School dropout makes own car
High school dropout builds his own vehicle
A Limpopo man has created a red beast on four wheels.
Nkamo Mowa, 32, from Mashite village in GaMphahlele, outside Lebowakgomo, designed and built his own car, which has been on the road for the past two weeks.
Sporting 22-inch wheels, the red car makes a loud humming sound when he switches on the engine. Clouds of dusts fill the air as Mowa speeds down the gravel path outside his home.
Mowa, who dropped out of school in Grade 8, said he started out fixing people’s radios and television sets before creating his first small vehicle last year. The vehicle, which Mowa named Buraki 1, runs on an old motorcycle engine and he said he had travelled as far as Polokwane in it.
This inspired him to pursue a bigger project, which he worked on for five months giving it the name Buraki 2 after a powerful dragon from his favourite movie, Dragon Wars.
“I believe that my car is powerful and strong just like that dragon,” Mowa said.
To build Buraki 2, Mowa bought metal sheets and car paint from shops in Polokwane. The dashboard, wheels and gear box come from an old Ford V6, which he bought for parts. The seats, which are also from an old car, are made out of leather.
It has a five-speed gearbox. He said the longest distance the car, which runs on petrol, has done was just over 60km. The vehicle is not registered with authorities yet but he hopes to do so in the future.
He recalled how he tried looking for employment at some of the automotive workshops in Polokwane but no one would hire him because he did not have formal qualifications.
“I think of this car as my CV because the companies did not want to give me a job. They didn’t believe that I could do it because I don’t have papers. So I decided to build something big to show people what I can do,” he said.
Mowa works in his parents’ yard, which is filled with car and motorcycle parts. Locals also bring in their cars for him to fix.
He said Buraki 2 was inspired by his favourite car, the Jeep, but he added his own distinct design, including a steering wheel that is fashioned from metal chains and a grill that he created himself.
While driving around the village yesterday, girls walking from school screamed and waved at Mowa.
“People love this car. Everywhere I go they stop me to take pictures,” he said.
Sowetan was given a ride in the car. The seats inside Mowa’s ride are comfortable, however there are no seat belts and doors on the side, which makes a passager feel a bit unsettled. Mowa said he hoped to improve his car and perfect it by installing seat belts and other features.
“My dream is to study and have my own workshop one day,” he said.
Meanwhile, Moses Ngobeni from Giyani, who also created a two-seater road monster last year, now aims to start mass production of his vehicles. Sowetan reported about his 250km/h BMW 318is enginepowered creation in March last year.
He has since registered it with the National Regulator for Compulsory Specification (NRCS) and it has also been awarded a roadworthy certificate by the traffic department. Last month he took it for a spin to Johannesburg.
Yesterday he told Sowetan that he was working on creating two crash models of his cars for safety tests so that he can qualify to manufacture them on a mass scale.
‘‘ “People love this car. Everywhere I go they stop me to take pictures