Inside MySol’s rise from humble beginnings to becoming a mining magnate

North West businessman Solomon “MySol” Madibela has opened up about his journey from humble beginnings to becoming a successful mining magnate.

Known for his lavish lifestyle and extensive luxury car collection, including Mercedes-Benzes and Rolls-Royces, Madibela explained that life had not always been easy.

In a recent episode of Podcast and Chill with MacG, Madibela revealed that he had been introduced to the mining industry directly after matric, when his parents could not afford to send him to university. He started working at a local mine as a site clerk, studying on the side while working his way up the ranks.

While working for 15 years in the mining sector, Madibela said he always envisioned owning his own business, having seen first-hand the high profitability in the industry.

“People think I’m just a guy who got businesses through connections ... no. I worked 15 years before starting a business,” Madibela said. “The companies I’m competing with today are companies I’ve worked for and some are now subcontractors in my business.”

Before achieving success, Madibela lived in a hostel. However, those harsh conditions did not discourage him from pursuing his dreams. “My bed used to be next to my two-plate stove and my washing basin while I was still learning about mining. I know mining in and out. I started from the bottom. I used to be the guy who puts diesel in trucks and then does the records.

“In that role, by 10am your job is done, and I would have all this free time before knocking off. So I asked myself: what more can I learn from this industry? When the guys were plastering, I would go and help them, and I got interested. The site manager saw potential in me. From plastering, I moved on to explosive engineering, acquiring all my certificates and qualifications.”

After gaining the necessary skills and qualifications, he launched his own enterprise, MySol Holdings and Logistics.

While he declined to disclose exact figures regarding his earnings, Madibela noted that his company fell under the SA Revenue Service Large Business and International division.

Consequently, Madibela emphasised that this high level of oversight prevented him from being careless in his business dealings.

However, he claimed that his flashy lifestyle had made him a frequent target for audits. In the past year alone, he had been audited three times and was expecting another audit this month.

“They monitor everything. I get audited a lot because Sars looks at the lifestyle. It got to the point where I complained to the Sars commissioner because they were abusing it now.

“The Sars system is used against black people. You’re not supposed to make it. It even got to a point where I was investigated for illegal mining.”

Emphasising that he had nothing to hide, Madibela firmly maintains that his business is entirely legitimate.