The founder of Umndeni, Jan Pauley, started his career at Eloptro as a fine optics specialist. His experience in the armaments industry gave him an eye for technical detail and by the time he was employed by a drill re-build business, he was ready to plough his skills into the mining industry as drill and blast specialist. During the early years of Jan’s career he worked as a mechanic on drills, drill operator, pit foreman and also got his blasting ticket to become qualified blaster. Some highlights of Jan’s interesting career were:

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1. He was one of the first blasters using intelligent detonators in setting up blasts

2. The biggest blast he set up was 1.2mil ton of rock/soil on an open cast platinum mine near Rustenburg

3. In Swaziland he drilled and blasted the pit and dam foundation of the Maguga Dam

 

Early in the new millennium, Jan and his brother started their first drilling & blasting company, Dorsland Drilling Contractors. The business was started with the purchase of two second hand drills for R1mil, which they had to revamp for R100k to get them operational. Within three months they were able to invest in their third drill and thus established a very successful business. Jan’s passion and faith led to a very colourful event where he had to save a drill rig from pit during a heavy thunderstorm. The drill cabin was already under water which meant Jan had to wear as little as possible to dive under water to get the drill started, which it did. When he drove the drill to higher ground he was fully convinced that he experienced a miracle. The drill was working the next day.

 

Another three years later, Jan decided to start a new drilling & blasting business with a very good friend. The business, Eagle International grew very quickly and at its peak operated forty drill rigs at various customer sites. The companies continued very successfully until the untimely death of Jan’s partner in 2014. This indirectly led to the establishment of Umndeni Drilling and Blasting (Pty) Ltd which is managed by Jan (CEO) and his children, Tayla Pauley-Booyse (dep CEO) and Juavan Pauley (COO). As Jan is still dreaming of starting more new businesses and ploughing back into community, he is now mentoring them to take over the management of the business.

 

Umndeni is more than just a drilling & blasting company. Our name says it all - Umndeni (Zulu) means “family”.

 

Today the company is well positioned to achieve the young generation’s vision of growth and diversification.