From Construction Dreams to Leadership Lessons

Kuruman businessperson Kopano Oats said that he began his venture with a leap of faith rather than a detailed plan. Frustrated with the typical nine-to-five routine, he chose to leave the security of formal employment to create his own path. 

Oats founded Oanat Industries in 2018, a company specialising in housing and water infrastructure construction in the Northern Cape. “I started the business at a point where I was trying to move away from my job,” he said. “The business has now been functioning for about four to five years and it has been quite a journey.” 

Starting a business from scratch involved learning along the way. He quickly realised he needed extra support, especially with paperwork and administration. That’s when he found out about the Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) programme backed by United Manganese of Kalahari (UMK). This initiative helps local entrepreneurs improve their businesses through various training modules at a nearby training centre. 

Helping local entrepreneurs

“The decision to apply for the programme came from a point where I realised that you don’t know what you don’t know,” Oats said. “To move to the next stage of the business, there were certain things that I needed to learn.” 

Two themes stood out for him during the course. People and money. He said one of the biggest surprises was how much the emotional intelligence component of business shaped his thinking. “Learning how to manage different people and learning that people are wired differently. If you are going to manage a group of people, you need to be open to learning how every person functions.” He said that understanding the human aspect of the workplace changed how he leads and guides his team. It is about temperament, stress response and communication styles as much as anything technical. 

Understanding the human aspect of business

“The financial aspect was another big one,” he said. Oats added that he was shown how to structure his finances, work with budgets, plan properly and treat the business as a standalone organism with its own needs and obligations. 

Also Read: Building Better Businesses: UMK Boosts Kuruman’s Goodman Bok

After completing the course, he said he also gained something less obvious but just as valuable. Confidence. “I really took quite a lot of teachings that we learnt here, and it has been a fruitful journey,” he said. 

Terence Mamabolo, UMK’s Socio-Economic Development Manager, said the impact of the company’s community development projects continues to motivate him. “Whether it’s the construction of an early childhood development centre, a water or road project or a course designed to uplift entrepreneurs and contribute to the local economy, it means more than just a check box exercise. We aim to leave behind a legacy and a community that has been positively impacted by mining. It is incredibly heartening to see that we are making a real difference in people’s lives.” 

Focus on practical fundamentals

UMK’s ESD incubation programme, facilitated by Mind Colours in the Northern Cape, focuses on practical business fundamentals. Participants receive training in financial literacy, marketing basics and interpersonal skills to manage teams, customers and partnerships more effectively. The emphasis is on real-world application rather than theory. It forms part of UMK’s broader commitment to community development through its Social and Labour Plans and aims to help build stronger, more resilient local businesses.

Now Read: Collaborative CSR Is a National Strategic Imperative

 

 

Category: Press