Love for atchar turns into booming product business

Jabu Malungane is proof that you can turn anything you like into an opportunity to make money after atchar opened doors that led to him being a supplier for a big supermarket chain like Pick n Pay.

After trying his luck in computer science and dropping out the same year he enrolled in 2002, the 42-year-old man realised that the course was not for him and that entrepreneurship was what he was meant to do.

He left his Limpopo home for Johannesburg, started with repairing cellphones, and sold many other things along the way until he settled on atchar.

Not only did he love eating it but he realised that he could also make money from it and so successful has this venture been that today Malungane supplies his Jabu Atchar to Pick n Pay, a big feat for a man who made his first R100 repairing cellphones 21 years ago.

“My love for atchar is unmatched. I got into the business because I would eat it with anything. At home they used to make it but they cooked morogo almost every day and I hated that. I would sometimes have pap and the oil left from the atchar,” he said.

Malungane was in matric when his brother advised him to study computer science, saying there was money in the industry.

On the other hand, his father was convincing him to enrol for a mechanical engineering course.

“Because my father used to teach me how to fix cars, he also expected me to register for mechanical engineering,” he said.

However, Malungane went for computer science and when he failed his course, he fled home.

“I ran away from home because I knew that my dad would fetch his sjambok,” said Malungane.

He arrived in Johannesburg in 2003 and found a shack in Diepsloot.

However, that was all he had. There was no plan for food and necessities.

He then decided to cut out a piece of a cardboard box, wrote “Cellphone Repairs” and hung it outside his door.

“I had no clue about fixing phones. But I managed to get my first two customers. They had blocked their phones and needed PUK numbers.

“I told them to fetch them the day after then I called their services providers to get them (PUK numbers) and changed their passwords.

“They paid me R100 for that,” he said. 

Mlungane said he used that R100 to buy other things that he started selling and it wasn’t long before he put up a “Paraffin for Sale” sign.

“Luckily the paraffin was in demand. The money from this enabled me to type and submit applications for jobs and I ended up working at OR Tambo International Airport as a baggage handler."

After many other jobs at the airport, he later resigned and started selling designer clothes, travelling to China to get stock. 

By 2013 his focus was solely on atchar which he made himself and set up a stall at Birch Acres Mall to sell it.

“People loved my atchar and this made me more focused,” said Malungane. 

However, Malungane would not be at the stall whenever the weather was bad and his customers would complain.

That prompted him to find a place in Tembisa where he opened his own store.

As time went on, Malungane pushed for his product to be in the Pick n Pay outlets.

After his chat with management, Pick n Pay stocked his product and he now supplies over 600 stores across the country.

He has since opened an atchar factory in Olifantsfontein and consumers get to enjoy his chilli and garlic flavoured atchar in Lesotho and Botswana as well.

“My biggest challenge is that as my business grows, money is coming in and I am struggling to handle the growth to ensure that things continue to do well.

“IKhokha has really assisted me with knowing how well it’s doing through its growth booster tools and growth risk assessment tools which check where the business can grow and how. They give a lot of feedback and advice,” he said. '

iKhokha is a fintech company that develops digital tools to help entrepreneurs start, run and grow their business.

His documentary titled Film about Legacy, produced by iKhokha, premiered in Milpark, Johannesburg, on Thursday evening. The 15-minute doccie will tell his journey of building his empire.

“I love telling my story to inspire others, I have this thing in me that always strives for growth and progress. When I told them my story, they were interested and decided that a lot more people needed to see it,” he said. 

IKhokha co-founder and executive head of informal markets Ramsay Daly said when he went to Tembisa in search of entrepreneurs, he was impressed with how Malungane was conducting his business and his success story. 

“We have been opening a series of small business stores around the country. One of the areas we looked for was Tembisa. We have identified it as an area that has potential to open stores. 

“I came across Jabu, who is in the iKhokha network. He is a super charismatic guy, I was impressed with the amount of atchar he was moving in a month and the fact that he was creating opportunities for others.

“I come across a lot of small businesses but only a few of them have shown the level of entrepreneurial expertise that Jabu has,” said Daly.