The 60-year-old woman from Ndwendwe tribal trust near Durban is the brawn behind a successful brickmaking project run by middle-aged women.
“You’ve got to use your brains to make money,” she says.
Mashazi decided to make bricks seven years ago when she noticed a boom in the building of houses and schools in the community.
“Most people thought I was crazy when I approached women aged between 40 and 60 to go into business with me. They said we?d be too old to do that kind of work,” she laughs.
But 24 women with a spring in their step joined her and they put a business plan into action.
“We each contributed R50 towards materials and decided to give the project three months to succeed,” she says.
The Self Employed Women’s Union (Sewu) heard about the project and sent a specialist to train them in brickmaking.
Seven years later they have customers all over KwaZulu-Natal and are proud that their bricks are being used to help build a nation.
“I’d like to tell all South African women that they are useful and their efforts can help to uplift the economy,’ she says.
She believes that all women, but especially rural women, need to believe in themselves and use their brains to make money. She says some women couldn’t join her because their husbands wouldn’t let them. Her message to such men is that if they gave their wives a chance, they could contribute significantly to the household. She alone has ensured her family can live in a large 10-roomed house.
“We wouldn’t have been able to do that with my husband’s money because he’s a pensioner,” she explains.
Three other women in the project have also used their bricks to build houses for themselves.
The hard-working team is up early to shovel sand from a nearby river before the day gets too hot. The sand is used to make a cement mix, which is poured into brick moulds and left to bake dry in the sun. Each woman takes home R500 a month for her efforts.
Mashazi’s husband, Ezra (65), bursts with pride at the mention of his wife’s achievements.
“Nothing is impossible for her,” he says. “When she wants something she will try her best, no matter how hard things get.
“Men must give their wives a chance to prove themselves, because they can surprise you with the things they can do,” he says.
Sewu helps unemployed women to run their own businesses.
“We help them to develop skills and teach them how to make business decisions and negotiate with customers,” says union spokesperson Khobuso Mthunywa.
The union has 2 500 members in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Western Cape and Eastern Cape. — African Eye News Service