#MakingIt – One man”s meat is another man’s business

Slaughtering an animal takes place nearly every weekend in eKasi, as it is part of the African culture to have meat in many ritual events.

Mr Meshack Shili said it has become an unbearable chore to slaughter and cut the cow’s meat into small pieces so that will feed scores of mourners at an event like a funeral.

Some township residents have opted not to slaughter an animal to avoid this difficult and time-consuming task.

On the other hand, many people in eKasi have chosen to retain the culture of slaughtering as an indispensable rite in their families.

This is where iButhcher Ya Kasi identified a business gap and sought to meet the need for simplifying the task of chopping, slicing and mincing the slaughtered animal.

Mr Shili said iButhcher Ya Kasi is a mobile butcher that is committed to cutting the workload during a client’s busy and stressful schedule in the planning of a big event.

The 28-year-old entrepreneur said when his services are required he takes his meat slicing machine to where the client is hosting the event.

When asked how he came up with an idea of a mobile butcher he said he grew up in a business minded family.

His late father was a Tembisa businessman who used to run a coal business in eKasi and who would later venture into livestock farming.

His mother sold Mala Mogogu (tripe) on Tembisa street corners.

“Despite that as children, we never had things easy. My parents were never of the perception of giving things to their children for free. They taught us the value of hard work to get things we needed,” said Mr Shili.

He said in his free time he was always helping out at the family businesses and he said that is where his interest for business started.

“Part of my chores was to herd goats and cattle, or I would be at the back of our family coal truck shouting and offloading coal bags,” he said.

Mr Shili was unknowingly honing his business skills and most of all, rendering a service of satisfying the client’s needs.

“We were a family of four children and as children we were expected to learn the art of entrepreneurship. If we showed an initiative in starting our own small business our parents would provide the startup capital,” said Mr Shili.

He said at a young age he was consumed by the love of fashion and that was influenced by his peers.

“My parents would hear none of that. I knew they were not going to buy me any of the expensive fashion labels of the time,” he said.

He started his first small business of selling sweets to his fellow learners at school.

When he left high school the family business was not doing well and there was no money saved up for his tertiary education.

“Varsity was not an option. I chose to play professional football. I have served in teams like Moroka Swallows, Vardos FC and Highlands Park in the professional side,” said the zealous entrepreneur.

He said he had to leave the sport completely soon after his father died and focused on starting and running his own business and also looking after what was left by his father.

That was the birth of iButhcher Ya Kasi.

The busy young man did not overrule the importance of studying further as he is simultaneously engaged in an undergraduate degree in business studies.

“Young people must look up to entrepreneurs like me. I saw life beyond the death of a soccer dream. When the going gets tough, find innovative ideas to change your situation,” said Mr Shili.

To enlist iButhcher Ya Kasi services call 073 446 3140.