16. Ayanda Mkhize & Masakeng Car Wash
After going to the car wash various times to look for Ayanda and Kabelo unsuccessfully, we finally bumped into Ayanda unexpectedly when making a drive by near the car wash. His face lit up when he saw us and indicated that he was very happy to share his progress with us. Upon asking Ayanda, he indicated that he and Kabelo each went to their respective homelands for a brief break and closed the business temporarily for a few weeks. Ayanda went to the Natal Coast in the southeast, while Kabelo went to the Limpopo province in the north. Ayanda indicated that he had been back for one day in Alex but shared that Kabelo has decided to move permanently from Alex to the Limpopo province for personal reasons.
Since his return from Natal, Ayanda has reopened the car wash and has found a new business partner. They have managed to implement most of the recommendations including opening a bank account and saving money daily. They also printed business cards which they give to clients to contact them and give to others. They further implemented loyalty cards which require 10 washes to get a discount wash.
They have also managed to get the water pressure pipe and that has pulled many customers for them as they have an advantage over other car washes. Ayanda considers the color-coded uniforms they wear according to specific days to also attract more clients for them as they look professional. He estimates his customer base to have increased to around 150 cars monthly. Ayanda indicated that they are planning to save at least R2500 every month which they will share some of the money during December as a payment. They are facing challenges with water cuts and loadshedding and have to suspend operations during these periods.