Year-old pharmacy continues to grow

Duduza – The SanChem Pharmacy in Duduza celebrated its first anniversary on September 1. Owner and pharmacist Lungile Ndebele said this is a milestone for her and that her parents played a huge role in helping her start her business in Brakpan, which further branched out to Duduza.

“The business did not start as planned, but I later realised all I had to do was advertise my business more, and that is when I began exploring my options and started promoting my business on TikTok.

“It boosted me. I took advantage of the platform and used the comments to my advantage. Every time someone asked for a certain product in the comment section, I made sure to stock it to make it available at my pharmacy,” Ndebele said.

She added that the capital she made from her first branch helped her open another last year, saying the shop was initially small and required extensions.

“We started a project to extend the shop a month ago, and I am happy people get to see our bigger space on our anniversary,” she added.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, they offered the community free blood pressure check-ups and food.

“We also found children who needed school shoes, and we will give away 36 pairs,” Ndebele added.

She mentioned that she has a tender with the government called the Central Chronic Medicines Dispensing and Distribution (CCMDD) programme.

“The programme allows patients to collect their medication from my pharmacy instead of standing in long queues at the clinic or hospital. This programme is another reason I had to extend my establishment – to ensure our space accommodates the collectors and customers,” she added.

She conveyed gratitude towards her parents, mentioning them for their support and encouragement.