I received a mail from a friend and I think it mandatory for me to share it with you.
"It is funny and amazing how some Nigerian designers run business especially those who think they can operate the Nigeria low standard of doing business in other countries.Mudi a Nigeria fashion designer with stores virtually everywhere in Nigeria opened a branch in Sandton, South Africa inviting celebrities like Ramsey Noah, Genevieve and many others to join in the celebration. Funny how media parade stories of celebrities like it’s the true story.
He apparently cannot afford the rent in his former office in Midrand, Pretoria and moved to Sandton by Home Basedcanteen, which specializes in Nigerian homemade foods for Nigerians living in South Africa. Instead of Mudi to say he is revamping, he lied to media he is opening a new office. You would even wonder if the business is registered as he cannot boast of a bank account in South Africa. People feel the loosed culture of doing business in Nigeria is the same way it is in South Africa. He sells an item for R6000 and yet cannot afford to pay just one worker.
In South Africa when you set up a business, working condition is key, due to the kind of weather they have, so you will have heater to warm you up in winter, smoke area if you smoke, kitchen with fridge, microwave and appliances to help you warm your food, take some tea or coffee and all. It is rather zero working condition for Mudi.
You therefore sign contracts on working hours and salary, which Mudi shied off rather using the word of mouth to say “I will come and see you” for a thousands of kilometres distancefrom where his business is. He subjected his one staff to working up to 6pm daily even on weekends. Here in South Africa, you lay down proper marketing strategy including websites and POS for people to swipe to pay because it is a cashless society. Mudi would rather not put up his designs up for digital marketing medium for copy write reasons in this time and age, and what is wrong with patenting? We wonder if he has a twitter handle or actually had a form of education?
MUDI kept making empty promises on how he intends to buy the staff a car for marketing and you will wonder how the same one worker will stay in the store and also drive to market the clothes. A worker who resumed on the 26th of February demanded for his pay on the 20th of March after a long silence on his contracts and working condition. He obviously does not have a registered business in South Africa as the Labour department caters to both citizens and foreigner. He can fly celebrities but can’t afford to pay one worker.
The sales manager had to request to be paid as the month came to an end and as a regular practice in South Africa to pay rents monthly and other bills, including tax which you cannot evade. Knowing fully well that minimum wage in South Africa is R5000 which is over 100,000 Nigerian naira, he then decided to pay R3000, less than 60,000 naira, for crying out loud Mudi, and was swearing and threatening the entire family of the guy when he spoke up, on how he woulddeal with them if they were in Nigeria, that even if they are President Jonathan’s family. This is a man who has been in business for 22 years asking what anyone wants to teach him about business. Now where is his business ethics?
He forgot that Nigerian law is not the same in South Africa and more so, South African law is brutal. Shame, he has a lot to learn, watch out for season two in the deceit of Mudi to pay one worker when one item cost R6000. Let’s hope the Labour department of South Africa won’t close down his business weather or not he pays.