\r\n A massive housing shortage in Soweto presented an opportunity to\r\n the\r\n company to build what was then\r\n called “two room and a garage” in the townships. No new houses were being built by the government for\r\n township residents, creating demand for supplementary living spaces and home extensions. Pamodzi soon\r\n begins to construct and sell three bedroom houses in Soweto, on land bought from the Urban Foundation.\r\n
\r\n \r\n The company also locates a building society which can grant residential loans to potential clients. In\r\n partnership with a well-known construction company, Pamodzi ventures into petrol stations and helps to\r\n develop Soweto, Tshwane and sections of Ekurhuleni. School construction is another focus area for\r\n Pamodzi.\r\n The group receives a recognition award for the construction of Seana Marena Secondary School in\r\n Soweto.
\r\n \r\n \r\n A dawning democracy in the early 1990s presents new opportunities\r\n for\r\n South African businesses,\r\n particularly black entrepreneurs. Ntsele and Sithole take the opportunity to approach Nike International\r\n in 1993 with a plan to launch the global sportswear brand in southern Africa. Within three years, Nike\r\n South Africa secures its brand dominance on the continent. In 1995, Nike South Africa sponsors the\r\n victorious Springbok national team during that year’s Rugby World Cup, in a move which marked the\r\n country’s return to international sport. The Nike Care Trust, which develops sporting facilities in\r\n underprivileged communities, also builds Sebokeng’s iconic Chris Hani Sports Complex.\r\n In 1996, Ntsele\r\n and\r\n Sithole, together with a group of professionals set up Pamodzi Investment Holdings (PIH), which later\r\n becomes a serious player in the South African economy. A string of acquisitions soon follows: 20% of\r\n private hospital group Auckland Investments, South Africa’s largest fleet management solutions company,\r\n WesBank First Auto (25.1%), leading BMW dealership Auto Bavaria Motors (49%), JSE-listed IT company\r\n Digicore (25.1%), and 45% of Sodexho Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd. Additional investments include\r\n short-term\r\n insurance company Prestasi Brokers, now known as Indwe Risk following a merger with Thebe a leading\r\n sports\r\n marketing, sponsorship, hospitality and rights-acquisition business. Pamodzi Sports Marketing and\r\n Pamodzi\r\n Leisure Solutions which owns the five-star Tinga Game Park near the Kruger National Park. In 1998\r\n Pamodzi\r\n purchases 51% of food manufacturing, marketing and distribution company FoodCorp for R1.9 billion,\r\n giving\r\n it control of leading brands such as Yum Yum peanut butter, Ouma Rusks, Nola mayonnaise and Glenryck\r\n canned pilchards. This becomes the largest management buyout in South Africa.
\r\n \r\n \r\n In 2003, the company acquires 30% of world-class stockist,\r\n distributor\r\n and processor of stainless steel\r\n Kulungile Metals (Pty) Ltd, formerly known as Stalcor. The following year, FoodCorp raises the first\r\n high-yield Eurobond by a South African company – and the largest secondary buyout at the time. Pamodzi\r\n also buys 28% in Namitech Holdings that same year. In 2007, Pamodzi launches Africa’s biggest private\r\n equity initiative, the Pamodzi Resources Fund with US$1.3 billion from US investors. That same year,\r\n subsidiary Pamodzi Coal purchases a 26% stake in Anglo Coal, through the broad-based black economic\r\n empowerment consortium Inyosi. The resulting R7.4 billion company, Anglo Inyosi Coal, is a fully\r\n empowered\r\n South African company with a resource base of over four billion tons of coal. Today, Pamodzi is staying\r\n true to its history, and continuing to actively seek out new opportunities while introducing a new\r\n philosophy for business innovation.
\r\n \r\n