Desire to grow inspires leap to new terrain

[caption id="attachment_67441" align="alignright" width="300"] GREENER PASTURES: Xolisile Kondile established his own landscaping and gardening business in 2009 -[/caption]

Xolisile Kondile Uitenhage entrepreneur quit his corporate job to start own venture

Quitting a lucrative corporate job when South Africa’s economy was plunged into a global recession sounds like a crazy idea.

But not for Uitenhage businessman Xolisile Kondile, 44. In 2007, he walked out of his production supervisor post at car manufacturing giant Volkswagen SA searching for new opportunities.

Two years later, with a R100 000 start-up injection from enterprise developer Shanduka Black Business umbrella, Ezama-Bamba Landscaping and Gardening Services was born.

Now an emerging businessman, employing 20 people, Kondile boasts servicing some of the city’s biggest firms – Transnet, the Port Elizabeth Harbour, Ngqura container terminal and Coega.

He admits that he had zero business skills when he took the gamble and quit his job but did it anyway as he was “bored” at VW.

-Mkhululi Ndamase