MPHO MUKOSI
Johannesburg - Lindo Mnisi, 31, from Dundonald, a village in Mpumalanga, is the visionary founder and CEO of ANDURA Hardware, a hardware chain established during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in October 2020.
Andura Hardware is a township-based, focused retailer of hardware items like DIY tools and building essentials.
The company has three stores in Kaalfontein, Ebony Park and Diepsloot. The hardware company also sells products through the e-commerce website www.andura.co.za, which has seen massive growth in the number of customers ordering from all nine provinces of the country over the past few years.
“Our mission is to bring hardware stores closer to the people in townships and remote areas. Townships are currently under construction. A number of people are looking at the look and feel of our townships, and as ANDURA Hardware, we want to bring hardware stores closer to the people so they can achieve their goals of improving these communities,” Mnisi describes his contribution to the company’s vision.
Mnisi said operating the stores over the past 30 months hasn’t been without challenges. From fighting through the Covid-19 challenges of hard lockdowns and prices of everything constantly going up, Mnisi says the inconsistencies of electricity have been some of the major challenges encountered by his business.
“Operating a small retail business is challenging. It gets worse when you have to do it while also having to endure load shedding. Having to sit for hours with your computers and point-of-sale systems off and internet connectivity being poor due to load shedding is one of the challenges that affects small businesses like ours, especially in the townships where entrepreneurs cannot afford to get back-up power systems for their businesses.”
Where there are problems, there are opportunities, and Mnisi says ANDURA Hardware is constantly adding a variety of products that will be helpful to customers during the load shedding hours. Products such as rechargeable light bulbs as well as gas-related products.
“Our goal is to bring conveniences to townships. We are working hard to build this business from the ground up and are looking forward to opening more branches in various townships across the country over the coming years,” said Mnisi.
Mnisi said his goal was to grow from within: “We have young people working in hardware and all of them have great minds and are doing their best to grow the business and I believe it is because they understand that the only way to get out of poverty is by working hard.”
The Star