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Tafadzwa Chibukwa, Chronicle Reporter
AFTER having worked many years as a machinery operator at Monarch Steel, life came to a standstill for Mr Amon Madeu from Pumula North suburb when he got injured at the workplace.
In 2019, Mr Madeu’s hand was mistakenly stuck in a steel cutting machine at Monarch Steel which resulted in him losing his hand to the ordeal.
While most thought all hope was lost or that his life had come to an end, Mr Madeu who is resilient worked towards proving society wrong.
Losing a hand did not mean that he would stop fending for his family; that is when he utilised his shoe-making skills.
In an interview with Chronicle recently, Mr Madeu said the accident came as a setback to his life.
He said even though it happened unexpectedly, he had to find other ways to fend for his family.
“I worked for many years at Monarch Steel but my journey there came to a halt in 2019 when I lost my hand after it was cut off by one of the machines I was operating at the company. The incident hit me hard to a point where at times I would not believe that it happened but well, as a father I had to look for other means to make money,” said Mr Madeu.
Having been equipped with shoe-making and sewing skills at Jairos Jiri during his youthful days, Mr Madeu had no idea that the skills would one day come in handy.
Today, he is a full-time leather shoemaker who operates in the city centre along Fort Street and Eleventh Avenue.
Mr Madeu said he was glad to have acquired skills that came in handy.
“I had always been versatile and was not reliant on one craft. If I had not ventured into other fields and tried my luck, I would have been wailing about my loss but here I am, life is moving on and I am doing something that is putting food on the table,” he said.
Mr Madeu makes leather shoes, sandals, belts, and farmer shoes as well as repairing shoes at his stall in the city centre.
He said he buys leather from the industries after which he cuts and designs his shoes for resale.
“I have been in this business for almost six years now and I must say that it is a highly demanding field of work. I need to go and purchase the leather I use for production from the industries and transport it to my place of work where I design shoes from people’s orders,” said Mr Madeu. –@Sagepapie14
Bongani Ndlovu