Cars are the love of his life

SINCE he was a youngster in Grade 10, motor mechanic Gabriel Ithete always knew what he wanted in life.

At that tender age, Ithete had the guts to tell his father to enrol him in a technical college so that he could pursue his dream of working on motorcars. However, he had to wait a little longer to realise his dream after his parents stalled him and persuaded him to attain a better level of education by completing Grade 12.After matriculating, the determined Ithete enrolled at the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre where he trained as an artisan and graduated after four years of training in 1998 as a mechanic with a National Trade Diploma.During his training at the VTC, Ithete served as an apprentice with several local companies where he gained practical knowledge of the workings of a repair shop.Armed with experience, training and skill, Ithete soon set up T&N Auto Repairs, of which he is the Managing Director.Ithete says he does not do electrical work, only mechanical repairs such as engine overhauls, gearbox overhauls and tyre repairs.Ithete initially ran the business from his backyard, but in 2003 he took the opportunity to expand by applying for space at the SME Incubation Centre, built by the Municipality of Windhoek.Until today, Ithete – together with other entrepreneurs in various trades – operates from the centre situated along Hans Dietrich Genscher Street in Katutura.Ithete recalls how, as a small boy growing up in the North, he was always interested in repairing appliances and gadgets.He says his passion for the work he does today emanated from this hobby during the formative years of his life.”I started out with radios and as time went on I was working on ploughs and tractors on my father’s farm in the North.When my uncle bought a Toyota Hilux, I really became interested in cars and would always volunteer to drain oil and change the plugs.”Ithete says it is sometimes challenging to compete with the established companies in the industry, but being an SME, he offers a different kind of service that is more personal and more affordable to the ordinary person.Ithete and his staff promise to always do their best and Ithete says every customer who has gone through his workshop has been satisfied, as T&N Auto Repairs always strives for excellence.Nothing else seems to excite Ithete, who says he spends every day at his workshop going about his business, and retires home only when a job has been completed.Summing it all up, Ithete says perseverance pays off and hard work can get anyone to the top.He says he is still working his way to the top but, at the same time, he is happy with what he has achieved to date.However, he had to wait a little longer to realise his dream after his parents stalled him and persuaded him to attain a better level of education by completing Grade 12.After matriculating, the determined Ithete enrolled at the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre where he trained as an artisan and graduated after four years of training in 1998 as a mechanic with a National Trade Diploma.During his training at the VTC, Ithete served as an apprentice with several local companies where he gained practical knowledge of the workings of a repair shop.Armed with experience, training and skill, Ithete soon set up T&N Auto Repairs, of which he is the Managing Director.Ithete says he does not do electrical work, only mechanical repairs such as engine overhauls, gearbox overhauls and tyre repairs.Ithete initially ran the business from his backyard, but in 2003 he took the opportunity to expand by applying for space at the SME Incubation Centre, built by the Municipality of Windhoek.Until today, Ithete – together with other entrepreneurs in various trades – operates from the centre situated along Hans Dietrich Genscher Street in Katutura.Ithete recalls how, as a small boy growing up in the North, he was always interested in repairing appliances and gadgets.He says his passion for the work he does today emanated from this hobby during the formative years of his life.”I started out with radios and as time went on I was working on ploughs and tractors on my father’s farm in the North.When my uncle bought a Toyota Hilux, I really became interested in cars and would always volunteer to drain oil and change the plugs.”Ithete says it is sometimes challenging to compete with the established companies in the industry, but being an SME, he offers a different kind of service that is more personal and more affordable to the ordinary person.Ithete and his staff promise to always do their best and Ithete says every customer who has gone through his workshop has been satisfied, as T&N Auto Repairs always strives for excellence.Nothing else seems to excite Ithete, who says he spends every day at his workshop going about his business, and retires home only when a job has been completed.Summing it all up, Ithete says perseverance pays off and hard work can get anyone to the top.He says he is still working his way to the top but, at the same time, he is happy with what he has achieved to date.