via China ‘invasion’ forced me out: cobbler, 67 – NewZimbabwe 12/12/2015
GRANDPA Alfred Tembo, 67, says the influx of poor quality but cheap Chinese shoes in the country has pushed him and fellow cobblers out of the shoe mending business.
Cobblers used to be a regular feature on street sides and shop fronts in the country’s poorer neighbourhoods; but no longer.
Tembo, who had been in the business for more than 40 years, says he managed to send five of his children to school as well as buy a stand where he built his family home.
Speaking to NewZimbabwe.com at the place that gave him his livelihood in Harare’s Highfield area, Sekuru Tembo does not remember the number of shoes he repaired over the years.
However, the influx of cheap Chinese shoes that cannot be repaired has forced him out of business and now only mends shoes out of interest.
“I now take it as a hobby to repair shoes here and there for my old customers and some bring them at my home,” he said.
“But I managed to send my children to school and two went as far as the university from this business.
“Now most of my clients are women who bring in their high heeled shoes so that I repair their tips.”
He added that he remembers vividly the week before schools opened how school children and parents would queue to have their shoes mended.
“I had to teach my oldest child how to mend school shoes so that I could cope with business before opening day.”
Apart from the cobbler business, Sekuru Tembo also used to be a photographer, but that is no longer viable either.
The advent of new communication technologies in the form of smart phones with cameras that can take quality images meant the end of street photographers such as Tembo.
“I used to be hired for weddings. I would take pictures and process them at Kodak which added to the income I got from shoe mending,” said the grandfather.
“But all has changed Muzukuru (grandchild); these children have the latest smart phones and they no longer hire any camera person to do that job.”
He went on to say that, with age, it was also time to hang up his tools and spend time with his grandchildren
“But kugara chete muzukuru kunonetsa (spending time at home doing nothing is boring and really hard).”
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