SHANZHA - When he lost his job at a construction company, which was developing irrigation water canals at his village in 1994, Joseph Neluheni (68) of Shanzha Village, in the Nzhelele area, started a new life full of courage and determination. The concrete company he worked for was relocating and he decided to stay behind and start his own business.

With the skills he gained in his previous job, Neluheni collects stones alone from the local mountain and hammers them into pieces to make concrete, which he sells to earn a living.

The old man said he started the concrete initiative because he realized that there was a huge demand for concrete in his village.

“The company moved in 1994 and I decided to stay behind, although I did not have modern equipment to make concrete. I swallowed my pride and went to the local mountain to collect stones with my wheelbarrow and started hammering them to make concrete. It is not an easy job, but I had no other option because it is the only job I am capable of…”

Most of the houses in his village around Nzhelele were reinforced by the concrete that Neluheni manufactures. He said he is now afraid that he will no longer be able to meet the concrete demands as he works alone with his hands. His workshop is a little makeshift structure made of old corrugated iron and discarded cardboard boxes at the foot of the local mountain.

“If I can get a concrete making machine and erect a proper workshop, I can employ a few villagers to eliminate poverty. Most of the people do not want to work with me now, because the job is very tough and hard. Hammering stones is not an easy task and I go to bed an exhausted man on a daily basis. I sometimes encounter injuries in the line of duty, but I gather more courage to work hard because I need to put some food on the table...”

A ton of concrete costs R140 and Neluheni can sell approximately eight tons per month.