At 26, Azile Mzize from Ndela Location runs a modest hair salon at Bam Centre in Bizana—a livelihood built from determination and necessity. Her journey into hairstyling began after she fell pregnant in Grade 10 and left school to support her child. Skilled with hair from a young age, she started braiding in her village before moving to town in search of steady customers.
As the eldest at home, Mzize uses her earnings to help her mother and raise her son, now in Grade 6. “This salon is how I put food on the table,” she said. “It’s not easy, but it’s honest work.”
Daily operations are often disrupted by water shortages and power cuts. Washing and treating hair is central to the service, yet taps frequently run dry and electricity fails in the middle of the day. “It’s hard to plait someone’s hair without washing it first,” she explained. “When there’s no water or electricity, we can spend the whole day in town without making money.”
Rent for her home and the salon, plus groceries and supplies, leave little margin. Mzize believes small businesses like hers need reliable basic services to survive. She appeals to the local municipality to stabilise water supply and address daytime load interruptions that hit traders’ busiest hours.
Despite the strain, she remains focused on keeping clients satisfied and her family secure. Her message to young people is firm but compassionate: “Plan your life carefully. Don’t rush into relationships that lead to teenage pregnancy. Children are a blessing, but raising them without support is very hard. Stay focused on your education and finish school first.”
Through persistence and craft, Mzize has turned a difficult start into a working enterprise—one wash, one braid, one client at a time.
