WeeklySA_AdminBoost:Course funding could be secured through nsfas, depending on the parents’ affordability
By Bongiwe Mkhwanazi
Weekly SA Mirror was minding its business when we came across a passionate Sowetan coffee machine repairer, Thabo Seroto a 47-year-old male from Meadowlands Soweto.
Seroto’s dream is to start a private school in his neighbourhood where he could train youth to become coffee machine technicians instead of loitering in the streets. He currently employs two young men aged 20 and 23, but before COVID 19 was disrupted and killed he had 9 youngsters he was offering on the job experience. He said he operated his business at Olympic Center in Boksburg, before relocating to his garage where he now operates from.
“I had a staff complement of 9 youngsters and lost 7 of them as they were based in Boksburg,” he said.
Seroto has a huge clientele and only these two youngsters to help him cope with the workload. His clientele ranges from petrol stations, hospitals, restaurant and coffee shops, gyms and the lack of human resources make it difficult for him to deliver on time, he said.
Seroto also lost clients because most of the business people worked from home and some still said
He said he charges clients according to the size and the service required. He also trains his clients and equip them on how to troubleshoot these machines before I take them in for repairs, he said
Seroto gained added experience for training from Holland, France and in Germany who gave them certificates of attendance after they trained him in these different products of coffee machines
He acquired coding skills and can now repair, and refurbish any type of coffee machine.
Seroto told Weekly SA Mirror that he now wants to take these youngsters to a Further Education and Training (FET) college that offers a diploma in mechanical engineering and was not aware that Nsfas funds such students. Seroto also supply coffee to his clients, he said
Speaking about his qualification he said he went to a technical college in Johannesburg before he joined a coffee machine company as a driver. Within three months he was promoted to do sales and later he was trained to repair these coffee machines, he said.
The company that he worked for was the importers of Reneka coffee machine and Gavrilo Coffee machines and now he repairs all types of coffee machines and his company is now one of his clients, he said.
After he gathered his 4 years’ experience as a sales person and a coffee machine mechanic then later, he decided to start his own business.
His Prestige Coffee company is registered with CIPRO he operated at Olympic Centre in Brakpan before he moved back to Soweto due to the outbreak of Covid19.He said he is in a process of sorting out his tax certificate adding that Covid-19 interfered with this process and hopes to get it done before the end of this month.
“If I could get funding, I could employ many young people, impart knowledge while expanding my business,” said a father of two.
“I would also like to also upskill older technicians who lack skills on how to do coding,” he said.
To expand his business, he wants to start roasting coffee, he said.
He will soon register a course in Coffee Mechanics Roastery to improve his skills, he said.
“Coffee is the second most popular drink after water world-wide, I want to get a coffee roasting machine instead of buying the ready-made one,” Seroto said. Weekly SA Mirror visited the Molapo Technical Vocational Education and Training TVET and were told many people are still unaware of the study opportunities the government has provided through TVET colleges. The benefit of that will equip youth with the skill that they need to find employment in South Africa.
On inquiry at their registration centre Weekly SA Mirror was told that these youngsters could register for a Mechatronic certificate. The full-time duration is three years, but learners could also do it piece meal which could be completed within three months. These learners are funded by Nesfas depending on the affordability of the learners’ parents.
Molapo is now open for new applications. WSAM was told that a learner who has not proceeded beyond grade 9 could do N1 to N3 which translates to grade 9, 10 and 11 in a year,
The learner could then proceed to N4, N5 and N6 and on completion of N6 students need to complete 18 months practical experience before graduating.s practical experience before graduating.
