Minister Patel Pays Tribute to the Late Dr Ndlovu

I wish to convey my condolences to the family, friends, comrades and business partners of Dr Thandi Ndlovu, CEO of Matheo Construction, on the sad and untimely loss of an inspirational activist, businesswoman and pioneer.

Dr Thandi Ndlovu was one of a group of people invited to witness President Cyril Ramaphosa signing the Competition Amendment Act into law in February this year, at Tuynhuis in Cape Town, five days after the State of the Nation Address. She had followed the passage of the amendments through parliament and saw that the new law can address some of the challenges that small and medium businesses face, where markets are closed to them or onerous trading conditions hamstring their progress.

We worked closely with Dr Ndlovu as a partner company in the construction settlement agreement signed in 2017 that opened the way for greater levels of empowerment in the sector. She partnered with WBHO and helped to show how larger businesses and emerging businesses could work together.

She was committed to ensuring that the economy was opened to all South Africans; and built her company through hard work and business savvy. She partnered government in efforts to promote opportunities for young people and to build a strong talent pool of engineers, project managers, quantity surveyors, architects, town planners and artisans; and to increase the number of viable black-owned construction companies. I fondly recall her commitment to running a dynamic and commercially strong business and to building bridges between the private sector and government, and between different parts of the construction industry.

We will miss her easy smile, her dignity and the strong and formidable woman that she was. May her example inspire young woman and men.

Ebrahim Patel Minister of Trade and Industry


The late Dr Thandi Ndlovu, CEO of Matheo Construction with President Cyril Ramaphosa at the signing of the Competition Amendment Act in February this year

Enquiries:
Sidwell Medupe-Departmental Spokesperson
Tel: (012) 394 1650
Mobile: 079 492 1774
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
Issued by: The Department of Trade and Industry
Follow us on Twitter: @the_dti

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