By Everson Luhanga
- Ockert Du Preez had no sales for six months. The first order brought in only R400. He did not quit.
- Caterking operates from Ormonde Shopping Centre in Johannesburg South. It employs four people and supplies equipment to help small businesses.
Ockert Du Preez started Caterking 12 years ago with a second-hand laptop and R600 worth of data.
He ran the business from a home office. There was no safety net. For six months, there were no sales.
When the first order finally came, it brought in only R400.
Du Preez did not quit. His wife encouraged him to keep going.
He believed that if he built something himself, he would value it more and work harder to make it survive.
Today, Caterking operates from Ormonde Shopping Centre in Johannesburg South. The business employs four people.
Du Preez describes his staff as more like family than employees. Their survival is tied to the business. If Caterking struggles, they all struggle.
“It has been stressful but we push on. We don’t give up,” he said.
Caterking focuses on helping other small businesses stay alive. Its customers include people running side hustles, first-time entrepreneurs and established catering businesses trying to stay afloat during tough economic times.
From kota shops to ice cream sellers, Caterking supplies equipment so people can focus on earning a living.
“We need you to operate your business and not have stress about your business,” Du Preez said.
Nothing has been handed to him. Every step has required patience and sacrifice.
He believes that worrying about failure is less dangerous than never trying at all.
“If Caterking survives then we all survive,” he said.
For Du Preez and his team, survival is not just personal. It is about keeping families fed and helping a wider community of small businesses push through each day.
Pictured above: Caterking founder Ockert Du Preez at the business premises in Johannesburg South
Image source: Supplied
