Matlejoane – Paving an Easy Road Back to South Africa

10 years on, Adelaide Matlejoane has fulfilled her dream of a truly empowered recruitment business for South Africa.

“Being a woman in a male-dominated business world is not an easy way to get a business started,” says Adelaide Matlejoane, the dynamic founder and owner of Matlejoane Staffing Services.

However, for Adelaide, the dream to build a recruitment business that would offer excellence to corporate South Africa was one that she was determined to achieve..

“I saw the need to establish a true Black Empowered Recruitment Service provider that would be truly representative of the South African culture and of the opportunities available in the new South Africa,” says Matlejoane. “As a young Black South African woman, my greatest challenge was how I would use my skills and channel my energies to fulfil my dream of being a productive citizen of this beautiful country.”

Adelaide’s passion for people from all walks of life, coupled with her extensive recruitment knowledge makes a powerful combination. With the firm belief that the service sector would be a key driver for the South African economy into the 21st Century, she decided to open her own staffing recruitment company and the idea of Matlejoane Staffing Services was born.

Determined to make her own contribution towards the development of her newly democratic country’s economy, Adelaide launched Matlejoane Staffing Services in 1997. Starting with only two staff members, Matlejoane Staffing Services is today celebrating 10 years of business and boasts 51 permanent staff members. On any given day, the company has over 1,000 temporary or flexible workers placed with different key clients.

Building the Brand of Excellence

}As with any business, Matlejoane has had its share of challenges along the way. Nevertheless, throughout the last decade, Adelaide and her team have stayed focused on their vision to be a leading staffing solutions provider by offering consistent service excellence and by keeping their roots firmly embedded in their community.

January 2002 saw the dawn of a new era with the opening of branches in Cape Town, Durban and Bloemfontein. Moving from being a pure staffing supplier to a holistic Human Resources solution provider offered further opportunity for growth and, in October 2003, the company opened an office in Pretoria.

Matlejoane Staffing Services has built partnerships with several blue chip companies in South Africa and strives to place competent and highly skilled applicants across many business sectors. The company recruits across I.T., retail, construction and engineering, finance and banking, telecommunications and is a leading provider for the country’s rapidly expanding call centre sector.

Adelaide Matlejoane and her team have seen their success recognized by both their peers in the recruitment industry and the corporate sector. The company has received numerous accolades including the Contact in Gauteng HR Service Provider of the Year Award (2006) as well as the Fidentia Top Gender Empowered Company of the Year Award (2006). The organization was also a finalist in the 2006 Career Junction Recruiter of the Year Award as well as the South African Contact Centre Community HR Service Provider of the Year Award. An award of particular significance to the organization was the one received from ‘Impumelelo’, when the company was voted as one of the Top 300 Empowerment Companies in South Africa in 2001 and again in 2004. Matlejoane is equally committed to the professional development of its own staff members and has achieved the internationally recognized ‘Investors in People’ accreditation.

Opportunities for Returning South Africans

Kevin D’Allende, Matlejoane’s Managing Director, sees many opportunities for South Africans to return home.

“Many South Africans, prior to the advent of our democracy, left South Africa to seek greener pastures abroad,” he says. “Matlejoane Staffing Services would like to extend a warm invitation to these individuals to consider making a positive contribution to the economic development, of not only South Africa, but of Africa as a whole. To this extent, we invite skilled candidates to contact us so that we can start the process of getting skilled candidates back on the road to South Africa!”

There are opportunities for skilled professionals across the country, says D’Allende. “Since we have a national footprint, we are in a position to offer gainful employment to candidates in any region of their choice. Whether you prefer the hustle and bustle of Jozi, the warm waters of Durbs, the peace and quiet of Bloem or the beautiful scenery and winelands of the Cape; what I would say to South Africans outside the country is that we are in a position to make your walk on the road back to South Africa an easy one – and we’re waiting to hear from you!”

Now located nationwide, Matlejoane Staffing Services has branches in South Africa’s major metropolitan areas and candidates and clients can contact Matlejoane in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth. For further information about opportunities in South Africa, contact Matlejoane on www.matlejoane.co.za