Impact Partner Content - Absa
In South Africa, the need to help developers to run projects that are sustainable, whilst at the same time protecting the environment, is key. Myezo Environmental Management Services (Pty) Ltd, founded by entrepreneur Babalwa Fatyi, advises developers on how to remain profitable and respect the socio-economic environment in which they operate. The company provides a range of specialist environmental advisory services to developers across a variety of sectors.
Myezo Environmental Management Services (Pty) Ltd is one of the 117 businesses from across South Africa currently being showcased at the Absa Lionesses Xpo. Founder Babalwa Fatyi shares her entrepreneurial journey to date and her global project aspirations for the business going forward.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Babalwa Fatyi and I am a Doctor, (honoris causa), a founder and Director of Myezo Environmental Management Services (Pty) Ltd which was established in 2005. Myezo is an advisory services firm which provides solutions for the entire sustainable development value chain from authorizations, to monitoring, for projects across various sectors, specializing in the mining sector. I am an international registered auditor, with Master of Science (Cum Laude) from University of the Witwatersrand. I am spear-heading industry succession planning and unlocking human capital value through mentoring, through a non-profit organisation. I am also an author of poetry books which promote sustainable means of unlocking the natural resource capital.
What does your company do?
At Myezo Environmental Management Services (Pty) Ltd, we provide environmental advisory services to developers across a variety of sectors. We help developers to run developments that are sustainable which protect the environment while still profitable and are respecting the socio-economic environment on which they operate, thus earning a social licence to operate. We utilise a multitude of integrated environmental management tools to solve the challenges developers are facing at that point in time and these tools include environmental impact assessments in support of various authorisation the developers seek to obtain from various regulatory authorities, waste management plans for safe handling and disposal of waste within the regulatory framework, environmental audits to support with compliance requirements to sustain the licences, rehabilitation and closure plans to manage liabilities associated with provide proper financial reserves for closure and keeping stable and non-polluting structures to shield the company from liability claims.
We provide value added services for both land and sea based operations as outlined below.
Environmental impact assessments for land and sea mining operations
Environmental management programme reports including development/implementation of environmental management plans
Integrated Safety, Health and Environmental, Quality and Risk Management Systems
Integrated Water and waste management plans including Waste and Water Use Licences
Communication and socio-economic development plans as social facilitation
Public involvement (liaisons with stakeholders and regulatory authorities),Environmental workshops
Monitoring and compliance in the form of environmental auditing
Rehabilitation management plansCoastal management plans and support services for unlocking of the marine economy
What inspired you to start your company?
We were inspired to start the company out of a vision to see a world where we are all stewards of the natural resources that we have been entrusted with, while promoting sustainable economic growth that provides opportunities and platforms for prosperity for all. Hence we had decided to avail Myezo as a platform to capacitate the next future leaders in the field of green economy. We would like to contribute towards the realisation of an economy that thrives through the application of principles of respect for the environment, protection of natural ecological resources and co-existence with the communities.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
We care for our clients and create return business when people are partners in creating a world that they want. We provide tailor-made solutions to our clients based on proper diagnosis of the business challenges. We take responsibility for our advice and are accountable for the solutions we provide. We listen so that we can provide a reliable diagnosis to our client challenges. Our unique success proposition is that we :
Provide peace of mind through mutual win-win implementable environmental solutions.
Openly engage, empower and facilitate stakeholder engagements designed to achieve integrated environmental solutions and transparent governance.
Produce good quality reports/products with jointly tested and assessed alternative solutions that not only comply with your project regulatory requirements but are tailored to promote easy implementation, monitoring and continuous improvement.
Offer environmental solutions which optimise environmental resource use and promote your environmental stewardship.
We guarantee 100% legal compliance.
We also offer a service guarantee.
We guarantee delivery by mutually agreed project phases.
Guaranteed delivery on mutually agreed target timelines provided all stakeholders deliver at specified time periods or 1% discount on the overall cost of each project phase that we do not deliver at agreed time frame.
Our clients will make a difference in their bottom line by avoiding unnecessary
environmental authorisation delays and excessive costs.They get the benefit of complying with regulatory requirements.
Our clients get control of their business by integrating implementation and monitoring of your environmental solutions into your existing business systems.
You will continuously improve on your environmental performance and be an
admired environmental steward.
Tell us a little about your team
Myezo has a pool of associates to act as support structures for individual projects. Myezo has built relationships with specialists from across a variety of field e.g. ground water. We are able to manage and coordinate a suite of specialists as part of the contribution to the impact assessment evaluations, as well as in determination of management measures for particular projects.
We have a diverse team of registered and accredited experts from hydrologists who provide input into the water aspects of development projects, environmental assessment practitioners, environmental control practitioners. Auditors, Compliance and monitoring specialists, biodiversity experts, ait quality specialists, archaeologists and palaeontologists.
These team members are either full time employees, free-lancers, or sub-contracted independent specialists who will service a project depending on the legal prescriptions for the input that is required or operational project models.
We are affiliated and registered as below.
Affiliations:
International Association of Impact Assessments – SA African affiliate
Professional Registrations:
Registered in terms of Article 11 of Natural Scientific Professions Act, 1993 (Act 106 of 1993). Professional title: Pr.Sci.Nat
Environmental Auditors: Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA), Lincoln, UK
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I became an entrepreneur out of a desire to make a difference and create sustainable wealth. It was just something ingrained within me. I just mapped my life like that. I knew I wanted to study to equip myself with skills, then I would find employment to gain experience on how knowledge is applied in solving problems. I then planned that I would establish my own business and add value in solving problems while creating jobs and giving others a platform to gain experience and also be able to serve the world better.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
To be involved in cross border trade and conduct international projects so that we can influence the manner in which developments are conducted world-wide. I see the business being a home for experts in the science and engineering field from all over Africa and the world. We have adopted to new ways of operating and will leverage infrastructure to have inputs from a wide diverse team of experts all over the world. I see the business being actively involved in succession planning and injecting trained professionals into the field so that our sector can continue being relevant and a strong pillar of sustainable economic growth. We need to be pioneers in climate change solutions. This is a home where even elders will come to offer their skills so that we do not lose the information base and maintain continual improvement as we transfer skills from the oldest to the youngest generation.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
To be able to make a difference in other's lives as they design their businesses and see the solutions we provide being implemented, and as such being a part of building sustainable thriving economies. I like to have input into the thought processes and lead strategy development and monitor its execution while hunting for more areas to add value.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Know who you are and your purpose. Understand the problem you are trying to solve that is a sore point for your community, nation or the world. Know they will need your solution and how much will they be prepared to get it and as such pay for it. Design a vision that will stand the test of time and will remain even through turbulent times. Equip yourself with the skills you will require and know the human capital and other resources you will need. Never underestimate the value of building healthy networks and collaborations. Seek to view others a potential collaborators rather than competitors and join hands to solve the problems when opportunities exist. Be wise, Be resilient, Take care of your health. No health - no wealth.
To find out more about the work of Myezo Environmental Management Services (Pty) Ltd, contact Babalwa Fatyi via email babalwa@myezo.co.za or visit the company’s official website http://www.myezo.co.za and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MyezoEnv/
