Young Businessman Is Inspired By His Trajectory to Start Successful Business

Bonga Masoka, a man close to thirty years old, told Briefly.co.za how he got to be the prosperous owner of a paint company. He was raised in the North West in a community named Madinyane, outside of Brits, a little town 24 km from Hartbeesport Dam.

“I was raised by a single mother who lived on the side of the road in Johannesburg and sold food and used clothing to make ends meet. My grandma lived with me or raised me in part till she passed away when I was seven years old. Given how close I was to her, I don’t remember much about how her death affected me emotionally,” he remarked.

The business specialises in the production, distribution, and use of premium coatings for infrastructure and architecture.

Masoka established the company in 2017 following 15 years of continuous research and development into a set of thoroughly researched and developed paint formulations. The goal was to strike the ideal balance between affordability, exceptional finish quality, sustainability (friendliness to the environment), durability, and quality.

Masoka, who grew up without a house of his own and made a commitment to construct his mother one shortly before she went away in 2012, saw the acquisition of the formulations as a chance to fulfil that promise.

The company’s tagline, “painting houses into homes and colour in people’s lives,” comes from his statement that he saw it as an opportunity to utilise paint and colour to give others a sense of a home. We all deserve a luxurious place to live, after all.

He gathered a group of young women known as Women of Colour to co-own the business with him and take the lead in leading and managing the business, including in Product Development (manufacturing), Distribution (retail), and Services (application).

Inspired by the proverb “men build houses and women build homes,” he did this.

He gathered together women who realised that, like all of them, every house or building had a story to tell, and that colour is a tool that can be used to enhance or bring forth light in those stories.

Masoka received instruction in graphic design and painting from Central Johannesburg College (FET college) in 2006, and he went on to the University of Cape Town to complete his undergraduate studies in public policy and politics.

He began pursuing an entrepreneurial career in his first year of college, starting and leading a social venture in the early childhood development sector.

He said he returned to Johannesburg after earning his degree in 2014, working for a family company in agri-tech, green energy, and environmental (repair of mined land) before founding his paint making company.

Splash’s journey has been similar to that of any other start-up focused on growth. Selling to individuals and businesses with larger projects was the next step after selling one bucket of paint and painting four-room and RDP-sized dwellings.

Editor’s note: Businessman Bonga Masoka founded the company in 2017 after 15 years of nonstop research and development that resulted in a number of carefully considered and produced paint compositions. Finding the perfect mix between price, outstanding finish quality, sustainability (environmentally friendly), durability, and quality was the aim.

Description: His business, Splash Coatings Africa, specialises in the production, distribution, and use of premium coatings for infrastructure and architecture.

Editor: Thato Mahlangu

Project manager: Do4SA