own which sells cars to blacklisted individuals, Afrirent Auto which invests in car dealerships, auto services, and refurbishments; and Indalo Investments which invest in property.

He has been married to Thenjiwe Tsabedze for 23 years and the pair has four daughters. The eldest, Candice (22), has just finished her degree and joined the family business this year. His other daughters are Nokuzola (17), Azania (8), and Aphelele (6). “We have instilled a spirit of respeeect in our household, we live by Christian principles and our children know that our wealth is not theirs, they have to work hard for their own money,” says Tsabendze.

He is also passionate about giving back to the community. They pay university tuition including accommodation and a monthly stipend to 15 to 20 students. The organisation also buys groceries worth R3 500 to 220 households from his village. In 2021 he bought Hans Merensky Hotel, Golf and Spa at an auction and recently changed the name to Baphalaborwa Hotel, Golf and Spa.

Currently, they are working tirelessly to renovate the facility and take it back to its former glory.
He was recently awarded a tender by the SANParks to build a 110-bed hotel inside the park about 7km from the Phalaborwa gate. According to him, both these projects have the potential to create about 250 permanent jobs for local people. His message to the local community is that they must watch this space, as more and exciting changes will take place