WeeklySA_AdminPARTNERSHIPS: Three cousins’ motor repair venture receives timely boost from government
By Thuli Zungu
Two months ago Weekly SA Mirror published an article about three cousins who had established a thriving motor vehicle repair venture through which they were also nurturing aspirant mechanics.
The good news, according to one of the three men, Bongani Shoba (50), is that their company, JBL Engineers, has since registered with the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (MERSETA) and their company has been placed on the Seta’s now service provider’s database.
Shoba added they are waiting for the discretionary grant window to open in October so they could apply for funding and start training several youths whom they have identified for an apprenticeship programme. Shoba says they would also be taking some of their youthful employees whom they had mentored informally over the past ten years to acquire South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) accredited artisanship qualifications at the Makwakwa Artisan Training Centre in Alberton, Ekurhuleni, with which the cousins have struck an education and training partnership.
“The first preference will be the youths who are already studying engineering, and we would then take the youngsters who are loitering in the streets,” Shoba said, adding that they have also clinched a contract to provide mechanical repairs to government vehicles.
Shoba says Wesbank Auto, a financial services provider, had won a government tender and had later approached him to help in servicing Government vehicles, most of which are South African Police Service vehicles.
“After our story was published miracles happened,” Shoba said, adding that their client base had increased, and they were also expecting business from the local community health care facilities. Shoba says it is for this reason that they will need to take a certain number of interns. Shoba said the JBL Engineering has signed a memorandum of understanding with several Gauteng-based technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges, from which the company receives interns for on-the-job training.
As their business grew, the cousins moved from the small yard of their Meadowlands, Soweto home to a disused coal yard, near their house, before relocating to their current base, also in Meadowlands, which is adjacent to the vandalised Meadowlands Men’s Hostel.
Shoba says he has been sharing the enlightening information Weekly SA Mirror had shared with him in June, and that their buddies had taken heed of the advice. He advises other small business owners to seek information that could enrich them and improve their various ventures.
“Weekly SA Mirror was an eye opener to us, much as we know of the existence of the Seta’s we did not know how much more they could empower businesses,” said a grateful Shoba.
