Travel and tourism are set to fuel Shell Ultra City Mthatha into further success as it celebrates its 20-year milestone.
Co-owner of Shell Ultra City Mthatha Pumelele Balfour said the business’s past success was down to staff and management’s firm commitment to customer service and a good marketing ethos, as well as its location. Balfour started the business with commercial lawyer Bongani Raziya in 1994.
According to Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA), businesses that service tourists near Mthatha are poised for growth, as internationally revered statesman Nelson Mandela’s burial site is set to attract tourists to the area.
This week, Shell Ultra City Mthatha celebrates its 20-year milestone, a period that has seen it branch into an expanded complex that includes a Steers restaurant and a Torrado coffee shop franchise, a three-star 24-room Travel Inn Hotel and a truck stop.
It also provides jobs to a total of 139 breadwinners, three of whom have been with the business since day one, while 17 employees have had up to 15 years of service, and four have been with the company for a decade.
“They are the core of what we are about here... We focus on making the transaction quick and easy and sell service with a smile. That is what keeps customers coming back,” said Balfour. “We thank our customers unreservedly for their long-standing support.”
Balfour, who graduated as a mechanical engineer from KwaZulu-Natal University in 1985, said Shell Ultra City Mthatha is often the first stop for people to pull over and freshen up when travelling between East London and KwaZulu-Natal.
ECPTA chairwoman Vuyo Zitumane said the business is poised for more success owing to its location.
“Growth in such facilities is good, particularly in the eastern side of the province. There is now Qunu where there is going to be a huge interest among international tourists because of Mandela’s burial site,” said Zitumane.
“The beauty of Shell Ultra City Mthatha and the Travel Inn is that they are black-owned, showing us that transformation is attainable and it encourages us to support businesses in those sectors.”
Secretary-general of OR Tambo Chamber of Business Andile Nontso said: “Their success shows that black businesspeople can make it in the formal sector. Their business serves customers from all races and we hope Shell will open its arms to other black entrepreneurs in our towns.”
Mthatha was the second Ultra City to be run by black retailers in the country. Balfour and his business partner and longtime friend Raziya were announced the winning operators after a stringent bidding process.
Raziya now lives in Cape Town and has business interests in the legal fraternity and other sectors. Balfour was previously the deputy group engineer for Transkei Road Transport Corporation and a plant and equipment manager for the Transkei Agricultural Corporation.
His experience in bid management and Raziya’s entrepreneurial flair were part of their formula for success, he said.
“ has never worked for anyone. He always had business in his veins. He constantly encouraged us to venture in there. In fact, he once owned a taxi transporting students while he was still a student himself.”
Balfour’s business interests include Ultra City Kei Bridge between Mthatha and East London. — siyam@dispatch.co.za / loyisom@dispatch.co.za
20-year milestone for business
Co-owner of Shell Ultra City Mthatha Pumelele Balfour said the business’s past success was down to staff and management’s firm commitment to customer service and a good marketing ethos, as well as its location. Balfour started the business with commercial lawyer Bongani Raziya in 1994.
According to Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA), businesses that service tourists near Mthatha are poised for growth, as internationally revered statesman Nelson Mandela’s burial site is set to attract tourists to the area.
This week, Shell Ultra City Mthatha celebrates its 20-year milestone, a period that has seen it branch into an expanded complex that includes a Steers restaurant and a Torrado coffee shop franchise, a three-star 24-room Travel Inn Hotel and a truck stop.
It also provides jobs to a total of 139 breadwinners, three of whom have been with the business since day one, while 17 employees have had up to 15 years of service, and four have been with the company for a decade.
“They are the core of what we are about here... We focus on making the transaction quick and easy and sell service with a smile. That is what keeps customers coming back,” said Balfour. “We thank our customers unreservedly for their long-standing support.”
Balfour, who graduated as a mechanical engineer from KwaZulu-Natal University in 1985, said Shell Ultra City Mthatha is often the first stop for people to pull over and freshen up when travelling between East London and KwaZulu-Natal.
ECPTA chairwoman Vuyo Zitumane said the business is poised for more success owing to its location.
“Growth in such facilities is good, particularly in the eastern side of the province. There is now Qunu where there is going to be a huge interest among international tourists because of Mandela’s burial site,” said Zitumane.
“The beauty of Shell Ultra City Mthatha and the Travel Inn is that they are black-owned, showing us that transformation is attainable and it encourages us to support businesses in those sectors.”
Secretary-general of OR Tambo Chamber of Business Andile Nontso said: “Their success shows that black businesspeople can make it in the formal sector. Their business serves customers from all races and we hope Shell will open its arms to other black entrepreneurs in our towns.”
Mthatha was the second Ultra City to be run by black retailers in the country. Balfour and his business partner and longtime friend Raziya were announced the winning operators after a stringent bidding process.
Raziya now lives in Cape Town and has business interests in the legal fraternity and other sectors. Balfour was previously the deputy group engineer for Transkei Road Transport Corporation and a plant and equipment manager for the Transkei Agricultural Corporation.
His experience in bid management and Raziya’s entrepreneurial flair were part of their formula for success, he said.
“ has never worked for anyone. He always had business in his veins. He constantly encouraged us to venture in there. In fact, he once owned a taxi transporting students while he was still a student himself.”
Balfour’s business interests include Ultra City Kei Bridge between Mthatha and East London. — siyam@dispatch.co.za / loyisom@dispatch.co.za
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