About Us

Where it Started

Kathea was borne out of the wish of an Entrepreneur, Gregory John Darke, to build his own empire. Kathea Metals was started in 1995 from humble beginnings with 2 partner and university friends and traded in secondary steel, mainly tinplate which it bought from South African producers and sold to the East, mainly Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka among others.

In 1997, Greg Darke registered Kathea Communications as the company entered the IT and Communications space at the time of strong Call Centre industry growth. The anchor products at the stage were High End Call Center Headsets, namely GN Netcom, later called Jabra. In the early 2000’s Video conferencing was added with Polycom, and still later Workspace Management Solutions, Cloud Conferencing solutions and others. Kathea Communications still represents these major brands into the market today.

As an Entrepreneur, Greg is always on the lookout for new market growths, and Renewable Energy was an obvious place to look, so in 2015, Kathea Energy was born. Once again, we searched for the best products and solutions in the market, and we are thrilled to offer Huawei as our lead Inverter brand in the Commercial and Utility market segments, with their exciting Residential Solutions coming to South Africa in 2021. The product portfolio has been enhanced to Include Solar Modules, Mounting structures, DC Cable and Balance of system products.

Our Commitment

Product Ethos

In the developing of all Kathea’s business, we have become known for making a market for high end products. We select few, but market leading products, and ensure that we select suppliers who are strong and have the same service and supply ethos that Kathea has built its name on.

Route to Market

Kathea Energy is a distributor in nature, we supply products and back up services to EPC’s and Installers in the Southern African Region. We work closely with all parties concerned to ensure that the correct solutions are put forward, and that all the support structures are in place even after installation.

Our Value

Kathea Energy has very strong logistics capabilities, with warehousing capabilities in all the main centers around the country, and access to facilities cross-border, if and when required. We are able to “kit up “orders for customers and arrange deliveries to site of all major components. As we have a small and nimble team, we can easily accommodate special requirements, to make the lives of our installer customers and in-turn end customers easier.

Sustainability

Kathea has been in the distribution industry for 25 years. We have strong growth strategies and sustainable financial strategies. This allows us to give comfort to our customers throughout the value chain that they are dealing with a professional organization who values relationships above all. We pride ourselves in offering a high quantity of service to all parties who purchase or install the products we represent.

Meet The Team

Sabine Moser

Executive Head: Kathea Energy
Sabine joined Kathea in 1997 and has grown with the business over many years, helping to mould the company into what it is now. In 2105 she was offered to opportunity to start Kathea Energy, which she jumped at and has not looked back. With a solid team at her side, she is excited to offer best of breed products to the market and unparalleled service to Kathea’s customers.

Jaco van der Colff

Business Unit Head: Residential (Johannesburg)
Jaco started in the Renewable Energy Sector in 2015. He joined Kathea Energy early 2019 to start up the Residential Division which has grown from strength to strength. In addition, his Commercial Customers have followed him to Kathea. Jaco is exceptionally knowledgeable and there is not a project that he cannot assist with.
Jaco say: “I truly believe in renewable energy as the way of the future, with Customer Service being most important to me. Lasting customer relationships is not something you can put a price against.”

Marc Baxter

New Business Development and Channel Manager (Johannesburg)
Marc is customer-oriented with attention to efficient service. Having a keen interest in motorsport, Marc started in solar in 2016 to balance his carbon footprint by developing business within the renewable energy industry. Marc has been involved in the distribution of solar components for projects in residential, commercial and industrial sectors with the main focus on efficient and reliable service.

Aurellio Harris

Sales Consultant and Business Development
Aurellio is a sales professional with strong communication and interpersonal skills, eager to help clients find great solutions in a timely manner. Focused on outlying regions of Gauteng and provinces bordering Gauteng. I am looking forward to building mutually beneficial relationships with my clients.

Scott Corry

New Business Development and Channel Manager (Cape Town)
Scott is a driven sales and channel executive with over 15 years distribution experience in the Technology sector. A high level of product knowledge around Renewable Energy, Voice, Video, Audio and ISP – with the ability to quickly learn details about new solutions. A commitment to building customer relationships by reaching out to new customers and vendors, as well as nurturing positive interactions with existing ones. A firm believer in work-life balance and aspires to being to the best father he can be.

Ronnie Bakhuis

Regional Representative (Port Elizabeth)
Ronnie is a born and bred Port Elizabeth boy that joined the Kathea Energy Team after a couple of decades in the IT Sales and Support Sector. Ronnie’s experience has assisted Kathea Energy in building a solid footprint in the Solar Energy sector in the Eastern Cape. By focussing on excellent service levels and technical support provided by the Kathea Energy Team, Ronnie assists the Kathea Energy customers in planning and executing their projects successfully.

Christina Bizos

Order Management and Logistics
Christina has been part of the Kathea team since 2016 and is the backbone of our back-office support, ensuring customer orders are processed and that their stock arrives with them timeously. No request is too trivial for Christina to move heaven and earth to try to assist.

Bongani Khumalo

Order Management and Logistics
Bongani is an integral part of the logistics team.He aims to provide the best possible service to Kathea’s customers. With his logistics expertise he ensures that the processes from the order to delivery is followed through professionally and effectively.

Thubelihle Moyo

Pre-Post Sales Specialist
Thubelihle “Thuba” Moyo is an Energy Practitioner with over 10 years of experience in both conventional power generation and renewable energy sectors. Thuba heads up Kathea Technical support team with skill and diligence. Customers have come to rely on his expertise and advice.

Brian Musendame

Pre-Post Sales Specialist
Brian is an experienced Electrical/Control and Instrumentation Technician with a demonstrated history of working in heavy industries and renewable energy sector. His support to our clients with any of their installation problems or technical queries is unsurpassed.

Lize Breedt

Marketing and Administration
Lize is custodian of Kathea’s marketing and communications activities with our clients. In addition, the Kathea On-line portal is her responsibility and customer service is her game. Lize is ambitious, professional and has great communication skills. She aspires to build lasting customer relationships.

Become A Partner

Kathea is always open to new partnerships and we hope and looks forward to working with anyone who sees value in trading with us. Whether you are an EPC, installer, Financier or other interested party in the Renewable Sector, we would love to hear from you.