Mzokhona Maxase is finding a new life for waste tyres
Hailing from a small farming town in KwaZulu Natal called Hluhluwe, Mzokhona Maxase is the founder of Cube 38 which is creating eco-friendly alternatives from waste tyres including tyre shine and shoe polish. A creative child due to the isolated nature of his home, he would move to Gauteng to attend the Tshwane University of Technology to study a BTech in Logistics.
Photo by Mpumrlo Maci
While creative, Mzokhona was only introduced to entrepreneurship and business thinking in University when he met friends who taught him how to draw up business plans and pitch his ideas. With a keen interest in engineering and the green space, he researched and kept track of what was happening in the space during his studies. He literally stumbled across the ingredients for his idea when he and his friends were walking in the area around their university residence and came across a factory which recycled tyres. Interested, they entered the factory and were shown around, the process of pyrolysis through which the tyres are recycled into oil, steel and char explained to them and how some the oil and steel is used but that there was no market for the char locally resulting in them receiving a sample of char which they took back to their residence to study. This resulted in the development of three prototypes, tyre shine, shoe polish and imprint ink, of which they kept tyre shine and shoe polish to develop further. Knowledge gained from living in rural KwaZulu Natal in which floor polish is made from candle wax, they built on that idea to develop their prototypes after which proper waxes and chemicals were sourced from suppliers to further develop the products.
Photo by Mpumrlo Maci
New to the space Mzokhona and his team were eager to make a success of their idea but have learned to be patient and that learning more about their ingredients key to their final product. He is drawn to social innovation because it adds value to communities instead of just taking from them. By reducing the number of waste tyres and creating a value chain for them, creating products that people can use every day but also clean up the environment. He gains joy from seeing people’s perceptions change towards waste tyres, since most people have only looked at them barriers or something to burn in a protest.
Photo by Mpumrlo Maci
Hoping that the Amaphiko academy creates awareness around what Mzokhona is doing, he also wants to gain knowledge in public relations and brand voice. He is looking to establish his product in the market and increase sales in areas such as car washes and in townships by introducing a high quality, low-cost product to the market.