Nomaseko Ntshongwana | TCB Repair Programme | Cape Town
My name is Nomaseko Ntshongwana and I live in Khayelitsha. I have three daughters who are 18, 15 and 6 years old.
I am part of the TCB Repair programme and I joined in May 2022.
I am the second born in my family. My parents had six children, three girls and three boys. I was married for a long time but I got divorced, so now I live with my children.
A few years after my divorce I lost my job because of a car accident. I could not continue with the work I was supposed to be doing. After that my life became very difficult. I could not provide well for my children and their father did not want to support them. I was miserable, frustrated and felt very stuck.
Then I met a gentleman named Mtshiselwa who told me about Taking Care of Business (TCB). I saw him selling these quality appliances and I was very interested. I wanted to know more and also be able to sell them. He told me when the open day was and I came.
When I arrived, I was honestly expecting to just buy the appliances and go sell them. But when I got here it was totally different because they told me about the classes. I did not expect that and I started to panic because I had to drop out of school before. I have a memory problem due to an illness I had when I was young. But I told myself that I wanted this and that I would do it, so I told myself to stay.
I started with the intro class and the classes continued. I began to love it. Now that I am here at TCB, I see that I am not stressing as much anymore and I have hope every single day. When I am at TCB I get more courage.
I was also depressed and taking pills for it. My journey with TCB has been amazing and very helpful. I also received counselling. My life got better and now I am not depending on my pills anymore.
At TCB I learned a lot about how to handle my business. It is not only about business but also about humanity, being an eagle and being able. I am a better person than before and I now know how to manage my business. The mentorship skills have helped me a lot.
I learned how to repair the appliances that I receive through TCB. I can sell them and also know how to repair them. I also learned computer skills. There is so much to learn at TCB.
My life has changed a lot because I gained confidence that I did not have before.
From the skills and the appliances and homeware from TCB, I now earn my own money from the business that I am running and I can give my children a warm home.
My family’s life has also changed for the better. At home I am the one who is always there for everything, so if I am stressed then life becomes difficult for everyone. I am their helper and their hope. Even though I am not rich, this is not only about money but about being the centre of the family so that everyone is in a good condition.
I love business. I got that from my mom. She used to have a spaza shop and I used to sell sweets at school. As a business woman you set your goals and the time and effort you give to your business is for your own benefit.
Right now I run my business by putting up a stand at the mall where I sell my products, and I also sell online. I do deliveries for my clients.
What makes me unique is that I am true and honest with my clients. I give my clients the best and everything that I do, I do out of love. My clients always come back for more and they recommend me to others. I keep my clients happy. Affordable prices and the quality of my products also make me unique.
I would describe myself as loving, responsible and reliable.
What motivates me is making money and finding new clients. I also feel motivated when a client posts on their status about how happy they are with the product they bought from me.
My dream for the future is to own a big company and to be successful in business, which I love the most.
My advice to others is that if you believe in something and you love it, you must fight for it. Get out there, ask for help and never give up on your dreams and your life.
In life we go through a lot. Sometimes people see us smiling, laughing and chatting but they do not know that inside our hearts are bleeding and that we carry scars. But we also meet people who help us so much, even when they do not know how much they are healing us. What they are doing gives us life again.
I really appreciate all the help that I received from TCB. Thank you so much to Tracy Gilmore. May God be with you now and forever, amen. In Xhosa I want to say: Uyindlezane.
Taking Care of Business (TCB) is a nonprofit social enterprise. We are empowering unemployed South Africans and their families to escape the cycle of poverty through small business opportunities, mostly within the circular economy.
