Member Feature
Teleni Shabangu - Rihlazana Auctions
One thing we as South Africans know very well is the struggle to find a job. Many of us are faced with unemployment for a myriad of reasons. However, we at SAIA definitely gained when the education sector lost out. We chatted to Teleni Shabangu, teacher by profession and founder of Rihlazana Auctions.
When Teleni struggled to find a post as a teacher, she took on a job as a receptionist for Tirhani Auctioneers. Here she was greatly inspired and mentored by Dr Tirhani Mabunda and realised, after 9 years in the industry, that she had a passion for Auctioneering.
She has since been in the industry for 21 years, and started her own company, Rihlazana Auctions in 2010. At the time, it was one of the few female black owned auction houses in the country – a huge accomplishment on its own. When asked about her journey in starting her own company, she said: “it is very difficult to swim with sharks without being eaten alive.”.
Her company, which operates on a national scale, specialises in vehicles, furniture, livestock, property and earth moving.
Teleni shares some of the challenges she has faced, including getting work from the municipality and Government departments where auctioneers have to pay a guarantee of anywhere between R1 million to R10 million.
However, her favourite part of being an auctioneer is the bid calling, especially during livestock auctions. A big accomplishment the company has achieved is that they are selling more earthmoving equipment than before.
Teleni plans to expand the business, especially getting more involved in the online scene. She stated that they would love to “do more online auctions than live, if the clients will be interested.”
We wish Teleni and Rihlazana Auctions all the best and look forward to seeing their online auctions pick up soon.
Rihlazana Auctions
https://www.auctioneering.co.za/auctioneer/rihlazana_auctions_gauteng-3982/
https://www.rihlazanaauctions.co.za/
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 012 323 0667
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