By Mpheni Tshivhase
- Tirhani Mashau resigned from New Way Motor and Diesel Engineering after 23 years to start a kota business in Soweto.
- Vanessa Mukantsi, one of three employees at Tirhani Fast Foods, says the job let her regain the dignity she lost.
Tirhani Tryphina Mashau worked 23 years at New Way Motor and Diesel Engineering. Seeing how little her provident fund would pay out made the decision to leave feel shocking, but it gave her the courage to start over.
Mashau, 62, lives in Diepkloof Zone 2, Soweto. She launched her kota business in 2010, after learning the trade from her sister-in-law in Tshiawelo, who ran a successful food business for years.
It was not easy at the start.
“I had never envisioned myself as an entrepreneur. I had so many challenges, making profits, making losses and not knowing when to increase my prices. It was very daunting,” she said.
It took her ten years to properly understand the business. She kept going. “Now I have found my feet because my business is still operating,” she said.
Her business, Tirhani Fast Foods, employs three young women. One of them, Vanessa Mukantsi, says the job changed her life.
“I had been looking for a job but there were no opportunities. Through this job, I am able to regain my dignity and buy what I need as a person,” she said.
For Mashau, creating jobs is one of the most rewarding parts of running her business. “It fills my heart with joy that I get to make a difference in people’s lives, as they are able to put bread on the table,” she said.
Her kotas sell for R25, R27, R29, R31 and R37. New competitors keep entering the market with cheaper prices, but Mashau refuses to drop hers.
“I sell quality food, and the customers return after realising that the food they were chasing at a low price was not the best quality,” she said.
Mashau hopes to expand if she can raise capital, which would mean creating jobs for more young people.
Pictured above: Tirhani Mashau outside her stand, Tirhani’s Fast Foods, in Soweto.
Image source: Supplied
