Thokozani Khoza: A Taking Care of Business Success Story | Repair Programme (Durban)
My name is Thokozane Khoza. I stay in Umlazi, Durban and have 5 children. I take care of my wife and children. I joined the TCB repair programme in April 2022.
Before I joined TCB, things were not going well since no one was employed in the family. I was stocking clothes at Chinese wholesale and selling it. In February 2022, the whole building got burnt with everything inside; I didn’t know where to get my stock. I do have a matric certificate, and I was working as a casual employee in one of the hotels here in Durban, but after Covid, some of us got retrenched. Things went very bad.
I joined TCB because I wanted to get stock and get my business moving so I could be able to provide for my family. The journey with TCB has not been easy. I am the only provider in my family and with no other source of income sometimes I thought I could rather use that time to work. The thing is, I also realised that I needed to be at TCB for the technical, business, and life skills training. It’s a commitment.
I have learned a lot in business skills, like keeping my business records, marketing my business, conducting market research, and the business funding options available. It’s a very good idea to repair these appliances because they are being sold again to the public at a lower price instead of being dumped into landfills, which can be dangerous to our environment.
I have now changed the way I look at my business. I know who my customers are, where they are, and what they need. And my personal money matters have changed because now I don’t buy what I want but I buy what I need. I learned about money management in the “Me and My Money” training.
My life has changed a lot. I have regained my dignity in my community because now they can see my family is happy, and I am able to provide for them, and my business is growing. I’ve even been able to buy a car to transport my stock.
My family is so happy, and my wife started to believe that we can live with this business.
TCB is a chance for those who could not get a higher education to learn business skills so they can grow their businesses and change the lives of their families. TCB provides us with stock at very low prices to sell at our own desirable price within our own small businesses.
Being a business owner means the amount of effort you put into your business determines how much success you will get out of it. You are driving your own ship. My dream is to have a business that will sell new and repaired appliances and fashion clothes all in one store.
My advice to others is to take a chance and go to TCB or any other institution that could help you get the skills and motivation. Then nothing can stop you.
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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.
