PROFILE | Trainee Trailblazer 2022 Overall Winner − Musa Sipho Maluleka

Even as he tunes stories about the genesis of his company, Musa Sipho Maluleka sets much store by mentorship, referencing a few elder statesmen of the accounting trade, including David Hurwitz. He also thinks highly of Bangladesh social entrepreneur Muhamma Yunus, calling him his ‘role model in business’.

Today, however, he won’t pass up the opportunity to acknowledge venerated chartered accountant Allan Gray, who was synonymous with the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation. ‘In a word, he inspires me,’ he pipes up.

‘The legacy of the late Allan Gray left through the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation changed my life and afforded me an opportunity not only to go to university but also to learn how to be a responsible impactful entrepreneur. I’m quite inspired to take the baton, run my race and pass on the baton to the next generations, as it was passed onto me by the Allan Gray legacy.’

Musa is of course the winner of SAICA’s 2022 Trainee Trailblazer competition and he’s also the founder and owner of Disktjie, a start-up in soccer footwear. ‘Winning the Trainee Trailblazer competition was a humbling moment,’ he says, adding that it’s elevated his business profile.

On a high level, the competition provided invaluable teachable moments, he says. ‘I left the competition quite inspired. To think that I was chosen as a trailblazer amongst so many talented individuals and upcoming CAs(SA). And I’ve truly learned that business is not a zero-sum game − where there’s an eventual ‘winner’ or best business − but it’s a collaboration from all of us and the work we all do to drive the human race that matters and creates great impact − which is a key business lesson that I’ve learned, and the importance of collaboration and cohesion to drive the human race forward.’

Growing up in Atteridgeville, a township in the west of Tshwane, Musa took to figures as a boy, knowing he’d wind up in business. In 2019, he was admitted to the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation scholarship, which − by his own account, anyway − cultivated his passion for entrepreneurship and solving problems.

The idea to establish Disktjie, his soccer boot line, was fuelled by unmet expectations he carried as a soccer-loving boy growing up in the townships. Aware of township surroundings, he noticed that soccer boots on the market were designed oblivious to the conditions on gravel pitches. ‘My recollections of the boots I owned is that they would only last about two months,’ he says. ‘That’s because soccer boots are not meant for people who play on gravel. In our townships and rural areas, we don’t have lawns on our soccer pitches − we have gravel pitches. So I started Disktjie, making soccer boots that are specifically made to play on gravel soccer pitches.’

With fire in his belly, he set about manufacturing his first batch of soccer boots, but nothing could have prepared him for the setbacks that awaited. ‘I took all my allowances I had saved from Grade 1 right through my university years and I made the first batch of soccer boots,’ he says. ‘I was so excited, thinking I’m going to take over the world, but I didn’t even sell one pair.’

But there was a lesson, he says. ‘I had an epiphany about consumers. I realised that people don’t actually buy products: they buy brands − brands that have stories behind them.’ He could also use endorsements, so he rustled a few professional soccer players to endorse his business. Then Disktjie began to gain traction.

In 2021, blessed with a bit of funding, he regrouped, launching an improved design. He went on to sell 300 pairs in the next twelve months. With growth in operations, he had to learn new skills in the mould of marketing, people skills and leadership. ‘I think the biggest lesson that I’ve learned is that great businesses are not built by individuals but by a group of people who are working together towards achieving the same goal.’

For all the strides he’s made in setting up the business, he has nothing but praise for his training as a CA(SA). ‘I realised the power of the skills I was going to acquire from CA(SA) route, which truly motivated me to take this path,’ he says. ‘The training will enable me to grow as a future business leader. As a trainee accountant with Deloitte in London, I’ve learned a lot from working in a multicultural work environment. Living in London taught me how to survive and thrive in chaos. I started cycling to work to save up on transport costs, at times cycling in freezing temperatures, which is quite challenging. It’s taught me resilience and the importance of being adaptable.’

The conversation reverts to the subject of role models, and Maluleke is in his element talking about his mother. He also speaks highly of his mentors, Kelebogile Sephoti and Krista Klive Smith, describing them as invariably present in his life.

‘My mother has been a godsend, supporting me from day one,’ he says. ‘Kelebogile and Krista are my mentors − the people who support me in my journey.’

Transaction Capital CEO David Hurwitz is the last word in entrepreneurial chartered accountants, he says. ‘We simply don’t often see many entrepreneurial CAs(SA), but David inspires me with his journey and the risk he took to pursue his entrepreneurial pursuits with Transaction Capital, and what they have been able to build over the past few years with SA Taxi and solving problems for South African taxi industry with SA Taxi.’

Musa relishes the prospect of growing Disktjie so that it’s one of the biggest players in the continent. It’s largely baby steps with only three people manning operations in Pretoria, but Musa believes he’s on course.

‘The idea is to have more and more of the kids playing soccer on gravel soccer pitches, encouraging them to adopt a mindset of solving problems,’ he says.

‘I want to see us crafting a business model that’ll ensure that even a kid from the poorest of backgrounds has a chance to own a pair of our quality soccer boots to play in our African conditions.’ We reckon he has a fighting chance.

Author
Mpho Tshikhudo