Community project encourages mentorship and skills development
Clenozat Generic Skills Development is helping young artisans hone their skills through their mentorship programme.
Duduza – Clenozat Generic Skills Development is helping young artisans hone their skills through their mentorship programme.
Clement Tshabalala, founder of Clenozat, says he called skilled workers from the community to help him finish building offices so they may pass on their skills to the next generation.
“I thought it would be more beneficial to give these guys the opportunity to do the work rather than hire people who are not from my neighbourhood.”
Tshabalala built the offices in his backyard to manage the development and all the other programmes he runs.
Last month, people of all ages participated in a fitness awareness campaign hosted by Duduza SAPS in collaboration with Virtue Club, which was also founded by him.
Bizza Maphanga, who did the tiling of the new building, says he started working on his skill in 1996.
In the process, Maphanga mentored Dingane Chili (31).
“Whenever I get odd jobs, I always take younger guys so they can learn what I am doing and stand on their own one day,” explains Maphanga.
Twenty-eight-year-old Teboho Makhanya, who has been unemployed for five years, says he has always been interested in ceilings and how they stay stable.
“Helping around has really taught me so much more about construction,” he says.
Tshabalala says he is not just happy the building is almost complete, but has also fed skills back into the community.
“The building will be a constant reminder of how we came together to do something that will outlive us and the organisation.”
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