Thovhedzo took up the challege and started his own brick factory

“I often wonder why someone did not start a business like this in my village when I was growing up, but then I take pride in being the one who is providing a solution and much-needed jobs.”

A resident of Gondeni la ha Mabilu, Thovhedzo Nethanani, watched the elderly people of his village manually make clay bricks, bake them and then build their houses. He often assisted in the projects.

"Many years after that, I realised that poverty was the biggest challenge in the rural areas and that many people were struggling to make ends meet, so I set up a brick-making initiative where I employ 12 people," he said. "I called my project Thanani Bricks (Pty) Ltd, and it is situated at Mbahe village."

He has managed to shorten the distance the villagers have to travel when they want quality bricks. "This business is my way of giving back to the community by ensuring that villages have quality cement bricks," he said. “I had started the business from nothing and could only employ four employees then, utilising a single manual machine with a production capacity of 2 000 stock bricks or 1 500 maxi bricks a day.”

Four years later, he reached the capacity to employ 12 people and acquired a semi-automatic electric machine and one eight-ton truck to transport the bricks to his clients.

He said that it warmed his heart the most to be able to supply bricks that are better than what the client was expecting and seeing the client's reaction. “It is this fulfilment that motivates me to do even better,” he said. “Nothing is more satisfying than to see people appreciating your product and willing you to do more through their support.”

Thovhedzo continues to write a good, positive story that serves as an inspiration to many people.

News - Date: 03 August 2019

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]