Filling a need to make a living

Small daily gestures can mean a lot to community members and caring about the well-being of your fellow citizens can make you a hero.

So, when Sipho Gumede and Sbusiso Dlamini realised that it costs Tembisa motorists a small fortune to fix the damage caused by the township’s potholes, they decided to do something about it.

The two young men wake up early every day to gather enough soil to fill the potholes that Tembisa motorists are always complaining about.

“These potholes cause damage to people’s cars, so we decided to fill them up,” said Gumede.

“This benefits us and the motorists because we do not charge motorists for passing through but we accept everything they give us as a token of saying thank you,” he said.

The young men said filling the potholes is like a job to them because they get something from passing motorists.

“We’ve tried to get jobs before and the fact is there are no jobs. We sent CVs but we never had any response, so we then decided to come up with a plan. We enjoy what we do because it keeps us away from problems. Here we raise money for food and clothes.”

These young men depend on donations for their livelihood.

“The community appreciates what we do because we don’t steal from anyone.

“We are not criminals,” said Dlamini.

He said even police contribute money as they drive past the fixed potholes.

“We request motorists to support us so we can continue the service we provide. We save the money they give us, as we want to start a car wash one day,” said Dlamini.

Anyone who wants to donate towards the starting of the youngsters’ car wash can find them on Church Street at Kanana Extension 4.

“The donation can be anything from a bucket of water, dishwashing liquid or tyre polish to things like old water sprayguns,” said Gumede.

They said anything will be appreciated and they want to thank those who have dropped one or two coins for their services.