· Pierre Diallo was robbed of his first clippers and mirror, but kept going and now earns up to R1,300 a week from his barber stall.
· The 26-year-old learned to cut hair by watching barbers at a salon while working as a cleaner and now dreams of owning a proper shop.
When Pierre Diallo arrived in South Africa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2021, he had nothing but hope.
The 26-year-old settled in Johannesburg with a distant relative, but it didn’t last. “He told me to leave and gave me R500,” said Diallo.
He used the money to buy a second-hand hair clipper and mirror. With no shop, he tried to set up on the streets, but that brought trouble.
“People think it’s easy to start a business in Johannesburg, but it’s not. Every corner belongs to someone,” he said.
One day, two car guards beat him up and took his clippers, mirror and money. Left with nothing, he found shelter in Doornfontein and started looking for any job.
He ended up cleaning a salon in Braamfontein. “While sweeping the floor, I watched the barbers. That’s how I learned.”
They never let him cut hair inside, so he stood outside his shelter with a new set of clippers and began offering cheap cuts to fellow African migrants.
In 2023, he moved to Orlando East in Soweto and rented a shack. He set up a tent next to a fruit vendor and built a small customer base.
“I open at 9am and close at 7pm. Cuts are from R10 to R80 depending on the style,” he said. His busiest times are weekends, holidays and back-to-school weeks. On average, he makes R1,300 a week.
The hair industry in South Africa is booming, bringing in over R24.8-billion a year. Government is also investing in training. In 2023, Minister Blade Nzimande launched a fully funded hairdressing course at 32 TVET colleges across the country.
Diallo has big dreams for 2026.
“I want to rent a proper space where my clients won’t sit in the hot sun or freeze in winter,” he said.
Pictured above: Pierre Diallo cutting hair outside his shack in Soweto
Image source: Supplied
