A former convict turned “nurseryman”, an ex-aviation manager who found her passion in sweet treats after her retrenchment and a seamstress who turned a birthday gift into a 25-year-old business: what do these three have in common?
These individuals, from vastly different backgrounds, are among South Africans finding innovative ways to earn a living amid a tough economic climate.
Alan Kruger, Isabella Aucamp and Elaine Botha not only used their hands to turn their lives around but also to help make a difference in the lives of others and spread a little joy in their local communities. Here are their stories.
ALAN ‘PABLO' KRUGER
Two years after Alan Kruger came out of prison, he says he had a Damascene moment that would see him turn his back on his criminal past and resolve to do something positive with his life.
Kruger had a troubled background, growing up in a foster home after the death of his parents, falling in with the wrong crowd and battling substance abuse on and off for years.
It was when he became a born-again Christian that he decided to turn a moneymaking scheme into a passion and a way to make a clean living. So he went house to house in Alberton asking for a donation of plants, which he used to set up a little nursery along the side of the road.
Succulents, ferns and aloe plants dominate the makeshift stand Kruger has created under the name “Pablos”, his nickname.
He shared his journey with TimesLIVE Premium.
“I came from a rough background, I’ve done some prison time and done a lot of wrong in my life,” he admitted.
Kruger and his sister, born and raised in Krugersdorp, lost their parents when he was young and both went into foster care. While his sister was later adopted, he was not so lucky.
The duo kept in touch over the years and eventually reconnected when Kruger moved in with her sister’s adoptive family. “They’ve very loving people, they did a lot for me. I stayed with them for a long time ... but left not so long ago on a bad streak,” he said of her parents.
It was during this time that Kruger started using drugs, but he managed to clean up his act and get a job. Soon after, however, he fell back into addiction and says he got mixed up with the wrong crowd. This led to several stints in and out of jail for six years.
He was released four years ago, but it was only two years after he came out that his salvation helped him put that life behind him. “I did some things I’m not proud of. God corrected me on that ... and I said to myself that’s the last time I’m going to prison.”
Explaining how he started with plants, Kruger said he used to sell some items that he had potted to feed his addiction. Little did he realise then that it would be the very thing that would one day help his recovery.
“This is not a business, I sell plants for R10. My most expensive is R40 for a big one with five different plants. This is about my recovery and showing others that you can turn your situation around.”
His advice to those in a similar position?
“As someone that wants to be helped, you need to take the first step. You can’t just sit and expect everyone else to do everything.”
ELAINE ‘JE LAINE’ BOTHA
When Elaine Botha turned 21, she was gifted a sewing machine by her now ex-husband. At the time, she wasn’t keen on it and didn’t think she’d have a use for it.
This despite her grandmother having been a seamstress who used her skill to help raise four children alone after the death of her husband.
The 63-year-old fondly remembers coming across bridal wear in her grandmother’s room during her visits as a young child. Little did Botha know that she would end up following her footsteps when her own marriage crumbled.
She explained that when she started sewing 25 years ago, she started by “doing little bits and pieces”.
“I started more or less when I got divorced, you know out of necessity you need to make extra money.”
Botha crocheted and did beadwork before venturing into upcycling denim into bags two years ago.
Botha plies her trade on social media and at various markets, including the Tin Road Craft market in Bromhof and the West Rand sewing and craft market. The journey has been filled with ups and downs.
On the upside, she was able to expand her offering over the years and benefit during Covid-19 by making masks.
On the downside, she had to deal with the theft of the car she used to get around, which had all her stock inside.
While turning a profit from the business matters for Botha, seeing happiness on “people's faces when they buy something” is more important.
“I see that joy and I think it’s not always about the money, yes, we need it, but it’s about the joy when you see somebody come and buy something from you.”
ISABELLA ‘CHEF IZZY’ AUCAMP
One of Isabella Aucamp’s subjects in high school was home economics. And while the Brits native enjoyed baking, taking it further at a tertiary level was not an option as there wasn’t any money for that or specialised schools available at the time.
So when she completed matric at 17, Aucamp got a job and for decades focused on that as she married and relocated to Kempton Park.
That all changed when the company she worked for, Metro Cash & Carry, went bankrupt and she got retrenched. Aucamp worked in the company’s flying division as an aviation manager.
Aucamp had to figure out her next step and this came during a trip to KwaZulu-Natal.
“I went to visit some family in Durban, and there was a chocolate and wine festival, and there was an exhibition by the Capsicum culinary school so I went and did my pastry chef diploma.
“I went back to college for a year-and-a-half at 46,” she said.
She was not only the oldest student in her class but was also dealing with menopause.
“It was very difficult, I’ve never prayed as much in my life and cried. You can imagine, I’m 46, going through menopause and going to school with 19-year-old people, that’s horrible,” she recalled.
Aucamp “worked my butt off” and this focus and determination paid off when she passed with a distinction in food and safety.
Upon her return to Gauteng, Aucamp set up shop at her home, where she created bespoke cakes and pastries for friends and family.
She faced stiff competition due to her proximity to big supermarkets that sell similar pastries on a massive scale and at a cheaper price.
“You get people that want cheap cake, but it’s not good. I make everything from scratch, I don’t buy cream. I mix the eggs and oil and butter and I only work on orders,” she said.
The Kempton Park-based pastry chef added she tries not to make her products too expensive by keeping the price markup low and offers discounts to loyal clients.
“Sometimes when it’s people I know that can’t really afford it, I do it cheaper just to help them. Sometimes I do it for free, but I’ve seen now, you can’t really do stuff for free because people take advantage.”
She relies on Facebook and word-of-mouth for advertising. Her page is littered with the baked treats she’s created for various occasions.
While her business is not a thriving one, she enjoys being self-employed and making some extra money for herself.
“I’m not going to get rich, but at least I’m working for myself. To be self-employed is nice because for me time is more important than money. At least I can work around it, I can still help elderly people but still earn a little income to be self-sufficient,” she said.
An added thrill is teaching others her specialised skills. One of her students is her domestic worker, who took an interest in her work and is now learning.
“I would like to expand eventually, especially do more classes. I would like to teach people ... especially women because they still face discrimination,” she said.
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