Residents encouraged to venture into business

Informal trader Senior Abbey has urged Pretoria residents to come up with innovative business ideas to help fight the high level of unemployment, poverty and inequality.

“We need to do something about our problems emanating from lack of job opportunities,” Abbey, who makes shoes on the side of the street in the city centre, told Rekord.

According to the latest Stats SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey, unemployment has hit a record high of 34.4%, which means 7.8 million people in South Africa are jobless.

The 48-year-old, who has been in the shoe business for more than 14 years, said he believed Pretoria residents could learn a lot from his experience of working hard to fight against poverty and hunger.

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The Ghanaian national said he came to South Africa in the late 90s without any shoe manufacturing skill.

In 2006, he learnt how to produce and repair shoes, thanks to his Ghanaian friend Mohamed Abbas.

“Mohamed taught me everything about making and repairing shoes.”

He said after he successfully completed his training, he started a business and employed several people, including South Africans and foreign nationals.

“Although my business did well between 2007 and 2010, it started to decline in 2011, leading to most of my employees losing their jobs.”

He said although his revenue had dropped significantly, which was also worsened by Covid-19, he was grateful that he was able to pay salaries for the remaining employees and supporting his family.

“I think most if not all business owners want to see their business sustainable and developing.”

He urged residents to focus on coming up with unique ideas of producing products and have a bigger vision of selling them within and outside the country.

“In Ghana, we believe in entrepreneurship. Whether you have a degree or not, we believe that you must have your own business and we do not believe in working for others.”

He said working for someone was good for gaining experience and raising some capital to start a business.

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Abbey is currently working on new ways to improve his business and customer base in order solve his business current problems.

“Coming up with solutions to the problems is the kind of mentality that I would like most unemployed and employed Pretoria residents to adopt in order to develop themselves and the country.”

Abbey produces various types of shoes by hand. He also repairs damaged shoes and modify others to meet specific needs of customers.

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