#MakingIt – helping the wheels of fortune to spin

Many South Africans use bicycles as an alternative mode of transport to and from work.

Mr Mengezi Ncube saw a gap in the sector and decided to establish his business to help ease the plight.

The 33-year-old resident started the Ncube and Brothers bicycle repair shop.

“Workers constitute 60 percent of my every day customers, who use bicycles to and from work,” said Mr Ncube.

The father of two started as a gardener, after leaving Zimbabwe and coming to South Africa in 2002.

While he was working as a gardener, he had a friend who worked at a bicycle shop in Edenvale.

He would spend time with him when he fixed bicycles and as a result, he learnt how to fix bicycles.

“The person I was working for at the garden services company was a bully and he made us work odd hours,” said Mr Ncube.

He therefore decided to quit and he opened a stall, selling vegetables.

Mr Ncube fed his wife and two children from the business and tried to save some money to buy spanners for a future bicycle repair business.

“I started with one person who later left me and did not return from a visit to Zimbabwe,” said Mr Ncube.

“Despite the setback, I was confident the business was going to work.”

He said he did thorough research first and then acquired the necessary tools.

Mr Ncube said he started by buying old bicycle parts from scrap yards. He built bicycles and sold them to his first customers.

He later stated to fix and sell small spares.

“The growth is evident in the number of customers I have today. I plan to move from the road side and have a proper workshop,” he said.

He also wants to sell new bikes one day and be an accredited supplier of spare parts.

“To all unemployed people who have lost their jobs, I want to say they must use the skills they learnt while they were working to their benefit and start their own businesses.

“They will make a living instead of resorting to crime,” he said.

Those who need his assistance can contact him on 073 487 7757.

#MakingIt