Sereme Joel Malatji: On the road to making Methano Group the leading EPCM firm in Africa

Apr 18, 2024 9:40:53 AM

"The ethos of trust and authenticity is clear when Sereme reflects on winning the Top Empowerment Business Leader of the Year, choosing to acknowledge what it has meant for the people around him rather than himself."

By Fiona Wakelin & Koketso Mamabolo

The successes of transformation, and the hopes of those who cast their ballots 30 years ago, have materialised in many ways. In the world of business, brilliant and visionary black leaders represent the aspirations and the realisation of a dream where everyone can pursue the economic opportunities of post-1994 South Africa, finding their niche and taking others with them as they rise to the top. One such leader is Sereme Joel Malatji, the CEO of the thriving Methano Group and the 2023 Top Empowered Business Leader of the Year.

Whether it’s engaging with employees, communities or clients, trust and authenticity are two central tenets to Sereme’s leadership philosophy. A results-driven leader, Sereme prefers to assume the best in people - that they will deliver on their promises. Besides how empowering this can be for employees, it also allows him to not have to be everywhere, which means he can focus on the bigger picture without having to worry about whether or not everyone is playing their role.

“I let them operate on their own and deliver the results,” says Sereme.

This sincere optimism shines on more than just the 108 people who have helped make Methano Group so successful. Sereme sees the possibilities and speaks with confidence when he explains why the realisation of the country’s new dream is possible. This is a dream where unemployment is low. A dream where even more people can be like Sereme, running their own Methano Group, which offers Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) solutions for various industries.

“I believe that the eradication of unemployment is highly possible, we just need to make sure that we get everybody to work together and drive the vision,” explains Sereme. This is a vision of South Africa which has overcome its challenges. A country free of crime and poverty. This will require a great deal of socio-economic development with entrepreneurs playing their part. Sereme believes the picture has changed for entrepreneurs. Starting your own business, however big or small, is more of an option than it used to be.

“I think we are at the right level right now, the momentum is good. We just need to really believe in ourselves. We need to drive the action and not get convinced that we can’t do what China did. I think we need to have strong faith in ourselves and just do it. It’s really feasible,” he says. He’s reflecting on how economic development can lift millions of people out of poverty if it’s done right, and lessons are learnt from those who’ve done it before.

Innovating for a competitive advantage

The ethos of trust and authenticity is clear when Sereme reflects on winning the Top Empowerment Business Leader of the Year, choosing to acknowledge what it has meant for the people around him rather than himself.

“This has actually been a very exciting moment for us as a team, the whole company, the community that we work in, everybody who is associated with us in the journey; we are really humbled by the achievement.”

Winning the award has also imbued an increased energy into Methano Group and given them the feeling that their hard work is worth it. While their work also covers the renewable energy and water industries, the company mainly focuses on developing solutions for the mining sector.

“We develop the infrastructure that actually enables mining operations to do the production, and that is in the form of the infrastructure, like conveyor belts - we’ve got a professional that actually develops those conveyor belts,” explains Sereme.

“We help in building plants, project management, in doing feasibility studies to get insight into whether the project is worth investing in. In order to do that you require a diverse group of multidisciplinary professionals, and we’ve got that in-house, as part of our resources. We package products within those varying inputs, in terms of diverse professionals, and we package it in the form of a solution to our client.”

READ THE FULL COVER STORY IN THE 23RD EDITION OF TOP EMPOWERMENT