Lamatsamo Holdings is a multi-disciplinary company with footprint across industries such as mining, logistics, engineering, energy, tourism, agriculture, and forestry.
The company provides business solutions within the private and public sectors within Southern African countries. It also offers these solutions to medium, small, and micro enterprises.
Lamatso Holdings is a Level 1 B-BBEE contributor, 100% black, woman and youth-owned proudly South African company with experience spanning over nine years and industry experts with a combined experience of 35 years.
Lamatsamo was founded in 2014 by Ms Bonisile Fortunate Shongwe who not only has vast experience in business, but also passionate about the empowerment of black youth and other women from townships and rural communities.
Lamatsamo, through its Corporate Social Investment, supports the Carolina Employment, Business and Training Centre, a Non-Profit Organization aimed at creating employment opportunity and upskilling young people in Carolina, Mpumalanga.
Lamatsamo’s vision is to lead and transform the different industries in innovation and competitive edge through a shared value culture of women and black empowerment.
Vision
To Lead & transform the different industries in innovation and competitive edge through a shared value culture of women and black empowerment.
Mission
To provide competitive services, with safety as the core pillar to meet and exceed the needs of the existing and prospective clients. To epitomize integrity and quality relationships and prioritize women and youth employment in local communities where we operate.
Values
- Leadership: Transfer skills and grooming people to reach greater heights.
- Integrity: Consistency in providing quality service.
- Partnership: To build sustainable relationships with clients and communities.
- Safety: No compromise, lives over profit
- Passion: Committed to giving back, to groom future leaders.
- Accountability: Thriving to set a model where the drive is not only profits but making a difference.
- Innovation: To continuously improve and be innovative so to be positioned with the best around the world.
BEE Strategy
Lamatsamo’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) strategy is based on affording opportunities to previously disadvantaged, Black community in particular black women. The aim is to conquer the imbalance of the past through taking ownership, management, and skills improvement to enable active Black participation in the economy.
The BBBEE Pivotal Pillars are:
- Equity/Ownership
- Management & Control
- Socio-economic development
- Preferential Procurement
- Employment equity
- Enterprise development
Lamatsamo recognizes its role and responsibility towards the community especially those affected by the mining activities which happen within their areas, and it is for that reason that we have committed to giving back through skills development, employment, and preferential procurement so that residents can benefit.
Our inclusive approach to BEE means we directly advance previously disadvantaged and affected communities, because we are firm believers that Land belongs to the people, and they ought to benefit from any economic activity happening around them.
Our approach is that economic activities should benefit communities in a sustainable manner into the future.
We commit to funding sustainable projects and giving way to local young entrepreneurs to add value to them, so they become assets for their communities.
Company Ownership
The company is 100% black youth woman-owned 135% B-BBE level contributor.
Management
Shongwe, the founder and managing director of Lamatsamo Holdings, is on an upward trajectory making strides in business and community development. She has accumulated massive experience, over the years, in various industries. Shongwe leads an established company with impressive footprint in mining, logistics, engineering, energy, tourism, agriculture, and forestry industry.
Under her leadership, Lamatsamo, a company she established in 2014, has delivered outstanding services to organizations and companies, at varying levels, in both public and private sector. Born in Mayflower but raised in Carolina, a small mining town in Mpumalanga, Shongwe has had to navigate and negotiate her way up the tough business world, spurred by relentless drive and passion, traits she developed through the challenges she faced.
Shongwe, the founder and managing director of Lamatsamo Holdings, is on an upward trajectory making strides in business and community development. She has accumulated massive experience, over the years, in various industries. Shongwe leads an established company with impressive footprint in mining, logistics, engineering, energy, tourism, agriculture, and forestry industry.
Under her leadership, Lamatsamo, a company she established in 2014, has delivered outstanding services to organizations and companies, at varying levels, in both public and private sector. Born in Mayflower but raised in Carolina, a small mining town in Mpumalanga, Shongwe has had to navigate and negotiate her way up the tough business world, spurred by relentless drive and passion, traits she developed through the challenges she faced.
In her final year as a student at University of Johannesburg, Shongwe needed to do practical training, at mines around Carolina, in order to complete her Industrial Engineering studies. However she encountered difficulties around access like many young people from her community, who are grappling with socio-economic challenges. The depravity launched Shongwe into activism and that was the beginning of her journey towards entrepreneurship and community development.
She became a founding member and secretary of Carolina Employment, Business and Training Centre (CEBTC), a Non-Profit Organization aimed at creating employment opportunity and upskilling young people in her town. Through her efforts, over a thousand young people have secured employment and have had their skills enhanced as a result of her facilitation. She has done extensive consultancy work for companies and communities in relation to skills development and land claims among other things. She also facilitates skills development workshops and plays a role in assisting young people to secure bursaries to further their studies.
In mining, where her company has a footprint, Shongwe has come full circle having rendered service and done almost all there’s to do in mining – consultancy, plant hire, transport logistics, and rehabilitation. Her company boasts close to 10 employees.
Shongwe has been called upon, by situations and circumstances, to provide leadership on countless occasions, where she stepped up. During her schooling years and tertiary era, Shongwe has actively participated in leadership roles sometime without portfolio. For her, it’s all about devotion to function rather than position. Shongwe, participant in Sasol’s Women in Mining Programme, continues to serve in various capacities for her community advancement. She is the chairperson of the board of Carolina Hospital. She is a member of the Chief Albert Luthuli Local Municipality Mining Forum, where she is chair of the steering committee on Infrastructure. As a cattle and poultry farmer, she is also the deputy chairperson of the African Farmers Association South Africa (AFASA) Mpumalanga Youth.
Shongwe is committed to empowering herself too. She boasts a National Certificate: Generic Management in Skills Development Management from Gordon Institute of Business Science.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Lamatsamo owes its growth to IPP Mining & Material Handling for affording it the first time opportunity to haul its coal, this done as the company’s local community participation initiative to have local SMMEs to benefit from opportunities at OPG Mine in Carolina.
Lamatsamo is one of Exxaro Resources ESD beneficiary, the company awarded LAMATSAMO with funding to procure yellow machinery for the companies expansion.
Ms Shongwe through the NPO Carolina Employment Business & Training Centre (See www.carolinaebt.co.za) which she co-founded and is funding through LAMATSAMO is involved in many philanthropist activities which revolve around skills development, ICT, business development and assisting job seekers to get jobs in the local Carolina mines. This part of her life is what pushes her to grow her company as it allows her to be able to give back to her community through the NPO.