THOHOYANDOU – Garikayi Mupaso (25) traveled all the way from Zimbabwe to look for a job in South Africa. He thought he would easily get employment in the factories, but things were not as easy as he thought.

After months of fruitless job seeking, he came up with a brilliant plan of creating his own job. Today, he has created six job opportunities for other South Africans who were unemployed before.

Garikayi organized with his counterparts in Zimbabwe to manufacture home-made traditional brooms from a thick grass, called murara, and then take them for sale in South Africa.

“I came to South Africa in 2000, thinking that this is a bread and butter country. I often went to bed hungry but I told myself that I can do something to eradicate hunger. I did thorough research and found out that there is a great demand for murarasweeping brooms in South Africa. I then went back to Zimbabwe to organize my friends to make the brooms for me so that I can sell them here. I had no money, but I told them that I would pay them later because I knew my plan would work. I then came with my first batch of 200 brooms, which were all sold within a week. I then went back and took more stock, and since then I have never looked back.”

Garikayi has employed six South Africans who help him by selling his brooms in Thohoyandou. “There is a huge perception that Zimbabweans are criminals who come to South African to disturb the peace. I want to show people that Zimbabweans are hard workers who are also instrumental in the economic development of this country. Like South Africans, there might be some Zimbabweans who are committing criminal activities, but I do not encourage that way of life. I have employed South Africans and I am helping them to support their families with the money I pay them,” says Garikayi.

Garikayi goes to Thopolo village, near Bulawayo, to collect the brooms in bulk, every month. He says there are people who make special orders for him and knows he will come back with enough brooms during each visit.

Selling each broom at R3, Garikayi and his team can sell approximately 100 brooms per day, amounting to about R300 at knock off time. “I urge the community to do away with xenophobia (hatred for the foreigners) and work together to fight unemployment and hunger. We need to come together and join hands to share skills that will benefit every one of us,” concluded Garikayi.