When William Mkhabela answered a call from Vuna Partners in 2020, he wasn’t aware how fundamentally his life was about to change. A rare kind of opportunity came knocking as private equity firm Vuna wasn’t looking for a business to back. They already had one in mind. What they needed was a leader.

SA Steelpack Solution (“Steelpack”), a Tongaat-based manufacturer of metal packaging for the paints, lubricants, and chemicals industries, was in transition. The founding team was stepping away completely with a full 100% exit, virtually unheard of in South Africa’s legacy-heavy industrial sector. Vuna needed someone to transform not just operations, but culture. They didn’t want a custodian. They wanted a builder.

That builder turned out to be Mkhabela: a chemical engineer with deep operational pedigree and a track record spanning Unilever, Mars, Nampak, and GZI. He knew metal packaging inside out. More importantly, he knew how to lead people.

“When I got the call, it felt like a natural next step,” says Mkhabela. “I’d run large corporates, worked with international brands, and competed directly against Steelpack. I knew its strengths. I also knew how much untapped potential there was.” Vuna underwrote the transaction and facilitated Mkhabela’s 15% equity participation.

That potential came with challenges. Steelpack had been a family-run business, nimble, entrepreneurial, but lacking structure. No ISO certifications. No formal governance. Non-compliant on B-BBEE. And a culture built around loyalty and familiarity, not necessarily skills development or scalability.

“It’s a very different beast when you step out of corporate,” Mkhabela admits. “There’s no safety net, no layers of decision-making. You’re exposed but you’re also free. That freedom let me shape the future of the business quickly and decisively.”

Steelpack manufactures everything from 125ml tins to 25L drums and aerosol cans – using tinplate steel – and assembles its products onsite across three facilities in Tongaat and a distribution hub in Gauteng. What it needed was credibility with bigger clients, multinational coatings and consumer brands who demand quality, consistency, and compliance with the evolving demands of environmental, social and governance factor investing.

Under Mkhabela, the company achieved its first industry certifications, secured its first B-BBEE rating (Level 3 since February 2023), and began actively expanding aerosol capacity to meet rising local demand. In the past, South African producers relied on imported cans with long lead times and minimum order headaches. Now, Steelpack is winning that business back, on the back of reinvestment and operational excellence.

“We resisted the urge to cut corners or chase volume,” says Mkhabela. “Competitors were slashing margins just to stay alive. We did the opposite and reinvested earnings into expanding production, upgrading safety and sustainability systems, and crucially, building our people.”

And it’s a culture of belonging and belief that this people focus has embedded.

If the machines are humming at Steelpack, the culture is what makes the whole operation sing. Most employees are based in the surrounding Tongaat community. Many have worked at the business for over a decade. “It’s not uncommon to have a husband and wife, or a parent and child, working here,” Mkhabela says with a smile.

But that legacy workforce was largely trained on the job, with limited formal technical development. Mkhabela brought in skilled technical trainers and layered structured learning onto the institutional knowledge that existed. “You can have great technology, but if your human capital isn’t right, you won’t go anywhere,” he says.

Steelpack remains non-unionised, which is as rare as it is remarkable in South African industry. Not because of resistance, but because of trust. “We have an open-door culture. If there’s a problem, we talk about it. Everyone is treated with dignity. That’s rare, and it’s powerful,” remarks Mkhabela

In a region still reeling from the collapse of nearby Tongaat Hulett, Steelpack’s story is one of grassroots economic revival. Through targeted CSI projects, donations to local schools, and a focus on local recruitment for leadership and internship roles, Mkhabela is using transformation as a lever for long-term stability and not just a compliance tick box.

“B-BBEE isn’t just paperwork. It’s about equity, access, and opportunity,” he says. “We’re proof that empowerment and performance aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, they go hand in hand.”

Crucially, Mkhabela didn’t go it alone. His 15% ownership is matched by Vuna’s majority holding and their approach has been refreshingly collaborative.

“I consult with them on major decisions, but they don’t micromanage. They back me,” he says. “That alignment has been everything. I feel like I own the business, and I act like it.”

With board representation from Siya Nhlumayo, Shafiek Rawoot, and Kayise Ndlovu, and a deliberate shift from founder-led instincts to institutional governance, Steelpack has managed to turn around from a promising family outfit that fell on hard times into a formidable competitor. And the financial results are finally starting to show it.

For Mkhabela, the journey is far from over but the message to other black executives in corporate boardrooms is clear: take the leap.

“You won’t get a perfect runway. But if you’re serious about building something meaningful, there’s no better time. Our country needs black industrialists, not just talk, but action.”

And Steelpack? Isn’t it incredible what happens when capital, capability, and conscience come together with boots on the ground, not suits in the clouds.