Freezit vendor finds sweet success

MANY people know Pretty Dube, the ever-smiling, hard hustling sweet vendor from Bulawayo. You can never miss her, she is always pushing or pulling a hand-made trolley or carrying a variety of lunch boxes filled with colourful and tasty treats.

At just the age of 31, Pretty has managed to accomplish what most would achieve towards the end of their lives — her business can accumulate a healthy three-digit figure in a month.

Through selling a variety of treats, sweets and snacks, Pretty manages to rent a full house and has a live-in maid and even owns a car. She also has managed to cater for her children, who are both school-going.

Although she smiles, not everyone knows her back story. Pretty, as she prefers to go by, grew up in an underprivileged family, where her mother struggled to cater for them as a single mother.

Although she was young, Pretty says she could tell the pain her mother was going through and offered to help by selling freezits every day after school.

“I started selling freezits when I was in Grade Three. My family was underprivileged and my mother was struggling as a single mother. There are six of us and I am the second. Seeing my mother struggling every day to provide food for us tore me apart. I then asked her to buy me a packet of freezits, which I would sell after school. She agreed, and on my first attempt I sold the whole packet within a few hours,” said Pretty.

She said after selling the packet she rushed home to show her mother how much she had made.

“On the following day it was a similar story, and some ladies advised me where I could find more freezits to restock at a cheaper price,” said Pretty.

She said when she ran out of stock on the third day, she braved it out and set off to the place where she had been directed.

“Ironically on the day I decided to restock on my own, my mother decided to pay me a visit. When she failed to locate me she started panicking and asked people around if they had seen me. They told her they had seen me wander off towards the city centre,” said Pretty.

“She was both surprised and upset, but mostly surprised at how much I had dedicated myself to this. From the three packets I then made 15 and business began to grow.”

As time and fate would have it, Pretty began selling a variety of items.

“I can’t really remember the dates but I was in my early teens. At this time, I was selling roasted peanuts, a variety of traditional fruits, freezits of course and this time I had added sweets to the equation,” said Pretty.

Most would think business was easy for her but it wasn’t.

“It was a very tough mountain to climb and it still is. All I had then was passion and dexterity to pursue this. I am not embarrassed of who I am or what I do,” said Pretty, who says she studied up to Ordinary Level.

Pretty was driven by the desire to ensure that her children never endured what she did.

“In as much as I love what I do but I do not wish to see my children following suit. I do teach them the values of life and take them to church every Sunday, as devout Christians. That is why I strive to manage my life in the manner I do,” said Pretty

She noted that although her business could earn her hundreds of dollars a week, she was faced with many challenges.

“Just like in any other business I too face a lot of challenges. My business is very risky. Many times I have run-ins with police and council officers who take my stock away. That is the major threat to the business and livelihood,” said Pretty.

She said she felt competition was a necessity but players need to know how to play their cards right.

“As it is, I have competition. Some have tried to ruin my name by bad mouthing me. Some even go to the extent of lowering their prices but they have all fizzled out. You cannot have a spite-driven business,” she said.

Pretty says she is grateful to God, family members and church for always giving her the zeal to work. — @petematika