How Hleziphi Siyothula–Mtshizana Built In Pursuit Renewable Energy into a Pan‑African Force

How Hleziphi Siyothula–Mtshizana Built In Pursuit Renewable Energy into a Pan‑African Force. In a country grappling with frequent electricity interruptions, In Pursuit Renewable Energy stands out as more than a service provider, it is a changemaker, led by Hleziphi Siyothula–Mtshizana, an electrical engineer and former senior project manager in the renewable energy sector. Since founding the company in 2017, she has built a business grounded in expertise, impact, and vision for energy access in Africa. Her story offers practical lessons on leadership, strategy, and scaling purpose-led enterprises.

Rooted in Experience and Driven by Impact

With nearly 16 years of experience delivering renewable energy projects across South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ghana and the UK, including over 3,000 MW of utility‑scale solar, wind and battery installations, Hleziphi launched In Pursuit Renewable Energy to deliver tailored, resilient solutions for energy access and sustainability.

Her vision grew from her own family’s legacy of entrepreneurship: her grandmother ran a shebeen, and her sister built an electrical contracting business. These early influences shaped her purpose: to build an African engineering company that provides real solutions and upliftment.

Crafting a Brand with Technical Authority and Local Relevance

From day one, In Pursuit distinguished itself through technical rigor and local insight. The firm provides services across engineering, procurement, construction, energy consulting, project development and asset management for sectors like utilities, agriculture, industry, and socio‑economic upliftment.

Rather than generic power solutions, projects are tailored to client contexts, whether a commercial lodge or smallholder farm in Mpumalanga, ensuring meaningful impact beyond grid reliance.

Early Milestones That Sparked Momentum

• Official launch in August 2017: Initially Hleziphi ran operations solo while balancing entrepreneurship with passion. The first two years built foundations through small consulting assignments and networking.
• Nedbank’s Renewables for SocioEconomic Development Programme (2022): Serving as technical advisor on this bank‑backed initiative validated the firm’s capabilities. This engagement expanded credibility and opened new channels for contracts.
• Energy storage installations (2022–23): In Pursuit delivered energy storage solutions for commercial clients totaling over 1 000 kWh and agricultural projects of 40 kW/40 kWh, demonstrating operational scale and reliability.
• Skills and enterprise development partnerships: Through collaboration with KP Cares and EWSETA, In Pursuit has trained over 200 artisans and activated more than 15 energy‑focused SMMEs.

These milestones shifted In Pursuit from a solo consultancy to a scalable, multi-disciplined company with visible social impact.

Turning Obstacles into Opportunities

As a women‑led energy business in a male-dominated field, Hleziphi faced challenges in acceptance, funding and perception. Her response was to showcase competence through credentials, qualifying as COO of Bonang Power, leading LTA teams at Arup, and delivering IPP advisory roles.

Initial growth relied on reinvested earnings. Hleziphi worked without salary during 2017–2018 and scaled cautiously, avoiding unsustainable debt or dilution. That caution preserved control and culture through early years.

Innovating Through Integration and Community Focus

In Pursuit’s strengths lie in its dual focus: technical sophistication and community upliftment. The firm integrates energy interventions with local skills development, creating jobs and empowering communities.

In addition, Hleziphi plans to grow the company into owning or having access to the full value chain, making it possible to deliver turnkey solutions and increase competitiveness.

Actionable Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

• Leverage deep domain expertise. Hleziphi’s engineering experience gave In Pursuit credibility in a technical industry.
• Align purpose with profession. Combining social impact with business built brand authenticity and societal benefit.
• Start lean. Growing without salary or debt helped sustain early operations and decision‑making control.
• Seek strategic validation. Partnering with Nedbank and EWSETA opened doors and consumer confidence.
• Integrate community upliftment. Training artisans and supporting youth widened mission and impact.
• Design for scale and value chain integration. Aim to own production, delivery and relationship networks for greater resilience.

What Lies Ahead for In Pursuit

Hleziphi envisions expansion into more African nations, deeper value chain participation, and continued empowerment of women and youth in the energy sector. She continues to speak at conferences and mentor future leaders in energy.

A Vision Energized by Authenticity

In Pursuit Renewable Energy is a case in point for entrepreneurial success grounded in expertise, values and social purpose. Through strategic milestones, cautious scaling and unwavering commitment to African-driven energy solutions, the business offers a blueprint for transformative entrepreneurship.