MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
a young person growing up in Africa, you’re always interested in America,” said Maboreke. “I’ve always had an eye out for trade shows or new ideas around cooling systems we can learn. It’s been a long time coming, but we are glad to finally join NARSA/IDEA.”
were probably the first shop that started doing aluminum repairs. We started building new aluminum tanks. We were able to solder damaged tubes. We rebuilt aluminum radiators. So as that took off, I would say there has been a change. Our main customer is no longer the panel beater. It’s a common man on the street with a car. A lot of farmers. They want a good radiator built, and they want a radiator rebuilt properly, because they have tractors and combines. They need their equipment to work, because this is where their money is coming from. Because we are a landlocked country, we do a lot of importing. That means we also have a lot of truckers in Zimbabwe,
so we do a lot of truck radiators. Farmers, truckers, the common man--that’s been the backbone of our business.”
Nowadays, there are very few formal radiator shops in Zimbabwe. “Most of them are very informal shops,” said Maboreke. “And people learn the hard way. Customers bring us what we call ‘magaba job,’ which is like an ‘under the tree’ kind of job. They learn the hard way. So, we tell them we’re trying to save your engine, not just the radiator.”
Mike’s Radiators recently joined NARSA/ IDEA in January 2021. They discovered NARSA/IDEA through @narsanow’s social media, specifically Instagram. “As
12 | THE COOLING JOURNAL | November/December 2021
In addition to his passion for radiators, Mike Marques also has a unique hobby in tigerfishing. Tigerfish are actually native to Africa and are quite fierce. “Tigerfish are a machine,” said Marques. “I don’t think I’ve caught anything like it. They’re available on the rivers and on our lakes. You won’t forget that 5 kilo fish in the river. The action, the strength from that little animal is phenomenal.”
When it comes to business advice, Maboreke says you should love your job. “The biggest lesson for me is that you should never despise where you start or what it is you do. Because what you do could be the answer to your problems. It’s just been a joy for me these last 17 years. When people ask me what I do, I tell them I’m a cooling systems specialist,” said Maboreke. “And I love it.”
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