Mahlangu pushes boundaries
KwaThema - Sam Mahlangu (63) is one of the names you hear people talking about when you search for someone who can do magical work with old and new furniture.
The well-known upholsterer finished his schooling in Standard Six (Grade Eight) after obtaining his junior certificate.
“After I lost my job in 1998 as a machine operator, I sat doing nothing,” he says.
“But because I was always good with my hands, I then started collecting steel and boards to create ironing broads, which is something I taught myself how to do because I didn’t want to sit, asking people for money.
“Through that I was able to make a living for myself because I could make about R500 in a week.
“After that I had a dream, and in it, my grandfather told me to buy a machine and do this and I never looked back,” Mahlangu says.
In 2004, he started his upholstery business, humbly saying that it was just a gift from God as he did not study for it.
The challenge Mahlangu had in the beginning was that people would bring things to him to repair, and they would not understand when he said he did not have the skills to do it.
“A woman once came here and asked me to cover her couches for her with plastic, but when I said I didn’t know how to do it, she told me I could and left them,” he says.
“From there I had to learn fast as I didn’t want to disappoint her.
“Later Seger Mahlangu came to me looking for a job, and said he could sew, so I took him in and we started working together.”
He has since taught himself how to do things like mounted headboards, ottoman chairs, sofa repairs, fixing of school desks and other old furniture.
“’People have been very supportive because of the work I have done for them and I thank them for it.
“One of the challenges I face is that the government wants us to find properties to work from but I cannot afford to rent a place and I’m creating work here.
“To those who want to start a business, always persevere and never give up, even when the business gets tough,” he says.
