Collen Mashawana (born 2 September 1981) is a South African businessman, serial investor, and philanthropist. He is a skilled salesman who has worked for the big tech firm Microsoft and sold IT products, even construction items. After using his skill in sales to work for other companies for some years, he finally decided to start his own, Afribiz Invest Pty Ltd, which has turned out to be successful.
Through his company and investment ventures, he has been able to build large but anonymous net worth. Being a man who sees the need of the poor and less privileged around him, he spends his money on charity, as such, he owns a foundation through which he has been reaching out to people. But how did Collen Mashawana make his money?
Collen Mashawana was born in Limpopo, South Africa, into a family of three and comes from a humble background. His family only survived from his father’s tourism business and his grandmother’s petty trade. Despite being from a humble background, Collen was opportune to attend Tshikevha Christian School and matriculated in 2000. After high school, he had to leave Limpopo to Johannesburg in search of greener pastures. Before him, his elder brother had already moved to Johannesburg to seek a better life, so all Collen had to do was to move in with him. With the zeal of finding a better life, he did not waste any time to fix himself somewhere, as well as improve on his qualification as that was necessary for getting a good job. Today, we know Collen Mashawana to be someone who wears different career hats, but he did not start juggling different responsibilities when he became successful, it was an attribute that he developed during his journey to wealth and affluence. On getting to Johannesburg, he enrolled in a local college where he studied information technology. In order to fend for himself, he had to take up a job at a retail store as a packer, despite how stressful it can be to study and work at the same time. After staying in Johannesburg with his elder brother for some time, his brother moved to Lyndhurst and as a result, Collen had to figure out more ways of earning money, and that’s how he started a payphone and car wash business. All of Collen’s effort to make more money and improve his qualification since he got to Johannesburg proved fruitful and worth it when he landed a job at Microsoft South Africa, one of the biggest tech firms in the world, owned by the American billionaire, Bill Gates. This was a breakthrough job for Collen Mashawana, as it gave him a much-needed financial lift and also improved his resume as well. At Microsoft, he took up the position of a center agent and worked there for three years after which he moved to Dimensi Data Company where he got promoted in 2006 to work for the government as a divisional salesman. While working for other companies, the previous businesses he had opened were all still successful, and he went on to open two restaurants – one in his hometown and the other in Johannesburg. Upon becoming successful, he sold these businesses. After years of investing his skills as a salesman for the growth of other people’s companies, Collen Mashawana decided to start up his own company, called Afribiz, and being as talented as he is in business, his investment also flourished from the beginning. Collen now runs his business full time with his elder brother and 30 other partners, who invest time, effort, and finance into the success of the company. Today, Afribiz prides itself as a mother company to up to 7 other companies, which includes information technology start-ups and construction companies. According to reports, he started these companies from scratch and has grown them to their current stage. He hopes that Afribiz would be a mother company to at least 30 other companies through mergers and the purchase of smaller companies. He also hopes that his business will one day make it to South Africa’s Stock Exchange list. However, it has not been all rosy for the entrepreneur as his business has also faced downtimes, from which he has been able to recover. Though Mashawana’s net worth has not been revealed, from all his business ventures, you can tell that he is wealthy. On the 7th of June 2021, Collen Mashawana’s business partners, Themba Rikhotso and David Madisha were requested to present themselves before HAWK, South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), following the fraud and theft case that was charged against them by Mashawana. According to reports, Madisha, Rikhotso, and Mashawana were members of Mokgolokwane Civil CC that had an agreement with the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements (GDHS) to build 4000 houses in Palm Ridge. Mashawana requested that HAWK investigate the transfer of funds from Mokgolokwane Civil CC by Madisha and Rikhotso to people who did not contribute to the progress of the work in any way. Bank statements that served as evidence to prove his case was attached to the criminal complaint presented by Collen. Some of the recipients of these funds that Collen refers to as fraudulent include Seruwane Investments CC (this company received R3,000 in 17 payments), Ms. Raisibe Tshetshe Seoka, as well as Lyzanne and her son who happens to be Rikhotso’s wife and son respectively. Mashawana did not see any reason why Rikhotso’s wife and teenage son would receive as much as R2,264,000 in a few months. Efforts to find out more from Madisha were rebuffed. In his response, he said he can’t be intimidated by journalists and he does not entertain rubbish. Similar to how Madisha responded, Rikhotso also threatened legal action against the media for the report on the scandal. Mashawana is someone who is passionate about building communities and assisting the less advantaged and this passion led him to start up a foundation called Collen Mashawana Foundation. The aim of this foundation is to eradicate poverty by empowering the youths. Despite his busy schedule as a businessman, aside from investing his money and resources, he also invests his time in ensuring that the poor get a better life. He encourages other wealthy people in the society to do the same because he is of the belief that it is not the sole responsibility of the government to build the nation.
Collen Mashawana Moved To Johannesburg In 2000
He Had To Work And Attend School At The Same Time
One Of Collen’s Breakthrough Moments Was Getting A Job At Microsoft
Collen Mashawana Owns A Company Called Afribiz
Mashawana And His Partners Are Battling A Case of Financial Fraud
He Spends Big On Charity
