In Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, where opportunities are often scarce and dreams easily deferred, one man decided to write a different story for himself.
For Senzeni Dladla, founder of INFOMedia, entrepreneurship isn’t about chasing fame or fast money. It’s about creating something that lasts for his children, his community, and every small business owner who ever doubted their own potential.
“I wake up each morning driven by one word – legacy,” he says softly. “I want to build something my children can be proud of, something that opens doors for others after me.”
Senzeni’s love for media started long before INFOMedia was even an idea. Growing up without a television, his window to the world was the Daily Sun his father brought home each day. After reading it cover to cover, young Senzeni dreamed of one day writing stories that mattered.
That dream came true when he became a journalist for his local community paper. But his time there also opened his eyes to a bigger problem – the gap between small township businesses and the media. “I saw how many entrepreneurs believed marketing was too expensive or out of reach,” he recalls. “But I knew that with strategy, it didn’t have to be.”
That realisation planted the seed for INFOMedia, registered in 2017 and officially launched two years later after Senzeni attended a youth entrepreneurship workshop that gave him the confidence and the business basics to finally start. He has also won many awards for his passion and work ethic.
Like many first-generation entrepreneurs, Senzeni built his business through trial and error. “I didn’t have anyone in my circle who’d run a successful business,” he admits. “So every step, from accounting to client management, was something I had to learn the hard way.”
Those lessons paid off. With guidance from mentors and entrepreneurship programmes, he turned a one-man PR hustle into a full-service brand-development agency offering digital marketing, web design, printing, signage, and packaging.
Support from development partners also allowed INFOMedia to buy its own production equipment, creating jobs and keeping more value in-house. Today, the company employs seven people, proving that small-town agencies can deliver big-city results.
Every entrepreneur has a defining setback. For Senzeni, it was a costly venture into billboard advertising. “We lost a lot of money,” he says. “There was theft, and we couldn’t secure enough clients to make it work.”
It took months of sleepless nights before he accepted the hard truth: sometimes letting go is growth. “That failure taught me focus,” he reflects. “Now we only pursue opportunities that align with our long-term vision.”
That clarity positioned INFOMedia perfectly when COVID-19 pushed businesses online. With South Africa’s internet penetration rising to nearly 79% in 2025, demand for digital marketing has exploded and Senzeni’s team now works with South African and international brands.
Though INFOMedia serves clients as far as Cape Town, its greatest impact is felt right at home. In his office, young dreamers often drop by with questions, ideas, or business concepts scribbled on notepads. “They come because they know we’ll listen,” he says. “Even if they can’t afford our services, we help them figure out where to start.”
It’s an informal form of mentorship, one that quietly multiplies opportunity. In a province where nearly one-fifth of jobs come from the informal economy, that kind of local guidance can be life-changing.
His team, too, reflects that mission. Most of INFOMedia’s seven employees are young people from nearby communities, learning digital and design skills that prepare them for the future. “We’re not just building brands,” Senzeni says with a smile. “We’re building people.”
Ask him what success looks like, and his answer is simple: freedom. “When my daughter has a birthday, I don’t need to apply for leave,” he laughs. “That’s a kind of wealth you can’t measure in rands.”
Entrepreneurship has given him more than financial stability, it’s given him choice. Coming from humble beginnings, where his mother sold sweets and vetkoek to make ends meet, Senzeni sees his business as a continuation of her resilience.
“Growing up, I used to hate selling,” he admits. “Now I realise it taught me everything I know about people and perseverance.”
That blend of grit, humility, and purpose is what drives INFOMedia today. Whether he’s helping a construction firm refine its online image or a fashion label attract customers, Senzeni’s mission remains the same: to help brands tell stories that sell.
“Entrepreneurship is not about competing with others,” he says. “It’s about becoming who you were meant to be and taking others with you.”
Infomedia is a participant business on the SABF Tholoana Enterprise Programme run in partnership with Fetola.
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About the Author
Terrena Rathanlall is the SME Portfolio Manager at Fetola.
