But 32-year-old Phomolo Motinyane is not done yet as he has almost completed building a helicopter…also from scrap iron!
Mohau Serabele
Maputsoe
He could only go as far as Standard 7 at school, which he could not even complete due to poverty, yet 32-year-old Phomolo Motinyane has stunned the industrial town of Maputsoe by creating a fully functional car out of scrap metal.
On Tuesday this week, Motinyane of Maputsoe Ha Mathata was driving the vehicle around his neighbourhood while blasting famo music from a radio neatly fitted in the car in a spectacular scene that drew scores of onlookers.
“This car is a darling to me; I have given it the name Phiri (Hyena),” Motinayane said as he proudly showed this reporter the green-coloured vehicle.
Motinyane explained he decided to call the car a hyena because of the animal’s “struggle to survive” in the jungle.
“Just like a hyena, I have struggled a lot and this car symbolises the hardships I have gone through in my life,” Motinyane said.
Born in a poor family of three siblings in Mahobong, Leribe district, Motinyane said it was simply not possible for him to go beyond Standard 7.
“I could only go as far as Standard 7, so I did not study any of the fancy engineering courses one requires to invent something like this machine. I am just an ordinary Mosotho with a very creative mind. I love machines and when I’m alone, I always think of the things I can create to make life simple for our people.”
Emphasising the level of poverty he faced as a child, Motinyane said it was not uncommon for the family to retire for the night on an empty stomach.
“We had nothing; my parents separated when we were very young. So my mother could not even afford to buy me and my younger brother any school-shoes or uniform. We would walk to school barefoot, and things got so bad that I was eventually sent to live with my grandmother.
“However, the old lady could only take me as far as Standard 7, at Mahobong Primary School. Still, I could not finish because I had to drop out mid-year due to lack of funds. I almost gave up on life. This was one of the toughest times in my life, but somehow, I managed to survive.”
After dropping out of school, Motinyane said he became a cattle-herder.
“When I dropped out of school, my mother hired me off to a relative in a neighbouring village to look after his cattle. I would spend days in the veld herding the animals. And to while away time, I would build car and plane models out of clay. I think that is where the inspiration to put this car together came from.”
Motinyane said his breakthrough came in 2004 when he was hired as a conductor of a taxi plying the Maputsoe-Pitseng route.
“The time I spent in that taxi rekindled my love for cars and technology. And whenever the taxi had a breakdown, I was always in front, working to make sure that it got fixed.
“This was the time I learnt a lot about car-engines, and the more I worked on the taxi, the more fascinated I became. Each time I had a chance, I would make sure that I learnt something new about a broken car-engine.”
After three years as a taxi conductor, Motinyane was thrown another lifeline when he was offered a job at a garage in Sebothoane, Leribe.
“I was employed as an assistant at the garage, and received my first formal training on the entire mechanics of a car.
“In the garage, I was mentored by Ntate Pitso Moshabesha. I respect that old man because he opened my eyes and taught me a great deal about cars. In fact, he gave me full insight into the world of mechanical engineering.
“After one year under the mentorship of Ntate Moshabesha, I felt confident enough to go out and work on my own.”
Armed with just a small toolbox and his passion for cars, Motinyane headed for Maputsoe where he opened a small workshop.
“Each time the workshop was not busy, I would experiment with scrap-metal as I tried to build a car from scratch.”
Motinyane has finally realised his dream, and treats his creation, Phiri (Hyena), with such tender love.
“There is no new piece of metal in Phiri; all the parts here are old. The engine, for example, had been abandoned in an old workshop here in Maputsoe. But I didn’t see it as useless; I saw a lot of potential in the rusty engine so I picked it up, cleaned it and fitted it into my car.”
Meanwhile, Motinyane is not stopping with Phiri as he is in the middle of creating a helicopter!
“The helicopter, as you can see, is half complete; the only missing part is the engine. I am still working to develop an engine that will be strong enough to lift the chopper off the ground. But I am hoping it will be ready and up in the sky before the end of the year,” Motinyane said.
Asked how the local community is taking his creativity, Motinyane broke into laughter.
“With the car, people were shocked and looked at me and the vehicle in amusement. But now, after realising that I am building a helicopter, they are saying I have gone crazy.
“I remember one man telling me that if my plane ever gets off the ground, both me and the chopper will be blown away by the winds and never come back.
“But I am not going to be discouraged by such talk. My helicopter is going to take off and land just like any ordinary plane. I want to see it fly so that those who doubt me and my sanity, will be convinced.”
Motinyane, however, said he is facing some challenges with regards to Phiri.
“I am having problems with the police; they have warned me off the highways. So what I can only do is drive around the village without going to the main road.”
Although he is not able to drive freely, Motinyane said he still has a dream of giving his mother a ride around town in his car.
“If I can only get her to ride in this car, and take her to town, I will be the happiest man ever.”
On his long-term future, Motinyane said he would like to go back to school and eventually earn a mechanical engineering degree.
“I want to go back to school so that I can do the things I do at a more professional level.
“But I need to start from scratch because I don’t even have a Primary School Leaving Certificate.
“However, should this fail, I am hoping to open a bigger and more formal workshop where I can be able to train young people about motor-mechanics.”