21 Jan 2016

After a job search that did not yield much, Mr Tshepo Serero opened a small fridge repair and air conditioner maintenance company called Cool Air Proprietary Limited.

The business has been putting bread on the table for his family ever since.

Mr Serero studied air-conditioner and refrigeration repairs and maintenance in Zimbabwe in 2010.

“The only jobs that I got offered meagre pay. I started saving until I bought the necessary equipment and an old Nissan 1400 in order to be able to move around without a hindrance,” he said.

Cool Air specialised in fixing gas leaks for LP and HP gas and compressors, gassing fridges, commercial and industrial ventilation and mechanical butchery equipment repairs, vacuum machines, water coolers, house wiring, LPG installation and CCTV surveillance and installation and repairs, among others.

Mr Serero grew up as an inquisitive child who used to break toys and radio sets just to see the stuff inside. 

Prior to fixing air conditioners, he repaired radio and television sets. 

“I was really good. My customers never complained,” he related.

He currently operates his repair workshop from home while saving money to rent a business space.

Despite the mushrooming of similar businesses, Mr Serero said business was good. 

 His small company employed two persons who mostly worked part-time, particularly in air-con installation. 

Mr Serero planned to seek financial assistance from commercial banks, the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) and the Youth Development Fund (YDF).

“Getting funding will grow the company to have its own offices and permanent employees,” he says. Ends