Hustling to make a few honest dollars.

Windhoek, Sept 3-Tired of being unemployed and waiting for better days, 25 year old Alfeus Narubeb embarked on making model trucks from recycled material that he collects on his many walks through the city.

When Motor media Namibia spotted this energetic and vibrant young man he was pushing one of his  master pieces – a huge cattle truck, made from wire, canned food tins, scrap plates and even complete with doors and ramps that open and close.

Narubeb narrated to MMN that when he was much younger he used to work on a cattle farm close to Otjiwarongo in the Otjozondjupa region. This is where his dream started to make something unique and would always reminds him about his love for trucks, and off course cattle.

“ Due to this Corona, there is no job for me to do, so I make this cars and at least have something (money) for the day. ” Narubeb told this writer. But as it is already tight for many if not most Namibians, Narubeb stays positive that his work will catch the eyes of other people and might place an order, or even buy this truck from him.

With the city buzzing in the background and cars driving by, Narubeb’s truck start to become the focus point as more people start to stand closer to see what and why this publication’s writer is excited about. It is not about the truck, but about a young man that uses his creative mind to make at least money and try and sustain himself during this trying times.

Narubeb’s truck has a lot of attention to detail as he used tinned food cans as fuel tanks, scrap plate metal as rails for the cattle trailer, plastic for the windows, plastic and pieces of rubber for the wheels. But it does bot end there, the trailer can  – just like the real trucks, be removed from the truck and parked separate.

But making a truck like this is also time consuming said Narubeb as he does not have all the necessary tools, and make use of his hands and basic hand tools like a pair of pliers and a hack saw.
“This truck you see here, took me about a week and three days” Narubeb said. Selling his truck for a mere 400.00 Namiba Dollar, one has to ask if that is worth the time making such a piece of art. But if times are tough, jobs are few and money not easy accessible, then it should be the only option for a man that does not have tertiary education. But Narubeb’s passion is reaching much further than just making cars from recycled materials, finding employment and sustain himself and his loved ones is the main driving force behind his initiatives.

“ My biggest dream is to just get a job, a job where I can do something very big, if I had money I would like to go to a school where I can learn more about cars and its mechanics.” Narubeb said before taking the truck for a drive down Independence Avenue in the hope that someone wants to take over the ownership and buy it from him.

As he walks away one cannot help but to think how people want to bargain for a better price as most craftsmen and women already suffer under the current economic climate and their work is to provide for their families and other basic needs.

When asked if anyone wants a specific model, shape or size, Narubeb said people are more than welcome to contact him at 081 418 3065 and discuss the details and specifications of their custom made model cars.

Francois Lottering
Motor Media Namibia.