Mpho Marishane- The Gift that Keeps Giving
Staff Writer
It’s not Mpho Marishane’s defiance of his underprivileged background that most impressed us. It is not his zeal to make a success of himself against all odds that makes him exceptional. Indeed we have read and heard of many who have cleaved their way out of poverty and onto the top of the world a great many times already. What makes Mpho Marishane different, and his story one you should pay special attention to, is that he never once lost a sense of who he is. Mpho Marishane’s amazing work ethic, his humility and unassuming presence and his generous resolve to empower other black businesses, is who he is and who he has always been!
Born and raised in Mamelodi Township, Pretoria, Marishane imagined himself 
one day charting unimagined territories in the world of engineering and design. He even tried his hand at mock engineering and design and won a school competition, impressing to the judges that he was no ordinary high school learner. As circumstances would have it, Marishane could not get into university and opted instead, like so many black South African school leavers, to look for a job.
Determination, being the door-kicker that it is brought Marishane to the IT Industry through a learnership program. After successfully acquiring A+ & N+ Qualifications, he found himself on the door step of Softline Pastel Accounting. He served the company in (as he puts it) literally every area of the business and still being passed over for promotions, mentoring and honing for management, Marishane approached his employer for an opportunity to offer a personal service to their clients, something they had not had the foresight to offer.
And so M Power IT Solutions was born. This proudly South African, wholly black and youth owned business provides a bouquet of accounting and record keeping services to Softline Pastel clients as well as sources services and products required by small and growing businesses. Part of Marishane’s vision is to use M Power IT as a catalyst into unchartered waters since black entrepreneurs are viewed and reported by national and international researchers on small business development as less innovative and more cautious risk takers than other SB entrepreneurs worldwide.
A doting father of three. He is an adoring and committed partner to his fiancé. Marishane shares a few lessons with his life story: his earlier mistakes make him a stronger, more focused person today. He enjoys a rich human experience and is free to chase after his dreams and aspirations, even though his spring board into this wonderful life was hardship and challenges. Mpho Marishane’s story is testimony of a teaching of Dr Martin Luther King Jnr when he said, “Not everyone can be famous but every person can be great because greatness is in being of service to others”
Congratulations Mpho Marishane, our deserving GMC Entrepreneur of the Month- February 2014!!!!
© Grace Mashabela Consulting PTY (Ltd), March 2014
