ALMOST hidden in the
mad rush of downtown Harare, Steso Motor Parts, a local enterprise established
and run by a local entrepreneur, Stephen Mukuku (43), can easily escape notice.
His office walls —
which give off a faint scent of engine oil — are lined with car parts.
Mukuku has managed to establish a solid customer base
in an overcrowded business environment through specialisation in Mitsubishi
spares.
“I decided to focus on
the Mitsubishi because it’s a very good product,” he says.
“It’s unfortunate that
its image has been tarnished locally because in Zimbabwe there is no back-up in
terms of competent mechanics and the spares.”
Our interview is
briefly interrupted by a middleman seeking a car part on behalf of a customer
at a cheaper price so he can add a profitable mark-up.
After protracted
negotiations, a deal is struck. Negotiation dexterity is priceless in the
business, Mukuku says.
His mobile phone rings,
for the umpteenth time, and he attends to a client at the other end of the
line.
Mukuku says most of their products are imports because
genuine parts are hardly available on the local market, unless if a Mitsubishi
is broken up
With experience in the
motor industry spanning 25 years, he says the ace up his sleeve is
specialisation in original parts at a time when pirated parts are awash on the
market.
“Most of these vehicles
have original parts, but most of the spare parts on the market are pirated and
these are not very good brands,” he says.
Mukuku says he is
recording good business despite the many car parts dealers in downtown Harare
because most of the dealers sell small accessories like filters while he
specialises in “hardcore components”, including gear boxes, carburettors and
fly wheels.
His experience in the
corporate world — where he started off as a motor mechanic at Amtec in 1986 and
ended up as a workshop manager with Nissan Clover Leaf in 2004, has
brought much value into his own business, especially in terms of good corporate
governance and personalised relationships with customers.
He says the business has been so profitable and there
was great potential to transform it into a multi-million-dollar enterprise,
having drawn customers from as far as Bulawayo, Mutare and Beitbridge.
Continuous research
blended with an enterprising spirit has made his company a force to reckon with
in the industry.
“For three years, we
looked for Mitsubishi RVR Diesel 4D68 rockers and we could not find them even
in Japan. “But we persisted and finally had them manufactured and brought them
into the country. We are probably the sole supplier of the product in
Zimbabwe,” he says.
Mukuku says although small-scale entrepreneurs face
challenges in accessing loans for working capital from banks, they play a
significant role in the economy.
“We are helping to
drive the Zimbabwean economy. We are the ones keeping the wheels turning. Every
company relies on its fleet (of vehicles). If your fleet is grounded, you
can’t do business,” he said.
Small players in the industry, he added, have an edge
because they bring in parts quickly without any bureaucratic bottlenecks.
Born in 1969 in a family of four, Mukuku is married to
Linda and they have three children. Both are pastors with a local church.
Mukuku says his faith
has helped him keep his head above water in an industry where temptations to
engage in unorthodox business practices abound.
“We maintain business
integrity,” he said, adding that while the gospel of prosperity is biblical,
people need to understand the importance of hard work. – NewsDay
