JOHANNESBURG – A rural girl from the villages of KwaZulu-Natal has defied the prescripts of her poor background to turn into a model businesswoman.

Busisiwe Mdletshe, who used to walk barefooted for up to 10km to school, used opportunities education provided to her to better herself into a powerful businesswoman that is today recognised by the influential Forbes Magazine.

Mdletshe is the chief executive of Netvest, a financial management and wealth management firm that specialises in accounting, bookkeeping, tax preparation, tax planning, special investigations and advisory.

“We prepare financial statements for our clients, budgeting, recommend effective internal controls, improve and maintain their tax compliance status, and research on tax developments,” Mdletshe says. “We enable our clients to realise their financial goals.”

Netvest clients include business groups such as the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc) and the Black Business Council (BBC).

But it is through who’s who of the corporate world that Mdletshe’s influence in the corporate world can be measured.