Candle king finds the light at the end of unemployment tunnel
Johannesburg - There's an adage that goes “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime”. These words ring true for Makatu Tshivhula (24) from Dlamini Soweto.
He has gone from working in a candle factory to owning his own candle-manufacturing business, The Light Candles in Pimville, Soweto, within a short space of six months.
Growing up, Tshivhula had aspirations to become a psychologist and was well on his way to achieving his dreams after graduating from Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha. But unable to further his studies he had to look for a job, any job.
He said, “I came back to this side in 2020, and then I got a job at a candle company where I learned how to make candles and I was taught everything about candles and making candles. I was there for good six months and then I decided to leave so I could start my own business. I only managed to officially open last year February”.
Tshivhula started small as he couldn't afford the candle-making machine right away, but he had a plan.
“When I started, I was using manual moulds. I had a little bit of money saved up and manual moulds aren’t very expensive, they cost about R1000 to R2000,” said Tshivhula.
He used the candles he made from the mould as proof of concept to secure funding to purchase the machinery he needed to scale his production.
“I managed to secure an investor in the form of a silent partner, which helped me to buy the machinery and then after some time I was able to pay her back the money that she put in,” he said.
Tshivhula now supplies all the types of candles you can think of, and his biggest clientele comes from the religious and spiritual community. Some come from as far as KZN, where his biggest market is.
Candles play a big part in African spirituality, being used for many purposes including communicating with the ancestors.
Tshivhula said, “Currently I have a specific niche market, which is like your sangomas, spiritual healers, traditional healers, prophets anyone with a religious and spiritual affiliation”.
His creations are not limited to candles for ceremonial purposes. Tshivhula makes premium quality household candles, scented candles, and pillar candles.
He believes he supplies some of the best quality candles in the market as he imports his wax from Egypt.
While most businesses are feeling the pressure as a result of load shedding, Tshivhula has seen his candle sales increase. It is a double-edged sword though because although his sales have increased, load shedding does affect production so he needs to maximise production during the periods when power is available.
He has big plans for his relatively young business and intends to do his part in tackling the unemployment scourge in South Africa.
He said “It's a huge crisis that we are faced with. Even my peers with more advanced qualifications are unemployed, so I'm also trying to bridge that gap; I'm trying to employ as many young people as I can I just don't have the capacity right now because it’s only been a year, but in the next five years I intend to increase my footprint to every province and employ as many young people as I can.”
“I want to equip them with skills, so they’ll be able to start their businesses. I am such an advocate for starting small but thinking big.”
vusi.adonis@inl.co.za
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