Pimp my shoes, Mr Tembe

As young as six, Bathole Tembe from Sunsource in Doringkop already had a reputation for his nimble shoefixing fingers and today he is one of the most well-known cobblers in KwaDukuza.

Tembe said the business was started by his father in 1965 in Mandeni and it was inherited by his brother.

“When my brother died in 2015 I decided to take over because the business had become a part of our family and we pray that one day, it will grow into a big and recognised shoe fixing company.”

Tembe has a reputation to maintain at the Stanger Market Plaza where he is based for his excellent way with shoes.

Being fast, and producing quality workmanship, is what brings his clients back again and again.

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“My father taught me how to use the shoe needle at a very young age. I can fix any shoe brought to me and I can say I enjoy it more than anything else.”

He said his father used to look after his 11 children with the money he made by being a cobbler.

That was a sign to Tembe that no matter how small your business might be, if you do it well you can succeed.

The father of three said he is determined to pass the knowledge of his trade on to his own children. One of the businesses greatest challenges is clients who bring in their shoes and never collect them.

“I keep shoes for ten months and if they do not show up, even if just to explain that they do not have money to pay me, I give the shoes to the poor.”

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