Mathabele beats unemployment ghost by becoming 'Mr Fixit-all'

Unemployment remains a harsh reality for many young South Africans, and, sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic has done nothing to improve the situation.

Mashudu Alwyn Mathabele, a resident at Madombidzha Zone 2, knows from experience that the simplest thing can sometimes make a world of difference. He worked as a guest house manager in Thohoyandou some three years ago, where he learnt how to fix electrical appliances, and today he puts that knowledge to good use in the Makhado area.

“When an electrical appliance needed repairing, the guest house would call a certain electrician. This man saw my interest in his job and taught me the basics. He told me to never underestimate my abilities,” he said.

Mathabele has not looked back since. He started fixing his own electrical appliances around the house and soon those of his relatives and close friends too, at no cost. However, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world last year and left him unemployed, he realized that he could use this skill to secure an income.

“People were not concerned when I started to charge them, because once I fixed their electrical appliances, it lasted them a long time,” he said. “My business is founded on honesty, loyalty and good ethics. I never lie about the problem or overcharge my clients, for I know that my people deserve to be served with honesty.”

He fixes anything, from washing machines and microwaves to stoves and refrigerators. “We were always taught that, once a microwave has conked out, it is impossible to be fixed, so people just discard it,” he said. “Today, I advise people never to throw away their broken electrical appliances, because I am the answer.”

He had previously worked as a sales assistant at several clothing stores and still helps here and there with stock-taking on a part-time basis. “In this life, we need to grasp any available opportunity and work hard,” he said.

Mathabele is available on Facebook (Mashudu Matsuu) and can be reached on 072 969 8574.

News - Date: 25 July 2021

Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

Email: [email protected]