The Sunday Mail
Metal art is a lucrative business
Daphne Machiri – Leisure Writer
Zimbabweans are, the world over, regarded as hardworking.
Not only the learned have had to devise legit survival means, those that are talented in various fields in the arts and craft industry have done the same.
The latter group, which falls in the informal sector, is playing its part in supporting the Government’s drive of economic empowerment and employment creation.
Graniteside, a hub and melting pot for massive industrial activity, houses many informal traders who enjoy their slice of cake in the nation’s economy.
lt is in the same area that an imposing dark, tall 34-year-old man answering to the name Sober Machawira is found.
He has simply defied the odds.
A holder of basic education, Machawira leads a troop of men who help him navigate the various economic challenges that the country is facing. To date, Machawira has achieved a lot to guarantee him a comfortable life in the coming years. However, he says he still wants more. His is a case of rags to riches.
“I was not bright at school, that I admit, and failure to grasp academic concepts has never been a hindrance to writing my success story,” he said while scratching his chin.
While others prioritise overall education, he prioritises English language as he uses the queen’s language to negotiate with customers that cannot converse with him in Shona, his mother tongue.
His journey began in 1998 when the then 19-year-old Machawira packed his bag with a handful of belongings from Zvimba communal lands, a land that he had known since birth. The destination was Harare.
But he was soon to discover that life in the capital was not as easy as people had told him.
“It was not easy for me to adapt to life in Harare. The life was too fast. I had been told of stories about people who failed to make it big in Harare. I first worked as an art vendor for a German national, Mr Frantz Markus. I used to sell sculptures and as I navigated through the industry I realised that there were opportunities, so in 2000 I left Mr Markus and started my enterprise,” narrated Machawira.
While many artistes in Zimbabwe are stone sculptors, Machawira realised that the stone business had been saturated and decided to venture into metal art.
As they say, Rome was not built in a day, the cliché fits the journey that has been toured by Machawira.
“I use scrap metal in my business. The material comes from car breakers but sometimes those that have old cars approach us and we buy that scrap.”
This type of art is recommended by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) since it relieves the environment of unnecessary waste.
He went on: “Patience is a virtue. Coming from rural areas and making a score in Harare is not easy.
“If you have an entrepreneurial initiative, you can make money out of what others regard as worthless. People need to realise that everything that is around them is important and can be used to make money.”
Machawira added that it is important to utilise opportunities.
“Art is a talent and not everyone is able to express themselves using art. Look at Dominic Benhura and Brian Taurai Mteki, they are surviving on their talent. So there are a lot of things to do in life but one has to have an innovative mind to turn that stone into money,” he explained.
The illegal Western imposed sanctions have resulted in the closure of a number of industries. Thus, self-empowerment is now the route to go.
Realising a minimum income of $2 000 a month, the artiste vows to improve the livelihood of other people.
“There are many people who come here looking for work but unfortunately we cannot employ them at present, hopefully this will change soon. We will only be able to do so after we acquire new welding machines,” he said.The Zvimba-born artiste now boasts of two vehicles and a residential stand that he is developing in Southlea suburbs.
“I am not ashamed because my family is surviving. I have a market stall where my wife spends the day and we are sending children to school. People think that there are no blacks with money to buy our wares, but they constitute the bulk of our customers,” said Machawira.
Government has been encouraging indigenous black Zimbabweans to table business proposals that can be financed through various schemes and initiatives.
This has, however, proven difficult as the loans often take long to be approved.
“We have heard about the loans but unfortunately the schemes have not helped us. If we get them we will be able to buy more welding machines and subsequently employ more people,” added Machawira.
