Perhaps it’s time you cleaned your tackies?

Based in Spruitview on Johannesburg’s East Rand, Sakhile Mbatha, 23, and his older brother Manqoba Mthembu, 28, have become entrepreneurs by providing a shoe-washing service, which Mbatha says is “much needed”.

“We started Sizanayo Takkie Laundry in 2007, on 28 July. My brother and I always made a point of keeping our tackies clean, so we thought that why not make a business out of this. We started small and advertised ourselves around our community, Spruitview, by word of mouth. People were sold on the idea and they brought in their tackies. At the time, we only did this on weekends, and we would get like four or five pairs to wash, but now we have grown and we get up to 450 pairs of shoes a month,” said Mbatha.

Made up of five employees, Sizanayo Takkie Laundry is a delivery and collection service and is operated from a car garage at a home that Mbatha and Mthembu are sharing. Since its growth, it now not only accepts tackies, but any type of shoe.

“We do not do same day or next day services. When clients bring in their shoes, they must at least bring them three days before the day they want them back. Our process involves us checking the shoes when they arrive and to determine which products or chemicals we will use to clean them. We then soak them for about 30 minutes, then the washing starts. After that we lay them out to dry. The final step after inspecting again, is the packaging. By packaging I mean putting on the shoe laces, polishing or whatever else that the shoe might need,” explained Mbatha.

The standard amount for a shoe wash is R25 but this may differ depending on the dirtiness of the shoe. For suede shoes or shoes that will need extra care or shampooing, the charge is R53. All shoes are handwashed.

Mbatha said their main aim for the business now was to open a factory where they could operate from. And long term, they want their business and services to be available countrywide. “We have inspired a lot of people with this idea and we know of a few people around Gauteng who have started their own tackie laundries. Our ultimate goal is to be able to supply our services to all nine provinces.”