Contrary to popular belief, Randfontein is a town of opportunity – at least for those who are willing.
While many passers by dismiss street vendors and hawkers to be pointless and covers for criminal activity but Ishmael Tauzeni saw an opportunity to support himself and seized it.
Ishmael has setup shop on the corner of Greenhills Avenue and Raven Road, Greenhills. He started making and selling his creations in 2008 and later the business grew so rapidly that he is able to employ workers to man his make-shift shop and outsources labour.
He said the idea sprung from him needing to make enough money to pay his rent. “Every month the rent used to go up and I couldn’t afford it so I had to make a plan.
“I started making the wooden panels in 2010. I learned how to work with wood when I worked in Pretoria. I later decided to start my own business and it’s been going well ever since,” Ishmael explained.
He makes wooden panels out of raw materials he gathers from Magaliesburg. In a days time, he can make five to six wooden panels.
In addition to the panels, he also learned to weld and pave from previous jobs. He now uses his welding skills to make garden and home decorations from discarded metal.
“Most things I sold before I used to make myself but as business grew, I work with a family member in Bloemfontein who makes the goods and I buy from him. I focus on the wood now and my welded goods but most of the stone I have to outsource,” he explained.
Ishmael is not the average street vendor and has a keen business sense and records patters in his sales. “I used to sell things for around the pool but when winter comes there is less of a demand so I started with the wood and so for every season and time of year I have to adapt my products in order to sell them,” he said.
“You can’t just expect things in your life. You have to work for them. You have to make the most of what you have right now,” he said.
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