Her partners are Jane Daly, Thandeka Bengu-Towo, Thandi Maqubela and Nozipho Mgaga. And as any seasoned property player will confirm, Gosa and her team are moving at a rapid pace.
Gosa is the same woman who stunned many with her resignation from the SABC board in December last year. Her resignation letter contained the words: "I have reached a point where the need to distance myself from these transgressions [within the SABC board] has grown too strong."
But when I meet her for lunch at Lekgotla - which cornily purports to be an African restaurant - she comes across as calm, modest and even a bit media-shy.
"I think we came into property at the right time, when the whole sector was picking up, thanks to Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni," she says. "We were also lucky to find an industry receptive to our business model."
Meeting at Lekgotla was Gosa's idea. She wanted to try it out after hearing about it in her circle. I can't help but deduce from the positions she held before deciding to venture into property in 2003 that Gosa has friends in high places. She belongs to a women's stokvel (social club) called The Wailers, which counts as members some of the top women in business.
A BA in communications from what was Fort Hare University served as a springboard to a career largely focused on marketing and telecommunications.
After graduating in 1988, Gosa joined Wilson Rowntree, where she served as marketing assistant. This was followed by other marketing positions, but she wanted to grow and went on to obtain an MBA in 1993 from the University of New Brunswick, Canada.
Gosa came back just in time - and with the right qualifications. State-owned enterprises were first on the transformation agenda, making individuals of Gosa's calibre sought-after.
She joined Telkom as marketing manager and switched to regulatory affairs a few years later. That marked the beginning of a journey into telecoms, including positions at the now defunct SA Telecommunications Authority, the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA and the SABC board.
"I'm passionate about telecoms because the industry plays an important role in socioeconomic development," says Gosa, who also served on the board of Ntsika Enterprise Development (as deputy chair) and on the investment committee of the National Empowerment Fund.
Moving to Investec Bank as a telecom industry analyst was a natural development. "Even though I had no investment banking background, I enjoyed my stay. I used my strong telecoms base, along with the finance training which was part of my MBA, to assert myself."
She adds that she could easily have stayed at Investec until retirement. "But I realised there were lucrative opportunities in the property industry. My impressions came partly from experience with my private residential property portfolio. I felt I couldn't go wrong."
But a lot of things can go wrong in the sector in which Gosa is launching herself. Property management services is not for minors. The margins are extremely tight. Reasonable money can be made only through significant volumes generated with state-of-the-art infrastructure and backed by sound experience.
Gosa is well aware of these challenges - which is why she has linked up with established property management services player Broll Properties. Broll runs the largest property portfolio under management in SA, valued at around R18bn.
The FM has it on good authority that Gosa is about to close a deal in which Akhona will replace Tokyo Sexwale's Mvelaphanda Group as Broll's black economic empowerment (BEE) equity partner. Gosa has declined to comment.
Since we are at lunch, I take the opportunity to corner her to try to resolve this. But the stuffed sardines she has as a starter and the fish pie as main course do not work to make her any more vocal.
All she is prepared to say is: "Broll is a well-established operation and we are sticking with it." With Broll, Akhona has indeed won high-profile contracts, including the management of Johannesburg's Southgate Mall and the Gauteng portfolio of the Public Investment Corp.
"We plan to build Akhona into a powerful property industry name recognised across SA. Now that it has a sound base in property services, we have a game plan to explore property ownership opportunities."
Akhona is part of the BEE consortium that bought 25% of Vukile Property Fund, a listed Sanlam-managed fund. Does this deal signal that Gosa is becoming someone who haphazardly grabs equity deals, as seen in many BEE groupings?
"I say power to those who are in the business of doing BEE deals all over the show, but it is not for me," she says.
"I've just entered my 40s and I want to be kinder to myself," adds Gosa, who is single and has no children. "Besides, I'm the kind of person who works to capacity to ensure success. I wouldn't want to sit in a meeting and not know what was going on. I want to add value and that is why I'll stick to property."
And I have no doubt she'll make her mark.
Financial Mail
Publisher: I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge
