In today's changing world, young people should consider vocational education to create their own jobs and sustain themselves. This is the message from 65-year-old Dickson Shandukani Nemalili, a self-taught village engineer who has built his own grinding mill from scratch.
Nemalili, from Hamakhuvha Ndarieni village near Matatshe, told Limpopo Mirror that he had left school in what had then been Standard 3 because his family could not afford the 40c school fees. "I had to help the family by working in the fields and looking after livestock. I also did odd jobs like selling firewood and grass for thatching. When I realised I was growing up, I decided to go to Johannesburg to look for work," he said.
In Johannesburg, he first worked at unblocking sewage pipes before finding work underground as a labourer at the mines. In the early 1990s, he returned home, working as a bricklayer and later teaching himself welding.
As a father of eight, Nemalili soon realised bricklaying jobs were becoming scarce and he needed another plan to support his family. "A friend gave me his broken generator. I didn't have money, but a local motor mechanic fixed it for free. Using my welding skills and scrap metal, I built a stand for the generator and assembled parts to make a small grinding mill. I carried it around in a wheelbarrow, grinding maize for villagers," he explained.
He later built a bigger grinding mill, using old generator parts, pulleys, bearings and a fan belt, connecting it to the electricity grid. The mill can grind a 25-litre bucket of maize meal in just six minutes. "Electricity is expensive, but I would rather do this than sit at home with nothing. The challenge is that everything I've used to build the mill is old and from scrap metal. I would appreciate help from Good Samaritans — a bigger generator would allow me to grind more maize meal in less time," he said.
His son Rudzani, who is in Grade 11, says he is proud of his father. "My dad didn't have the chance to further his education, but he is naturally gifted. When he's not around, I help by operating the grinding mill because it's our only source of income. I hope to follow in his footsteps and pursue vocational education," he said.