SMANGA Zweni started building his own bakkie 10 years ago.
And today the 57-year-old from Botshabelo’s section E in Mangaung is a happy man.
The father of two has been driving the bakkie in his kasi for a few months and already it has become very popular. People stop to ask him where he bought it and no one believes him when he tells them he made the vehicle himself.
The qualified mechanic said he made it with different parts from all kinds of skorokoros and it cost less than R5 000 to build.
He said he became a mechanic after his brother-in-law taught him to fix cars and he resigned five years ago to start his own business. He didn’t have enough money to buy a new bakkie, so his dream to build his own was born.
Smanga told the SunTeam he bought parts for it from scrap yards. It was the most difficult job he has ever done. “I remodelled the engine and it has a petrol tank just like a factory bakkie.”
Smanga said the bakkie was in good condition and is light on petrol. He still needed to take it to the traffic department for a road certificate. “Once I’ve finished all the touch-ups it will pass all the tests.”
His wife Anna (54) said: “He is a good mechanic. I knew his dream would come true one day.”
