Once he was walking along the broad path to crime and fraud, but Sabatha Mafani’s life took an unexpected turn when he decided to put his passion for computers and photography to use and not become just another statistic.
Once he was walking along the broad path to crime and fraud, but Sabatha Mafani’s life took an unexpected turn when he decided to put his passion for computers and photography to use and not become just another statistic.
He is now the co-owner of Kaygee’s Info-Shop, a multifaceted business that deals with computers, photography and typing. Mafani dropped out of university after failing his first year at Rhodes University.
“I wanted to be a journalist just like you but my marks were not good enough,” he told this reporter. He was lucky enough to get himself a job, however.
“I chose making quick money over going back to school,” he said. “In December, I got myself a job as a cashier where I worked for six months.”
The decision changed his life as he was eventually fired from his job after it was found that he had been overcharging customers on their credit cards.
“I guess I was just doing it for fun and the fact that I knew so much about computers,” he said. “I fantasised about being a hacker and in a way I was trying to live that dream.”
Because Mafani was a first time offender, he avoided being sent to jail but his hopes for finding another job were dashed.
“The news quickly spread throughout Grahamstown and I knew after that, my chances of finding a job would be nil,” he said.
Faced with the prospect of becoming another unemployment statistic, Mafani decided to turn his love of computers into something positive.
“I loved photography and I had a computer so I started shooting pics of people for special occasions such as weddings,” he said.
“But I realised that it was not enough, so I started typing up CVs for people as well.” “People started enjoying my services so I approached my business partner Kolelwa Gxanasi about doing something together because I wanted to move my services to town,” said Mafani.
“But I think that we chose the wrong office premise,” referring to the fact that their business is tucked away at the back of another building and is not very visible.
Although Mafani has managed to turn his life into a success story, he is not “happy with the way things are because I am supposed to have a degree by now”.
Even though he regards himself as one of the lucky few who have escaped the clutches of unemployment in Grahamstown, he thinks that having a qualification goes a long way in improving your chances of finding a job.
