Exactly 30 years ago, Shell SA took a huge bet on two bright, hungry young locals, affording the best friends an opportunity to become retailers and businessmen in their own right, and the landmark Mthatha Ultra City was born.
"This was unheard of back then, around the dawn of democracy," said co-owner Pumelele Balfour who, with long-time buddy and partner Bongani Raziya, has been overseeing a string of events celebrating the big birthday with his loyal clients and rewarding workers who have been with them since day one in November 1994.
"Fear of failure galvanised us to ensure Mthatha maintained Johannesburg Ultra City standards or better."
Balfour said despite all that was said about Mthatha, the site was one of the busiest in the province and among the top 10 performers in the franchise.
"Our team has won various accolades,” he said, adding the fuel and refreshment complex had become embedded in the social fabric of the city.
"Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine it would become so much more than a fuel stop,” said Balfour. "It is a place the people have embraced as their own."
However, he confirmed they had been a victim of fake news, with social media platforms claims that they were paying R300,000 a month to extortionists.
“No such request was ever made,” Balfour declared.
He thanked Mthatha for its love and support, and listed some of the ways Ultra City showed they were a part of the community.
“Every year, we support 25 children with tuition fees, uniforms, and school outings at Khanyisa High School. This amounts to R600,000 per year. We also support St’s Johns College,” he said.
Among the protegees the firm has mentored is medical doctor Cela Ndzungu of Payne village.
“He started as a cashier and, with the assistance of Tyelovuyo Buhlungu of Tyeks Security Services, we pushed him until he finished his medical studies and now is doing community service.
"We have also helped produce lawyers, teachers, and government officials who began as petrol attendants."
Ultra City Mthatha has 216 employees, 65 of whom have been with the company for between five and 30 years.
“We have pumped over 400 million liters, and empowers — directly and indirectly — at least 1,000 people,” Balfour said.
Eastern Cape Chamber of Business secretary Dr Andile Nontso said Ultra City Mthatha’s story was about backing excellence and resilience with a view to improving Mthatha.
“There is an environment that has been created by people like Pumelele Balfour and Bongani Raziya in the three decades they have been trading here.
"They are people who have invested their lives in Mthatha.
"We are trading here and we are not going anywhere.
"Yes, the city has problems, and they need for all of us to unite and become part of the solutions not the problems," said Nontso.
He said mischief-makers who posted old crime news and spread other bad stories about Mthatha on social media were unnecessarily harming the city, chasing away tourists and repelling investors.
ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi called upon people to mobilise and unite against crime in Mthatha and restore the city to its former glory.
“Private security companies need to work with municipal law enforcement and SAPS to uproot crime. We are happy that the recent spree of extortion crimes appears to have died out," he noted.
"Mthatha constitutes the core of the eastern half of the province, and the capital of investments in it.
"Ultra City is a beacon of hope — a good story proving how much talent there is at home, and what a good idea it is to invest here.
"The people of Mthatha want it to be a crime-free, conducive environment for a thriving economy, with diverse job opportunities, safe places to stay and firms doing good business,” Ngcukayitobi said.
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