Before Mark Makhubalo was running a logistics operation with more than 100 vehicles, he was working in a completely different world, booking artists and DJs for local clubs.
That entertainment hustle would eventually lead him into trucking and, in 2016, to buying his first truck.
Fast forward roughly a decade and Makhubalo is the Group CEO of MLM Logistics, a Midrand-based road freight business with a fleet of more than 100 vehicles, including side tippers, tautliners and flat decks.
And there is a simple story behind the company’s name too. MLM comes from Mark Langa Makhubalo’s initials, putting the founder’s name right at the heart of the business.
MLM Logistics was incorporated in 2016 and describes itself as a 100% black-owned logistics company providing road transport solutions across South Africa and the wider Southern African region.
But the story behind those trucks is perhaps more interesting than the fleet itself.
From entertainment to trucking
Before entering logistics, Makhubalo operated MLM Entertainment, working as an agent booking artists and DJs at local clubs.
According to his profile and published interviews, he eventually saved enough money to buy his first truck in 2016, making the jump from an entertainment-based business into the capital-intensive world of road freight. Genfin says that first vehicle was a second-hand truck and that Makhubalo subsequently built MLM Logistics into a business operating more than 100 vehicles.
It is a massive change of lane.
MLM’s operation now handles cargo including mining commodities and FMCG, while its service offering includes bulk cargo, abnormal loads, tri-axle and Superlink loads, containers and other transport solutions.
From one truck to more than 100
Growing a trucking business from one vehicle is no small job.
There is diesel to pay for, tyres and maintenance to worry about, drivers to manage and, perhaps most importantly, cash flow to keep the wheels turning.
Makhubalo has previously identified cash flow as one of the biggest challenges facing new transport operators, particularly because clients can take weeks to pay while the transport company still has to carry fuel, wages and other running costs.
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The growth of MLM Logistics has also gone beyond simply putting more trucks on the road.
The company has invested heavily in fleet management, technology and safety. In 2025, MLM Logistics won the HCV Best Organisation Award and the Overall Best Organisation Award at the Fleet Safety Awards.
The company has also developed its own fleet-management platform, MLM-FM, while using telematics, cameras and other technology as part of its safety and operational systems.
For Makhubalo, the journey from booking DJs to running a large road-freight operation shows just how quickly the right opportunity can change a businessman’s direction.
The first truck was bought in 2016.
Today, MLM Logistics has grown into a sizeable player in South Africa’s transport and logistics sector, with more than 100 vehicles and a growing reputation for safety, technology and fleet management.
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