From cop to diesel fitter entrepreneur

FEGANI Makopa is a 36-year-old diesel plant fitter from Bulawayo’s Nkulumane 5 suburb. His passion lies in inspecting and maintaining heavy vehicles and industrial machinery. In his own words, he says,”I chose this type of industry because of the lack of competition in it”.

Fegani’s enthusiasm for diesel engines began while he was serving as a police officer, a career he held for 13 years before deciding to pursue his passion.

He completed the Journeyman Class 1 course at Bulawayo Polytechnic College from 2011 to 2013 while working as a police officer. He would go to work during the day and pursue his course in the evening.

After completing his course, he did a year of trade tests for his Journeyman Class 1 course under the Ministry of Manpower. He was then transferred to a ZRP transport workshop in Matabeleland North; where he worked as a mechanic before leaving his job as a police officer to establish Technigic Investments.

Fegani established his company in 2018, specialising in diesel engines and mining compressors. He chose to deal with mining compressors because the course he studied included hydraulics, pneumatics and engine building. Technigic Investments, which is also trading as Diesel Technology (D-Tech), has its main branch in Bulawayo, and other satellite branches in Masvingo, Kadoma, Gwanda and Filabusi, among other areas.

Fegani and his team mostly do maintenance and service work on machines such as Atlas Copco, Doosan, Ingersoll Rand and Sulli air compressors.

His company is still in the process of growing, but he is proud of the success he has achieved so far. He has bought a house and acquired various properties through his business.

Fegani says, “I am grateful for the good background that I have of being an ex-police officer because who I am today is a result of the lessons and the grooming that I got there both during my training and years of service. Good discipline was instilled in me and this has made it possible for me to be a successful mechanic who upholds all the important values”.

Fegani deals mostly with small-scale miners in his area of business, but his wish is to get tenders and work with big companies. He faces challenges with space to work on big machines and the complication of having to buy some parts and equipment needed from outside the country. However, his job markets itself well due to the referrals he gets from satisfied customers.

Fegani’s ultimate dream is to expand his company to become one of the big companies around and have more permanent branches in many places around the country.

With his passion and dedication to his craft, it is evident that he will continue to excel in his chosen field. As Fegani says, “I chose this type of industry because of the lack of competition in it”, and he has proved that with hard work and dedication, he can achieve success in any field. — @ReeSibanda