Meet Sikelela, a fellow that I have been trying to find for several months.
As luck would have it, he rang our bell...and I was home.
Why was I looking for him?
He paints house numbers of driveways, and I wanted him to do ours.
I sat and chatted with him as he worked.
I wanted to find out more about this self employed entrepreneur.
More specifically, I wanted to hear how his business had started.
Sikelela comes from Durban and it was there that the idea was born.
A police reservist friend had been complaining
that when they were called out to a property, it was often difficult to find
as there were no visible street numbers.
The idea was born and a market identified...
A business in a bag!
All that is required can be carried in this shoulder bag.
Paints,stencils and brushes.
As all the numbers are done in the same size,
only one set of stencils is required.
His attention to detail is precise and he is proud of the product that he produces.
He is not the only person offering this service,
but he is certainly superior to other work that I have seen in our street.
He also tells me that unlike the local taxi industry, which is fighting with Uber,
no such animosity exists between painters.
The number was not quite to his satisfaction,
so it was "modified" until he was happy
The numbers were laid out and correctly spaced before the actual painting began.
An important step, otherwise it means starting from scratch.
And the correct paint is used in order for it to withstand the Highveld weather conditions.
No cheap "primer" used...top quality road marking paint is utilised.
A steady hand was required to fill in the gaps left by the stencil.
He applied at least four coats of the white paint until every nook and cranny had been filled.
This Chev trundled past...
Not a vehicle that is often seen in the streets of Linden.
A toot and a wave from the driver as I snapped this image.
Completed in about 45 minutes!
Sikelela comes to our suburb all the way from Germiston,
and I am hoping that more people will utilize his services.
It is difficult for him to find work during the week as home owners are at work.
Weekends means that people are home,
but he does have to hustle to drum up business.
He charges R150.00 and can be contacted on 061 262 8832.
His dream?
To one day have a bakkie and a team of painters working for him.
He has recently resigned from his job at an insurance call centre
and he explained that he now offers this service on a full time basis!
A brave move indeed...
"I no longer want to make money for other people" he told me.
Let us support this budding business man.
Support local, support Linden.
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They can do the same for YOU!
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