A Trailblazing Investment Career

From her London hotel overlooking the city, Louisa Mojela reflects on a remarkable 30-year career building Women Investment Portfolio Holdings (WIPHOLD) - a company dedicated to empowering women in post-apartheid South Africa.

WIPHOLD has grown into a diversified investment firm with holdings spanning agriculture, coal mining, and beyond. The company was born from Mojela’s experience at Standard Corporate & Merchant Bank in 1993, when she recognized an opportunity to include women in the country’s economic transformation.

From Workshop Idea to Investment Powerhouse

Inspired by a workshop on black economic empowerment, Mojela joined forces with three colleagues - Gloria Serobe, Wendy Luhabe, and Nomhle Canca - to create WIPHOLD. Pooling $100,000 in seed capital, they embarked on a nationwide tour to encourage women’s participation in business.

Their first investment of $46,000 in financial services company Baobab yielded impressive returns as the company later listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). Over the years, WIPHOLD strategically acquired stakes in companies like Bidvest, Smart Center, Carsons, and Ericsson.

Diversified Portfolio Across Key Sectors

WIPHOLD’s holdings now extend to major players in infrastructure, food & agriculture, financial services, education, and energy - including a stake in Sasol Mining through WIP Coal. The company even invested in the mining industry that Mojela’s father worked in.

With investments like Westfalia Fruit (the world’s second-largest avocado producer) and grain silos across Africa, agriculture now comprises about 25% of WIPHOLD’s portfolio - a sector Mojela sees as particularly promising for cooperatives.

“They are very profitable businesses,” she notes with conviction. “You can’t eat AI!”

As South Africa navigates its economic future, Louisa Mojela and WIPHOLD continue to demonstrate how strategic investment can drive both financial returns and meaningful social impact.