Master of Business Administration graduate, Ms Thozama Mputa, has used her academic journey at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) to explore barriers to innovation in the built environment, while advancing her role as one of the emerging Black female leaders in landscape architectural practice in South Africa.
Her research, titled: ‘Innovation Barriers Facing Small Black-Owned Architectural and Landscape Architectural Firms in South Africa’, set out to understand why Black-owned architectural and landscape architectural firms in South Africa struggle to innovate – not because of a lack of creativity or ambition but because of deeply rooted structural barriers.
Mputa, who owns eSapha Landscape Architects, described the qualification as a turning point in how she understands leadership, business, and innovation within the built environment. She said her path into business ownership was unexpected, beginning in 2021 when she took over management of a small landscape architectural firm where she started her career as a graduate.
“I thought I would only become a business owner much later in my career,” she said. “I never anticipated it would happen so soon. I had to learn quickly what leadership really means.”
Mputa said the transition exposed her to the realities of running a practice in a competitive and often constrained industry, where design capability alone was not enough to sustain a business. “I had ideas, but I didn’t know how to package them. I thought business was far removed from who I am, but I’ve learned that leadership can look different and still be effective.”
Her MBA study was driven by a need to build business confidence, strengthen decision-making and develop the firm’s capacity for growth and sustainability. Beyond the firm, she wants to academically contribute to the field through writing and research, participate in conferences and networking events, and continue raising awareness of the landscape architectural profession while advocating for safe, green, accessible public spaces.
The study identified seven key barriers: financial fragility, collaboration deficits, structural client bias, regulatory constraints, limited mentorship, internal capacity gaps, and low awareness of open innovation frameworks.
She described these challenges as forming a “vicious cycle of exclusion” that limits not only access to opportunity, but also the ability of firms to innovate. “It is not a lack of creativity but the system often forces you into survival mode. You end up focusing on keeping the business afloat instead of exploring innovation,” said Mputa.
Her findings further highlight how systemic pressures push emerging firms into operational survival strategies, limiting long-term growth and innovation potential.
Mputa said her study calls for structural interventions, including inclusive procurement systems, tiered fee structures, and formal mentorship networks to support emerging practitioners. Real transformation requires more than inclusion on paper – it calls for change in how the system works.
Balancing her MBA studies while running a business, she has a demanding schedule shaped by long working hours, academic deadlines and professional responsibilities. “There were days I studied at night after work and had to switch back into business mode the next morning. It required discipline and consistency.”
She said running became a key grounding tool during her studies, particularly while training for a full marathon, saying it helped her manage stress and reminded her that discipline in one part of life carries through to everything else.
Mputa now leads eSapha Landscape Architects, a practice focused on sustainability, policy frameworks and multi-scalar landscape design, with projects across South Africa, Tanzania, and India. She also mentors emerging landscape architects and students entering the profession.
Reflecting on her MBA journey, she said it strengthened her ability to operate between creative practice and business leadership, arming her with confidence and clarity to now sit in strategic spaces and contribute meaningfully to how the industry is shaped.
Originally from Cape Town and now based in Johannesburg, Mputa said her journey has been shaped by working across different cities and by strong family values that emphasised education, discipline and service to others.
She added that her family has been a strong support system throughout her studies, particularly following the loss of her younger sister in 2023, which she said deeply shaped her resilience and perspective during her academic journey.
Words: Lungile Ngubelanga
Photograph: Sethu Dlamini