Koko Mda is a former Robben Island prisoner who served his term during the time whilst Nelson Mandela and the Rivonia trialists were still serving their prison sentences there.
A few years after completing the prison time he found employment at Caltex SA/ Chevron SA (now Astron Energy) where he worked for more than 20 years in Sales and Marketing and amassed valuable business experience in the sector.
He became very instrumental in exposing the black business to this sector hence before blacks participated only as paraffin agents and or service station operators.
He ensured that the Black business got involved in areas like, bulk fuel transport logistics, LPG distribution, lubricants repackaging and beneficiation. In bulk fuel transport logistics blacks were now contracted to do bulk fuel deliveries on behalf of the refiners.
He promoted women participation in the Oil Industry, working closely with a group of women who owned and operated service stations and who later formed Lithemba Investments ( now equity 5%
owners at Astron Energy).
When Chevron took BEE partners led by African Legend he was deployed to work with SANTACO (3% equity) on a Chevron Retail Taxi Strategy.
He spent the last years in the Planning Department located in the Chairman’s as Business and Government Affairs Advisor for few years and retired in 2010 to pursue private interests”.