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professioNals
WayS To grow a
Business THrougH
Finance & aDvice
Access to finance is the lynchpin of every small business
and Mfanelo Msweli, finance specialist and business
advisor with Tushiyah Advisory Services, has made
it his mission to see small businesses thrive.
L
istening, assessing, finding appropriate
solutions to small business challenges, and
providing enablement sums up Mfanelo
Msweli’s existence. His calling is to make finance
easy and accessible to all ordinary entrepreneurs.
Through Tushiyah, Msweli’s support of small
businesses goes beyond access to finance and
as an effective deal-maker on behalf of the SMEs,
he also mentors and advises small black-owned
enterprises, always striving to enable growth.
His efforts have paid significant dividends, and
since joining Tushiyah in May 2017, Msweli has
contributed to the real growth of a range of
entrepreneurs in markets such as health and
beauty spas, manufacturing, engineering, tourism,
car rentals, and more. A recent success of Msweli’s
was delivering R5 million in expansion funding
for an SME tour operator mentored by Tushiyah,
which has seen the company expand to a staff
of 100 and become a strong player in the SA
tourism sector.
Msweli’s background, training and experience
have more than prepared him to meet the
challenges of entrepreneurial development.
His early life in Durban was influenced by his
entrepreneurial father, who inspired and taught
him the true value of growing wealth. He learned
the lesson well, such that after matriculating
from Crawford College, Msweli achieved an
IMM Diploma from the Durban University of
Technology, and more recently, completed an
Advanced Middle Management course facilitated
by Bank Seta.
His career, which spans 17 years in the banking
sector and three years as a personal advisor, has
taught him valuable lessons in banking systems
and processes, as well as compliance and risk
assessment, while giving him extensive product
knowledge and a sound understanding of
banking. This has enabled him to navigate the
sector, delivering on his mandate to give small
and previously disadvantaged businesses access
to finance.
Msweli says he moved from the banking sector to
small business development because of the vast
need for access to finance as well as advice and
guidance on how to achieve it, a challenge that he
encountered in the often-embattled SME sector.
He knew that with his passion for finding workable
solutions and his ability to effectively navigate the
banking environment, he could make a difference
and ultimately support the entrepreneurs who so
dearly require the assistance.
He describes his biggest challenge as nonfinancially compliant entrepreneurs who do not
have the necessary documentation and up-todate financials to support their applications. To
this end, Tushiyah is formulating an in-house
accounting service. “Through this service, we
conduct assessments of the SMEs and once we
Mfanelo Msweli
have identified the gaps and needs, we are able
to provide the necessary support and resources,
going as far as balance sheet restructuring, tax
advice, and implementing effective financial
controls and management.”
Msweli, whose motto in life is Gandhi’s “Be the
change you want to see”, is thriving in the Tushiyah
environment, where he says he works with an
amazing and dedicated team that believes in what
they do. Reflecting back on South Africa’s history
when there were no real support structures for
black entrepreneurs, Msweli is delighted to be in
the business-building sector today, in a company
that walks the journey with SMEs. His advice to
young people starting out in the SME sector is,
“be a sponge, in good times and in difficult times
there is always something to learn”.
Tushiyah has a successful 10-year history in
growing SMEs with access to finance and business
development services to ensure they are supplyready, and then bringing big and small businesses
together, creating linkages, and building access to
markets, for the benefit of all.
about tuShiYah adViSorY SerViceS
Tushiyah is a 100% female and 60% black-owned advisory services company that is one of the leading
implementers of ESD (Enterprise and Supplier Development) in South Africa. Their role is to essentially
act as a conduit between corporates and SMEs, creating an environment beneficial to satisfying the
business connections both need to succeed. Tushiyah means “sound, efficient wisdom resulting in longlasting success” which is the core value that Tushiyah delivers. The team comprises highly qualified and
experienced enterprise and supplier development specialists, local economic development specialists,
programme managers, business advisors, industry specialists, and accredited trainers in South Africa. Each
team member is carefully selected for their compatibility with the company’s core values and ethos and
for their expertise. The company was established in Johannesburg in 2008 and operates nationally, with
offices in Harrismith and Durban, and associates at seven urban and rural centres nationally.
Volume 23 • 2018/19
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