Sydney Seale's story

Sydney Seale wanted a job. One that would pay him enough to give his two children a good life. And little did he know that approaching Operations Director René Swart at St Stithians College would set him on an entrepreneurial journey.

Sydney was born and raised in Tzaneen, in Limpopo. His parents had instilled the value of education in their children, and he achieved an exemption in Matric. This is particularly impressive as Sydney’s father, with whom he had a very close relationship, passed away a month before the final exams.

He had wanted to continue studying at university to gain qualifications in IT, but that was now out of the question and Sydney helped support his mother and siblings by taking any work he could find. In 2006 he joined a recycling company as a sorter, and although he didn’t enjoy "messing around in smelly rubbish", he felt that at least he was earning a salary.

In 2008 he moved to Johannesburg, and again joined a recycling company as a sorter. His potential was recognised, and the following year he was promoted to supervisor.  One of the company’s clients was St Stithians College, where successful waste management methods were receiving a lot of attention.

Sydney really enjoyed the work ethic insisted upon by René Swart and approached her to ask for employment at the school itself.

René had recognised Sydney’s potential, and as the recycling company for which he was working was at the end of its contract, she took a chance and offered Sydney the opportunity to bid for the contract. She assisted him to put together a proposal, which was accepted.

René remembers his excitement. "There was something about this well-spoken, humble young man that instilled confidence. The timing was so opportune also, it was almost as if it was meant to be!"

Sydney had taken the first step to his dream of owning his own company, and René’s confidence in him has not been misplaced.

It hasn’t been an easy road for him, however, and there are still many hurdles. Many of these are around the very nature of the industry, which is full of "fly-by-night" organisations with low standards.

"The problem with waste management is the skips", explains Sydney. "Unless these are emptied regularly – which means they have to be collected often – they begin to smell really bad and surrounding communities start complaining. The area around the skip also has to be kept immaculately clean. There are certain standards to be upheld."

Sydney keeps these high standards at Saints, employing a team of sorters to fill the bags for collection and keep the waste management area as spotless as possible – although this provides problems on windy days.

The main problem faced by Sydney is that he has to rely on waste management companies to collect the bags and take away the skips. He has found these companies to be unreliable, with late collections being the norm. "They also tend to leave a huge mess after them, which we have to then clean up."

To develop his small business, Sydney needs a large bakkie. With this, he can keep Saints’ waste management area free of rubbish as he can transport the rubbish himself. The skips will therefore be clean.

René has assisted him by sending his details to other schools, hoping he can get work from them also.

However, what would really help him is a sponsor. Sydney is determined to employ others and show everyone that a waste management company is capable of building and maintaining high standards.

Our country’s financial future rests on entrepreneurs, and we owe it to those like Sydney whose energy, commitment and strong work ethic should be rewarded with our support.

To assist in this venture, please contact Sydney Seale on 083 254 6210 or René Swart at 011 577 6380 or RSwart@stithian.com