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His audit company has grown to more than 300 staff, and offers engineering and IT services.
Zakhele Mkhize, the chief executive of Entsika Group, had a rough childhood, but by using the stones that life threw at him, he managed to build a business empire.
City Press met up with the founder of the business consulting firm at his offices in Centurion for a conversation about his journey.
He was born in Mtubatuba, north of Richards Bay in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, and raised almost entirely by his maternal grandmother, while moving around and staying with relatives and family friends.
He started school at Mpukunyoni Primary School before he was moved to Ethakasani Primary School in the township of Eskhaleni near Empangeni.
“I stayed with my mother’s sister at Eskhaleni and went to several schools and in Standard 6 [now Grade 8] I failed. I was just naughty, but that failure changed my life because I was moved again, to Mthunzini,” Mkhize said.
He explained that it was there where his academic work became a priority after a teacher took interest in his wellbeing.
“One of my teachers bought me a new school uniform and shoes. It changed my mind-set regarding my school work,” he said, adding that during that period he started taking extra classes in mathematics and accounting.
After two years at Mthunzini, he was moved to stay with family friends in Eshowe.
“I stayed with the neighbours’ relative in Eshowe for a year before I returned to Eskhaleni for the last two years at Khula High School,” he said.
During that period he was exposed to business, as his aunt was selling second-hand clothes and he would assist her.
He heard about chartered accountancy during a school career day outing in his matric year.
“That was the first time I heard about the profession of being a chartered accountant, so I applied to the University of Natal for a Bachelor of Accounting and was accepted. Luckily, one of my neighbours from Eskhaleni was already at the varsity and he helped me with accommodation,” he said.
When he was accepted, the next challenge was that he needed money to register so his grandmother, who had retired not long before as a domestic worker in Durban, gave him R100 – her entire savings.
“I needed about R3 500 to register so my grandmother emptied her account and gave me all the money, so the stakes were high and there was no space for plan B,” he said.
Fortunately, his successful application for a bursary from the Tertiary Education Fund of South Africa, now called the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, coupled with merit bursaries, pulled him through.
“In my last year at varsity, my mother died. What was really devastating was when my grandmother died two months later and another month later my uncle died. So that house in Mtubatuba had to be closed because there was no one living there,” Mkhize said, adding that those were the most difficult months and came at the time of examinations.
After graduating, he received a job offer from the Zululand Chamber of Business Foundation, but declined it.
“Instead, I went to do my honours. I was also a tutor in order to make some money,” he said.
He completed his honours degree and headed to PricewaterhouseCoopers (now known as PwC) as a trainee accountant in Gauteng.
Mkhize only passed his first board examinations at the fourth attempt.
“The second exam I passed at first attempt. I became a chartered accountant in 2005 and PwC sent me to work for six months in California,” he said.
After qualifying, he joined BMW South Africa as their finance manager.
“They gave me good money and fancy cars, that’s why I joined them. While I was there, I started my Master of Business Administration at Gordon Institute of Business Science,” he said.
In 2008, he joined Cadbury.
Two years later, on the eve of the 2010 World Cup, Mkhize bought a lodge as his first business venture.
In the same year he established Inclined Strategic Business Consulting, which he later renamed to Entsika.
While pursuing his own business, he was still looking for employment and he went for a job interview at a big firm and, instead of a job, came back with a contract from the company.
After the first contract, he changed the business model and that was when he pursued joint ventures with companies with long history and expertise.
However, after a few successful contracts, he again had to tweak his vision as there was a danger of his company being swallowed by partners.
“In 2012, I joined Sekela as the chief operation officer when they were merging with Xabiso (to form SekelaXabiso) and left after that transition. Luckily, the contacts I made there are now my co-directors at Entsika,” he said.
After his stint at SekelaXabiso, he returned to Entsika and fortunately got some very big clients on board and partnered with PwC and SekelaXabiso on some projects.
Today the company has grown to be more than a conventional audit firm, as it also offers engineering and IT services.
It has a pool of more than 300 employees and almost half are on the engineering side of the business.
“I get pleasure from starting things, that’s why I’m less inclined to buy a business and would rather start one,” he said.
Away from this company, Mkhize is a keen athlete. He has completed several Comrades Marathons, climbed a number of mountains and plans to conquer Mount Everest next year.
One of the things close to his heart is the foundation the company has established, which, besides numerous education initiatives and welfare programmes, has spent R15 million on a church rebuilding project in Mthunzini.
