As South Africa marks Entrepreneurship Month, celebrating innovators who are reshaping the country’s economic landscape, Nhlanhla Mabena is proving what’s possible when technology meets purpose.
The 25-year-old Information Technology (Hons) graduate from Richfield has founded FlexWork, a digital hiring platform designed to make recruitment more transparent and efficient.
“FlexWork was created to make hiring fair and human,” says Mabena. “I saw how many talented people were being overlooked, not because they lacked skill, but because hiring itself was chaotic and disorganised. Typically, applications get buried in emails or spreadsheets, and great candidates are never seen. I wanted to fix that.”
FlexWork allows employers to post jobs, manage applications, and hire efficiently, all from one central dashboard. Every step of the hiring process is tracked, ensuring that no CV goes unseen and no candidate feels ghosted.
For job seekers, the experience is simple yet empowering. Candidates can upload their CVs, add project links or portfolios, and even track their applications in real time. Smart alerts recommend roles based on skills and preferences, helping users to discover opportunities that truly match their capabilities.
FlexWork’s skills-first approach replaces outdated job titles with real competencies: a more inclusive way to connect people with work in a rapidly changing economy.
Looking ahead, Mabena plans to expand FlexWork’s talent pool system, introduce credit-based employer unlocks, and onboard partner consultants to strengthen its ecosystem.
“FlexWork is proudly South African-built,” he says. “Our mission is simple: make hiring faster, fairer, and more human for everyone.