Meet Peter Muduhwa’s hairstylist

Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Reporter
AT only 14 years old, Nqobani Siziba has mastered the art of cutting, dressing, grooming, styling and shaving men and boys’ hair. In fact the young lad already boasts of two years’ experience as a barber.

While most of his peers spend most of their free time fidgeting joysticks and poking the buttons of their PlayStations, Nqobani will be perfecting his artistry as a barber — a rare commitment and exhibition of workmanship for someone of his age.

At first sight, the place where the young barber practices his trade at the sprawling suburb of Old Pumula, one of Bulawayo’s oldest habitats resembles one of the shacks at a squatter camp. However, as the adage goes “don’t judge the book by its cover”, the makeshift barbershop might be a ramshackle made of heavily corroded zinc sheets and partly covered with nearly worn out canvas and worse still the boyish look of the barber makes one frets having their hair or shave done there. However, wait until the young Nqobani “miraculously” runs his tools on your hair to prove his mettle and artistry with the blade, thereafter you would appreciate his ingenuity.

The 14-year-old Pumula South Secondary pupil ventured into the profession last year while in Grade Seven at Dumezweni Primary School after admiring the trade from one “KB” whom he now assists in the business.

“I started this trade last year after admiring KB. I asked him to teach me and it didn’t take me much time to master some of the styles,” he said.

Nqobani even brags that in a year he might be a “personal” hair stylist to a handful of luminaries from his hood such as Highlanders FC young defence stalwart, Peter Muduhwa and utility player Julius Daudi who are dressed by his mentor.

Muduhwa’s exploits have even caught the eye of former Highlanders and 2002 Soccer Star of the year, Dazzy Kapenya whom his play is enlikened to.

To his credit Muduhwa was described by the former Bosso and Warriors great as a “very brilliant player”.

Nqobani reckons that despite Mudhuwa’s stocks rising on the local soccer scene he remains humble and rarely talks about his attributes on the field of play when he visits the backyard barber for his hairstyle.

“KB styles (Peter) Muduhwa, Julius (Daudi) and a number of celebrities that live in my hood. Muduhwa is a very reserved guy, he hardly speaks about soccer and he is not pompous at all. That’s why he does his hair here instead of going to an upmarket barbershop,” said the gleeful young boy.

Barber shops are mostly places of social interaction and public discourse. In most instances, barber shops are also public forums. They are the locations of open debates, voicing public concerns, and engaging citizens in discussions about contemporary issues. Of course Nqobani’s barber shop is one such place.

Judging from the thrills, which the teenager exhibits of the exploits of being Muduhwa’s barber in the near future one might think he entertains prospects of styling the world’s most expensive soccer player — Paul Pogba.

In the hairdressing world bragging rights of being a “personal hairstylist” to a celebrity is more of an ultimate prize.

“I am still learning the ropes of the trade because I’m still to master some of the haircuts but next year I believe I will be able to style Muduhwa,” said Nqobani.

The young fella already dreams big about taking the profession he assumed at a nascent stage to another level.

“In future I intend to set up my own barber shop because I have passion in this trade. At the moment I get some substantial amount of money which goes a long way in assisting my family which comprises three of my siblings,” he said.

His mentor and partner:

“Some of his peers have started indulging various delinquencies and spending time at the barber shop has made him refrain from these nefarious acts. He however, has to also dedicate his energies to his academic work,” said KB.

A number of people have resorted to having haircuts or shaves at backyard barber shops owing to the prevailing biting economic situations. The number of these shanty barber shops have sprouted mostly in high-density suburbs as a number of people, mostly youths seek to eke a living.

Most of the backyard barber shops are run by those that were once employed at hair salons situated within the Central Business District. Although one might be assured of getting a cut or shave similar to the one from an upmarket barbershop their biggest undoing is lack of requisite sanitisers and unhygienic conditions.

@DNsingo