Civic-minded small business offers services during lockdown
Local entrepreneur Mandilakhe Matuwana has not let lockdown restrictions stop him from using his trade to help the community and volunteered to neaten up the premises of East London’s Beacon Bay and Nompumelelo clinics.
After noticing the grass at both premises had been left unattended over the lockdown, Matuwana and his team worked hard to trim the overgrown grass around the buildings free of charge.
“When I was coming from Spargs I saw how tall the grass at the [Beacon Bay] clinic was. I went inside to talk to the clinic manager and asked if they needed a grass cutter.
“She told me it’s normally the municipality that takes care of that, but it’s been a while since it’s been cut, and they are scared of the snakes that might come out from there,” said Matuwana, 26, who grew up in Nompumelelo.
“In the past week I also helped at the Nompumelelo location clinic by cutting their grass. As a believer I see it as a way God is using me to help others,” he said.
Matuwana said he started his business, Mario’s Grass Cutting Services, as a way to earn a living, but also as a way to better his community.
“I started this business because I always wanted to help improve my community. When I saw the clinics were struggling with the messy grass, I saw it as an opportunity to help.”
Having transformed the clinic premises from a shabby and overgrown mess into a tidy garden, Matuwana said that despite being unable to earn an income during levels 5 and 4 of the lockdown, he was happy to offer his services.
“I was not allowed to work during lockdown as grass cutting was not considered an essential service. The lockdown has affected the business badly in that there was no income.
“It has been difficult to cope with no money coming in. I had to use business money to put food on the table for my family, and to make sure my employees also had something to provide for their families,” he said.
“But the feeling of getting to help others gave me great selflove and boosted my eagerness to do more. A lot of people also got to recognise my business.”
Since starting in September 2019, Matuwana has grown his business from a one-man operation with a brushcutter to where he now employs six people and owns all the machinery and equipment needed to render his services.
“I grew from having casual people looking for my services to having permanent customers who are satisfied with my services. And I have since employed six workers — five guys I work with on the field cutting grass and one lady who assists me in all the admin and finance work,” Matuwana said.