Dudu and Leema Mofokeng, joint owners of Legaci Dry Cleaners and Laundry Services, were awarded the Judges Prize at the annual Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® competition, which was held in Johannesburg on Wednesday, 3 September 2014.

The Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year ® Judges Prize – an additional award introduced to the competition this year – was awarded to Dudu and Leema Mofokeng to celebrate the remarkable progress the business has achieved in the short period, having only established the company in 2008.

Kobus Engelbrecht, a member of the 2014 Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® judging panel says that there wasn’t originally a Judges Prize category, but that the decision was taken by the judges to create the category and award the prize due to the impact Dudu Mofokeng made on the judges with her passion and energy for both her business and entrepreneurship qualities.

Prior to starting her own business, Dudu worked in the corporate world, but always believed that her talents could be better utilised. Having grown tired of the corporate environment, Dudu resigned and armed with her entrepreneurial spirit and a BCom Degree, decided to set her sights on something bigger. While volunteering at an AIDS orphanage she saw an opportunity to manage her own laundry outlet under the trade name ‘Pressed in Time’. With the help of her mother, a domestic worker for many years, Dudu went about building her laundry business. Today, with branches across Pretoria and a head office in Silver Lakes, the company currently has three retail outlets and an industrial plant specialising in high-end dry cleaning services in the region.

“Dudu made a courageous move resigning from her job to become an entrepreneur. Given the low barrier to entry of her line of business, she entered a very competitive industry, but has managed to grow her business organically and has created jobs in the process. She differentiates her business by introducing innovative and specialised solutions to the market,” says Engelbrecht.

Dudu says that this recognition is an affirmation to all the efforts, hardships and hard work that she has put into the business to grow it to the level that it is today. “This is a conscious and moral compass to me that will constantly be a reminder that more is expected of me.”

She says that her future goals for the business include expanding her network by opening retail outlets in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. She also aims to open the first dry-cleaning school in South Africa to train individuals to provide a skilled service in the industry.

For more information on Legaci Laundry and Dry Cleaner Services, please visit www.legaci.co.za