Mongezi Masombuka (30) was born and raised in Thembisa in Johannesburg. He is the founder and Managing Director of a thriving IT and business solutions company and is progressively creating waves in the IT world.

Masombuka, who recently celebrated his 30th birthday, has already overcome a slew of obstacles. His enthusiasm for knowledge and drive for achievement have driven him into a dynamic entrepreneur and the visionary founder of Clowdy, a software firm founded in 2019.

In a short period of time, the company has achieved tremendous success and formed collaborations with big technology companies like as Rain, Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Huawei.

Thembisa residents have long experienced the harsh realities of injustice and poverty. Masombuka, who lost his mother when he was three months old, has always considered himself an anomaly, born to stand out and do things differently.

This mindset helped him endure years of disappointment, including difficulties with education and obtaining and retaining a job.

Masombuka had always hoped to achieve academic distinction, which would lead to a successful career. Masombuka encountered academic hurdles despite his love of reading and innate enthusiasm for knowing and exploring concepts. Later, it was determined that he was suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

While this diagnosis revealed his trouble paying attention, it also fueled his resolve to succeed. Over time, it became clear that not everyone's route to success is the same.

"Although I often struggled to complete tasks, I was always full of ideas that impressed those with whom I shared them. The issue was that I wasn't always able to follow through on them. I eventually realised that I didn't have to follow a linear path to success; I accepted that my mind simply isn't wired that way," says Masombuka, who describes himself as a proud dropout after abandoning his studies at two top South African institutions because he struggled to learn in the traditional way and did not feel accommodated in the formal education system.

He never gave up in the face of hardship. Masombuka recognised that his ability to become his own best instructor was his.

He taught himself the necessary IT skills and information by conducting his own web study, and he sought alternate methods of acquiring the talents required to work and trade in the industry.

"My idea came to me as a solution to a problem that I and many South Africans were experiencing." You purchase an internet connection product, typically through a monthly contract. They then send you a device, which you must attach yourself. "You have connection problems because you are unaware that there are simple ways to install your Wi-Fi connection in a way that optimises connection," Masombuka adds.

"This is only one of the solutions we now offer." I began on my own, primarily assisting Rain customers with their residential Wi-Fi connections. Rain eventually took notice after a year of delivering ideas and meeting requirements, and we agreed to provide this service to their consumers."

Masombuka has grown his tech startup into a full-fledged IT business solutions firm in less than four years. He has now started two more businesses: an online fashion retail company called UDARKIE, which he co-founded with a partner, and an e-commerce company called BuyMo.

Masombuka enrolled in a year-long IT skills programme with Afrika Tikkun Services in 2018. The empowering programme allowed him to finally obtain a formal diploma in a job that encouraged him to stick with it and boosted his creativity.

Masombuka's inspiring success story highlights the importance of skill development and providing opportunities for young people to pursue their aspirations even under challenging situations.

Masombuka, who now employs over a dozen people, intends to grow his empire. He hopes to inspire people to embrace their unique qualities and see the world in new ways, because his most inspired and profitable ideas came to him when he finally embraced his unique brilliance, allowing himself the grace and time to learn and grow in a different, but ultimately liberating, way.