One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and Daveyton resident Sammy Mathibe is using that trash to make a fortune.
The 35-year-old is using wooden pallets to make furniture that he sells to the community.
The young entrepreneur was a street vendor and he wanted to put his woodwork skills to use.
“I have always loved woodwork and it was one of my subjects in high school. However, due to a lack of finances, I couldn’t study further,” said Sammy.
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Sammy started his business, Vonkonko Productions, in 2018 when he couldn’t find employment after completing his matric.
He makes pallet coffee tables, chairs, benches, bookshelves, couches, room dividers, and wine racks.
He explained that he got an opportunity to work with a local carpenter and who helped him learn how to make the furniture.
“I started with a chair and my friends laughed at me because the legs of the chair were not the same size but then I told myself that with more practise, I will eventually get this right and I can make a living with this,” he said with a smile on his face.
“Then, I managed to save money and bought myself a drill and jigsaw, that’s how the business started.”
Sammy said he saw a gap in the market and what’s unique about his business is that he creates furniture that represents his clients’ personalities.
“Through this business, I keep myself busy and my friends also get the opportunity to assist me when I have to produce a lot of furniture. This keeps us away from committing a crime in order to put food on the table for our families,” he said.
The self-taught carpenter added that business has been slow due to the pandemic, but now things are picking up bit by bit.
Sammy wants to build a bigger workshop where he can teach other young people woodwork.
“I want to pass my skill to those who are unemployed so that they can also start businesses and employ other people to curb unemployment in the township.”
He advises young people who want to be entrepreneurs to have patience, be determined, don’t give up easily as there will be days when you feel like giving up because it’s not easy to run a business.
