The meaning of Mthente
Mthente is a Zulu word for thorn tree. The thorn tree aptly epitomises the nature and character of our company: the thorns symbolise the resilience and robustness of the firm; the delicate leaves, on the other hand, denote the company’s sensitivity and adaptability to the socio-economic, political and business contexts in which it operates.
Mthente draws inspiration from the Zulu proverb Umthente Uhlaba Usamila, which loosely means that building character in children or young people at an early stage of their development will equip them with the tools to cope with dangers and risks later in their lives. This idiom accords with our company’s belief and commitment to help our clients tackle their problems at the root before they ultimately spiral out of control.
Our core ethos is a guarantee of innovative, cost-effective and high quality research and business solutions for our clients.
Our unique team of research specialists includes experienced experts in applied social and policy research, trade and economics, business administration, and monitoring and evaluation. Mthente is an accredited Level 1 B-BBEE enterprise. In addition, Mthente is accredited by the Southern African Marketing Research Association (SAMRA).
Mission
Mthente strives for professionalism and quality through listening, learning and responding for mutual growth. Our core ethos is a guarantee of innovative, cost-effective and high quality research and business solutions for our clients.
Values
At Mthente we value integrity, growth and excellence. We are passionate about our business and are committed to providing value and quality to our clients and partners through hard work, professionalism and open communication. We believe in and embrace the spirit of ubuntu* as an essential component of the way we do business.
Get involved in our projects – become a research panel member
Be part of our projects. Sign up to be a respondent in our surveys, focus groups and workshops.
Opinion Poll
Loading ...What we do
Monitoring & Evaluation and Impact Assessment
Understanding the success of any project or programme requires…
Market & Consumer Insights
In a competitive economic climate, organisations cannot afford…
Latest projects
Evoke Leaders for Literacy Pilot: Impact Evaluation
In 2017 and 2018, World Vision South Africa and Pearson South Africa implemented two Evoke Literacy pilots. Mthente conducted a quasi-experimental impact evaluation of the entire Evoke Literacy Pilot Program. The focus of the evaluation was to assess the impact of the pilot program by determining its effects on participants.
Gauteng Enterprise Propeller: Programme Impact Assessment
Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP) is a Gauteng provincial government agency established under the auspices of the Department of Economic Development to provide support to small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs) and co-operatives in Gauteng. To determine the sustainability of this support GEP commissioned Mthente to assess and measure the effectiveness and impact of their support programmes over the period 2012 – 2016.
Policy Study: Research to inform policy responses to economic challenges in South Africa faced by SMMEs and Cooperatives
The Department of Small Business Development (DBSA) commissioned Mthente to undertake a study that would establish the preliminary effects of the downgrade and slow growth on SMMEs and Cooperatives, explore the policy responses from the experiences of three countries at a similar stage of development, provide an evaluation of the policy responses for the South African context based on the country-study benchmarking and recommend the best policy responses that would yield tangible results in supporing SMMEs and Cooperatives during periods of economic recession.
Centre for e-Innovation: Perception Survey
The Centre for e-Innovation (Ce-I) in the Department of the Premier in the Western Cape commisioned Mthente to undertake a perception survey with its provincial government clients to determine whether the Ce-I is meeting its service level agreements with its internal customers.
This survey was to serve as a follow-up study to the Ce-I’s baseline survey, which was carried out in 2009 by Mthente, and followed by subsequent surveys in 2011 and 2015.
“Mthente’s energy, commitment and high-quality work provided our team with accurate and timely information to guide program changes and insightful recommendations for post-pilot adjustments to enhance impact.
Mthente’s targeted interviews and focus group discussions also helped to capture nuanced 21c skill growth and the unique impact of the program on confidence and grit.”
Michelle Malecki, Programme Management Officer, World Vision.