Unstoppable dream

Charity Ruzvidzo Business Reporter
LAZARUS Bafana is a small scale Bulawayo businessman who majors in furniture manufacturing and upholstery.
Dropping out of school at Form One because of financial challenges was painful for him.He nonetheless, resolved to look ahead and sought ways of making a name for himself by fighting his background of poverty.

Today, Bafana, 34, is a proud owner of Rebutars, a company he set up in 2009 at Kelvin industrial area.

His is a story of a man of humble beginnings who desired to make things happen and fought for it.

Armed with a Grade Seven certificate from Mtshede Primary, Bafana only proceeded to Form One at How Mine in 1993 and did study any further.

The next three years saw him hopping from one plot to another in his rural home of Esigodini, doing different menial jobs in a bid to provide for his mother.

In 1997, Bafana moved to Bulawayo where he got a job at Vitafoam Company as an apprentice for three months before being fully employed for three more years.

“I never knew my father since he moved to Bulawayo while l was very young. I couldn’t finish school as there was no money.
“I later reconnected with my father after three years of doing different jobs in plots and he secured me a job at Vitafoam,” he recalled.

Bafana said he left Vitafoam in 2001 and enrolled for a one year auto-electrics course at the Bulawayo Polytechnic.

Fate had not finished with him as he failed to secure any job after completing training.

“I went to the Bulawayo Polytechnic with hopes of getting employed at companies that majored in auto electrics after finishing my studies. But my hopes were destroyed when l failed to get a job and l took solace in running a flea market in the city,” he recalled.

Using proceeds from the flea market venture, Bafana said he managed to raise capital to buy machinery and start up his own company.

“My very first order was from a friend who worked at Telecel. He ordered sofas. It was my first order so l put all my efforts trying to prove to my potential customers that l had the capacity to manufacture furniture.

“My friend was pleased with my end product and l managed to attract to myself quite a huge customer base,” said Bafana.

The firm manufactures wardrobes, doors, tables and does wooden ceiling fittings and school furniture.

“Business is very low at this time of the year since most people are thinking about school fees. I work with four employees who assist in the manufacturing of furniture,” said Bafana.

He said the major challenge they faced was the influx of cheap imports in the country.

“Our biggest challenge in the manufacturing industry is competition posed by cheap imports. People have no money due to the economic challenges in the country. Thus, they would rather buy the low standard furniture and we’re left with no business,” he said.

Bafana urged the government to implement policies that will revive the economy and promote growth of upcoming businesses.

“The government should try to revive the economy through implementing the turnaround strategies in the Zim-Asset strategy.  As small scale business people we feel financial assistance is indeed critical yet it won’t be any good for me to expand my company and increase production when the general public is not able to buy my products,” he said.

Bafana encouraged Zimbabweans to support the local industry and help reduce imports.

“We can only develop if locals support our businesses. Zimbabweans must support our businesses in order for employment to be created in the country,” he said.