Dream come true for self-taught mechanic
Kamogelo Mowa from Limpopo built his own vehicle, which he named the Buraki Mantsho
LIMPOPO – Imagine getting behind the wheel of a vehicle you designed and built yourself. For self-taught mechanic, Kamogelo Mowa, this is a dream which came true.
The man from Ga Mphahlele village built his own vehicle, which he named the Buraki Mantsho. The vehicle took Kamogelo almost two years to complete due to lack of money needed to buy all the material.
“Although it took me longer than I expected, I am glad that it is finally complete,” he said.
He told BONUS that he began repairing electrical appliances in 1998 while he was still at school. Here he discovered his talent and left school in Gr 8 to repair motorbikes, which led to him designing his own motorbike using a generator.
“I designed the motorbike so people could see my talent. I am not educated so I use my skills to market myself,” he said.
Due to the popularity of Kamogelo’s bikes, he decided to design a small car, Buraki, by using car parts from old cars which gained recognition in his community.
“In 2016, I started gathering material to start building a new car and two years later, I began working on it. It took a while to build because I did not have enough money to buy all the material at once.”
Kamogelo says he designed the exterior himself but used parts from a Ford for the interior.
He is, however, unable to drive the vehicle during the rainy season as the vehicle has no roof.
“People went crazy when I first drove my car and they would take photos whenever I would stop,” he said.
The car’s popularity has given Kamogelo a chance to put food on the table as people invite him to entertain them at their weddings and parties, as long as he brings the car along. The car has even garnered attention from outside Limpopo and in 2019, Kamogelo helped learners from the Soshanguve Technical College in Tshwane to modify a BMW which was modified into a small van.
“It was launched by the Premier of Gauteng last year,” he said.
Kamogelo told BONUS that he is currently designing another vehicle, which will be named upon completion. Kamogelo dreams of having his own workshop and finances to manufacture more of his own designs which will allow him to share his skills an love for vehicles with others.
