Katima Mulilo
Eris Chicolo Masule took it upon herself to start a dry cleaning business in Katima Mulilo where previously there was no such service.
Unlike those who fold their hands, moaning and waiting for ‘manna’ and free handouts, she could not afford to sit on her laurels.
Before the industrious fifty-year-old resident of Makanga in Linyanti constituency ventured into dry cleaning, Katima Mulilo residents used to courier their clothing to Rundu or Windhoek, where their suits, shirts, dresses and trousers could be dry-cleaned and pressed.
Such an arrangement was time-consuming and came at great cost, because the round trip from Katima Mulilo to Rundu is N$1 000, while the round trip from the north-eastern town is around N$2 450 kilometres, which is too much just to have a suit, shirt or skirt dry-cleaned.
Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing using a chemical solvent other than water. It involves specialised irons, professional steamers and commercial dry cleaning machines.
When Masule ventured into the dry cleaning business in 2008 she initially operated from a room at Cowboy, where she was allocated a room by a relative. In 2009 she secured a room in Ngweze, but had very few customers and could barely generate enough money to pay the rent.
She eventually got a place at KM Electronical Centre in Katima, where she operates alongside people repairing fridges, radios and TV sets. Her business seems to be gradually thriving. She even dry-cleans for people from Sesheke in neighbouring Zambia.
She charges N$30 for dry-cleaning and pressing a shirt, while for trousers she charges N$40 and jackets N$60. For blankets she charges N$180. For cleaning sofas she has a specialised machine suited to such a delicate task, for the use of which she charges N$600.
She currently employs two men and two women. She feels the one drawback is the location of her business, as it is located a bit far from the centre of the town, which means fewer customers, less income.
With earnings from her business she is able to pay her four children’s school fees and also support three brothers and three sisters. Additionally, Masule provides for her elderly mother and father. She is also responsible for the family’s cattle herders and other workers.