Woman who lost husband, son now a panelbeating whiz
Mmaselelo Malatji, 56, from Modubung village outside Tzaneen, works from home and specialises in welding, panel-beating and spraypainting.
“I started fixing cars after my eldest son and husband died. I am now earning a decent income from doing this,” said the mother-of-five.
Mmaselelo said she was married to a panelbeater who fixed cars, while she made and sold clothes to supplement the family income.
“I used to watch him working and thought I could do this,” she said.
When her husband died in 2000, her eldest son took over the family business, but he died the following year.
“Customers would bring their cars for spraypainting, not knowing that my son had died. When I told them I would do the job, they had doubts, but they were happy with the results,” said Mmaselelo.
The energetic woman fixes all kinds of vehicles and charges up to R10 000 to do major repairs. She has two full-time employees, and her plan is to register her panelbeating service as a formal business.
“I would like to build a place where I could work in. Now I work under a tree, which is a problem when it rains,” she said.
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