Prosperity Mukhari has lived up to her name with a successful construction business she started after working as a petrol attendant and overcoming unemployment.
The 28-year-old's business Wikongro had only been going for a month when the Covid-19 lockdown hit but she was able to keep her team of eight workers together despite the economic turmoil.
"I registered my business last year in August but only started working in February. I had brought together a team of people who could do different things such as electricians, plumbers, bricklayers and painters," she said.
The business mainly does tiling, ceilings, building, painting, house wiring, prepaid meter installation, DB box wiring, fault finding, auto start generator installation, security camera installation, electric fence installation, and gate motor repair and installation.
Before starting her business, Mukhari sold handbags imported from China, a business she said was relatively successful and gave her enough money to start her construction company.
The Tembisa-based entrepreneur said she was able to keep her business going during the lockdown because some of her services were deemed as essential. Having a business has also been helpful as her mother lost her job at a laundromat because of Covid-19.
"Electricians and plumbers could work but it was very tough economically. My main priority was making sure everyone had food and the basics. So I sat everyone down and told them the most I could do then was to give them enough money for food," said Mukhari.
Mukhari, who graduated with a national certificate in film and television production at the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (Nemisa) in 2016, struggled to find her dream job. She decided to head to an Engen garage where she applied for a job. Her tenacity and zeal for life had her trending on social media after a woman shared her story.
"I landed an internship with an advertising company but they could not offer me a post. I became depressed, I was applying to jobs and even cold calling for jobs," she said.
Eventually she started selling bags and shoes but the idea for her business came about after her family needed an electrician and were only assisted two weeks later.
"I thought to myself that there has to be more efficient ways to get help. Even now we work at night when people have emergencies so they can get help immediately," she said.
Mukhari services mainly residential homes with contractual work being few and far between.
"It takes time and patience building a company, especially when you are in a male-dominated field. I am still a baby in this industry," she said.
The young entrepreneur said she had bought land in Tembisa and was planning to open a fleet of maintenance centres in the future.
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