The healthcare system of South Africa is rapidly emerging and has ranked 49th out of the 89 countries in the Global Healthcare Index 2024. There has been an emergence of many private organizations offering advanced services in emergency healthcare and critical care. However, typical challenges still cause patients to face problems during the crucial period or the golden hours. Simphiwe Mamvura, Managing Director, Maponya 911 understood this constraint and created a system where paramedics can stabilize patient conditions within the critical period and safely transport them to the nearby medical facility. She is responsible for the growth, innovation, and effective and efficient day-to-day running of the organization and currently oversees the entire business. Global Women Leader magazine engaged in a conversation with her to understand more about the company’s services and how it is adding value to the South African healthcare sector.

Give us a glimpse of your 15-year-long professional journey across industries. Tell us about the most crucial junctures throughout this journey.

I started my career at Toyota South Africa as a Graduate management trainee and stayed there for close to 2 years. I then joined Maponya 911 in 2010. I am the Managing Director of Maponya 911 Rescue, an Emergency Medical Service Company, operating nationally. I am responsible for the effective and efficient day-to-day running of the organization and currently oversee the entire business. I joined Maponya 911 in 2010 as an Accounts and HR Manager, and through my perseverance and hard work got promoted to Business Development Manager in 2011 and later General Manager. At the time of joining Maponya 911, the company was relatively small with 45 employees and 6 branches. I diligently oversaw and led the company’s growth and expansion plan which proved to be successful. This remains the highlight of my career. Under my guidance and leadership, the company grew to over 200 employees and 25 branches nationwide. We are in the top 5 of the largest ambulance services in South Africa.

Introduce us to Maponya 911. Tell us about the underlying idea behind the venture and its key areas of expertise.

Maponya 911 was established in 2005 and became operational in 2008 to fill a need for a variety of medical-related services. Our service started predominantly in Soweto and remote and rural areas where there was a serious need for ambulance transportation due to the lack of ambulance services in those areas during those times. Maponya 911 was the first service to operate in Soweto and surrounding areas due to the need. Most of the time patients would use their private vehicles to hospital, and those that were even fortunate to have vehicles. The rest of the community only had Government EMS service to rely on. We noticed the huge gap and need for an ambulance service to assist in those areas and henceforth opened a private emergency service.

"Maponya 911 Is Currently The Largest Black-Owned Emergency Medical Service In South Africa"

The medical field, however, chose me, as my background is actually in commerce. Maponya 911 was initially a family business, founded by Thomas Maponya, who approached me to join the company in 2010. I decided to grab the opportunity, and I’ve never looked back. Maponya 911 is currently the largest black-owned emergency medical service in South Africa. We have a strong footprint throughout 8 of the 9 Provinces in South Africa and some of the services we offer include Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the provision of ambulance services which is our core business, Occupational Health Consultancy, Medical Stand-by for Events, Consumables and Medical Equipment Supply, First Aid Training, Project Management, and Policy Development.

A business leader’s journey is replete with challenges. Throw some light on the major challenges you encounter in your current role. How do you overcome the said roadblocks?

Being in the medical industry without a medical qualification certainly put me on the back foot in the beginning. I have got four degrees in commerce and business management, so in terms of the medical and healthcare industry, I had to work extra hard to understand the dynamics of the industry and earn my credibility both in the medical and healthcare industry, as well as, as a leader and in business overall. I had to empower myself with more knowledge of the different acts, the ins and outs of the industry, and even some medical jargon. One thing I have never struggled with is self-belief and the strength of my capabilities but the best thing that I did for myself when I entered the industry was empowering myself with more knowledge.

Summarily, I have never feared anything and taken on most of the challenges head-on. I simply deal with them head-on. If I need to, I will take a short break just to recoup and then deal with it head-on. This has made me a better leader. I thrive on dealing with any issues, pressures, or challenges. I find that you always learn so much in situations like that. I just do what needs to be done and get on with it. I am also very critical of myself. I do a self-audit and personal reflective overview often. This helps me establish my areas of improvement and development both as a leader and in the business.

Simphiwe Mamvura, Managing Director, Maponya 911

Simphiwe Mamvura, Managing Director, Maponya 911 has created a system where paramedics can stabilize patient conditions within the critical period and safely transport them to the nearby medical facility. She is responsible for the growth, innovation, and effective and efficient day-to-day running of the organization and currently oversees the entire business.