Jerry Mathias plies his trade in Windhoek’s central business district. You can usually find him around the Game Shopping complex in the centre of Windhoek where he fixes car windows and windshields. Mathias, whose company is called MJ Window Screen Repairs, has been doing this since 1995 and during this time he says he has accumulated invaluable experience to the extent that he provides a workman’s guarantee of six months on all his jobs. 

“I can repair most windscreen and windows depending on the extent of the damage,” said Mathias. What makes his business unique is that he is always willing to negotiate on the price he charges; the more cracks that need to be fixed, the more chance that you will pay less for each repair job. For instance, if there are numerous chips or cracks that need fixing, Mathias’ price becomes flexible and he could charge you as little as N$100 per crack or chip. However, if there is only one place to be fixed then his price is a standard N$150 for small damage and up to N$350 or N$400 for long cracks or big chips. 

“I also do callouts and can go wherever the customer is,” said Mathias. The entire repair process usually takes about 30 minutes, which includes time for the resin he uses to properly cure.