Businesswoman bettering her community

EREEZA Arendse, 31, affectionately known as the “boss lady”, is working towards building her business into a giant player in her industry, while improving her suburb.

Arendse started her company, which supplies wireless internet, CCTV, alarms, websites and domain hosting, at the age age of 19.

“When I started, I knew nothing about information technology (IT). My husband worked for a huge IT company at the time, and we saw how technology was changing the world and how necessary it would become.

“When we came up with this idea, I told my husband I would run around, setting up clients and connecting them while he (retained his job). He taught me via phone calls. Now I can do it and solve problems with my eyes closed,” she said.

Arendse recalled one of her first big jobs, where she installed a mini tower providing internet connection on a farm on the Cape Flats.

“We go into areas where these big companies do not want to go. We go into these areas because we are moving into a space where technology is needed for your basic day-to-day.

“That is why this company is expanding the way it is, because we listen and deliver. I started off with a handful of clients, six to be exact, now I cater for more than 600 clients,” she said.

Arendse, who has two office sites, one in Heinz Park and Woodlands, said she has no plans to move out of Mitchells Plain as she wants to continue contributing to the area’s economy.