Masupatsela

MEN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD
DIRECTED and EDITED by JEMIMA SPRING
TX 17th May 2010

The men who stand along the side of the road looking for work are such a common feature in South Africa’s landscape that we often drive by without giving them a second thought. Many of these men have skills that make them employable, but because they are outside of the formal employment system, they struggle to find work and make a living.

The aptly named, Men on the Side of the Road, which was founded by Charles Maisel in Cape Town is doing its bit to help these men enter formal employment. After years of passing the men on the side of the road by himself, Charles eventually decided to sit down with some of the men to find out what their needs were.

Today Men on the Side of the Road runs 1 000 sites across South Africa, 15 of which are branded and therefore visible to the passing public, who may be looking for day labourers. Many of the sites they occupy today existed before Men on the Side of the Road set up their stands. Men looking for work were already congregating there and people looking for labourers knew where they could find labour. The men waiting for work at the sites voluntarily register with Men on the Side of the Road, who then assesses each man’s skills and checks references. Each registered member receives a membership card that encourages people to hire them because they are no longer hiring someone off the street, they are hiring someone who is part of a formal organisation with verified references and contacts.

Men on the Side of the Road also successfully took out an interdict against the South African Police Service who had been chasing the men away from the sites, preventing them from finding work.

Today Men on the Side of the Road works in three areas, viz. job placement, training and job creation where they try to find projects that will create new jobs, rather than taking existing jobs out of the market.

TO CONTACT OR CONTRIBUTE TO MEN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD:
please contact Charles Maisel on +27 21 461 8376 or email Charles.

TO FOLLOW IN CHARLES’ TRAILBLAZING FOOTSTEPS YOU WILL NEED TO:
- speak to the men standing along the roads where you live and work to find out their needs
- ask the public to donate tools for  the men to use
- formalise the project to facilitate the link between potential employers and unemployed men
- set up branded sites where men can wait and employers can find them
- start skills development and small business initiatives where the men on your project can learn and develop skills

DENZHE ELECTRICAL
DIRECTED by LESEDI MOGOATLHE
EDITED by JEMIMA SPRING
TX 17th May 2010

While working as an electrician, Thomas Munwana saw many qualified men approach the company for work. Invariably these men were turned away because there simply was no work for them. Thomas decided that he could change the situation if he started his own business that would employ electricians. He saved towards this goal over the twelve years he was employed and was eventually able to start his own company, Denzhe Electrical.

Denzhe started small from a cramped office where Thomas stores the files of the contracts he has worked on. In the beginning Thomas and his partner made business cards that they distributed to shops around town. Working without an internet connection, they would also buy government bulletins, scour them and apply for tenders. At times, they did not have money to buy the bulletins.

Denzhe’s break came when they were awarded the contract to electrify Makwarela Stadium in Thohoyandou. This contract helped to inject much needed money into Denzhe and Thomas was then able to act towards achieving more of his goals for Denzhe, including upgrading from his Toyota Corolla to a big bakkie.

More contracts started to come in and their biggest client to date has been the Department of Public Works. With the money Denzhe is making, Thomas has been able to send staff for training where they develop their skills further and obtain certificates of their qualifications.

Denzhe Electrical in Thohoyandou, Limpopo has changed the lives of the men it employs.

TO CONTACT OR CONTRIBUTE TO DENZHE ELECTRICAL:
please call Thomas on +27 82 970 1810 or on 27 15 962 1690.

YOU MAY NOT BE AN ELECTRICIAN, BUT YOU CAN STILL FOLLOW IN DENZHE’S FOOTSTEPS:
- learn all you can where you are working at the moment
- start to save your money for your future business
- plan your future business
- once you have enough savings and a solid business plan, resign from your current job
- get others on board to work with you and pool your resources
- register your new company
- have all the partners apply for loans to fund the buying of the equipment you need
- when things fail, work out new ways to address old problems
- start an internship programme to attract qualified students to help with training more people
- approach the local municipality for jobs for your interns

SCREEN GRABS FROM THE MEN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND DENZHE ELECTRICAL STORIES: