Men of steal perform miracles #MakingIt
KwaThema – Local welders Donald Ndimande (26) and Joseph Matsena (30) have made it their mission to provide residents from KwaThema and surrounding areas with exceptional gates, burglar bars, carports and fencing.
The duo, who specialise in welding, tell that they started working together in Kgaswane Street, in 2015, working under their former boss, who later opted to go back home.
They stayed behind and carried on with the work which they say they have grown to love doing, as it helps them to feed their families.
“We did not go to any formal school to train for this job, but were both fortunate enough and are grateful to been taught by other people locally.
“Through years of perfecting our craft and skill, we believe that now we are among the best welders in this area,” says Matsena.
Ndimande, on the other hand, says that although being your own bosses has its own perks, with people coming to support you, there are also times when business does take a knock. ]
“There are times when we are faced with the challenge of not getting enough business, which means that we must patiently wait until something comes up,” he explains.
“Such times trouble any businessman, as we are people who have to pay rent for where we work and live.
“Another major challenge for us is that our work entails that we work outside, so when it is cold, we don’t have the luxury of staying indoors to keep warm.
“Instead, we still need to step outside and get the job done, because, if we don’t work we don’t get paid,” says Ndimande.
But the systematic plan the two have of running this business seems to be working out okay and is keeping the doors of their business open.
“The best way to work is that, if someone has a job for us, we take a deposit, go and buy the steel and then, when we fit whatever it is our clients wants, we take the rest of the money, pay rent and only after that can we pay ourselves,” the men say.
The welders admit that this is not where they want to end up, as it is their dream to see more people bring in more business, so that their business can grow.
“Thank you to everyone who has helped us to get to where we are and to the locals who keep bringing us business, as it helps us to put food on the table. Without them we are nothing,” says Matsena.
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