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Rogers Ngezahayo’s story
This cobbler’s 4,500km road to success was walked one small step at a time…
The road to success is rarely smooth. It is often uneven, unpredictable, and marked by obstacles that test endurance as much as ambition. No two journeys are ever the same. Some move quickly from one milestone to the next, while others are forced onto longer, harsher paths—where uncertainty becomes a constant companion and resilience is not optional, but necessary.
For Rogers Ngezahayo, that journey began in Burundi, a politically fragile country in East Africa, and carried him more than 4,500 kilometres away to South Africa’s Western Cape in search of safety and opportunity.
When his family’s livelihood was disrupted and they were forced to flee due to political persecution, the Ngezahayo family arrived in a new country with little more than hope and the reality of being undocumented in a system that offered few immediate pathways to stability.
Finding meaningful employment to support a family of four proved extremely difficult. Still, through persistence and determination, Rogers secured work as a security guard—steady, but far from sufficient to lift the weight of daily expenses and long-term needs.
Two years passed, and despite his efforts, Rogers found himself in a situation familiar to many asylum seekers: working hard, yet still unable to make ends meet. It was in this difficult period that he began to rethink his path forward.
Since everyone is on their own path, and everyone needs shoes to walk that path, why not help them walk?
Rogers began repairing shoes on the streets of Atlantis, often while customers waited. What started as a small act of necessity slowly grew into something more. His skill as a cobbler quickly drew attention, and before long, residents began seeking him out regularly, helping his small street operation grow into a steady source of income.
As demand increased, so too did his ambition. Rogers began to imagine more than repairs—he envisioned creating belts, bags, and eventually his own line of shoes. But turning that vision into reality required resources, training, and support.
After reaching out to Islamic Relief, Rogers was enrolled in the APESRA (Assistance, Protection, Education and Safeguarding for Refugees and Asylum Seekers) project — an initiative providing temporary relief and livelihood support to asylum seekers and refugees in South Africa.
Through the programme, his family received food vouchers that helped ease their daily financial burden, allowing Rogers to focus what little he had on slowly building his craft, saving where possible, and investing in the basic tools and materials needed for leatherwork.
While the business grew organically, and immediate needs were being met at home, Rogers was enrolled in the APESRA Entrepreneurial Skills Training Programme.
There, he strengthened his understanding of business management, planning, and growth, giving structure to what had previously been an informal trade. With growing confidence and new knowledge, he was able to expand his operations, even opening an additional stall to meet rising demand.
After completing the programme, Rogers received a foot-printing machine from Islamic Relief, capable of producing up to 15 pairs of shoes a day. This marked a turning point, allowing him to scale his work and respond more effectively to his growing customer base.
Today, Rogers has grown this into a stable and expanding enterprise, running his own shop in Atlantis City Mall and wholesaling his handmade leather goods to multiple vendors across Cape Town, including at the V&A Waterfront—a well-known hub for local trade and tourism.
Beyond his own success, he also uses his experience to train disabled individuals and young people in leather-making and cobbling, passing on skills that once changed his own life.
Rogers’ journey did not unfold overnight. It was shaped by years of hardship, uncertainty, and persistence in the face of instability. His story reflects how progress is often built slowly, through endurance and opportunity meeting at the right moment. And it shows how, when given the chance, individuals can not only rebuild their own lives, but also help others take steps forward on their own paths.
And hey, if you need your shoes repaired or are looking for an authentic, hand-crafted leather bag, wallet, or wearable, contact Rogers: 061 385 5434
Or simply find him at:
Atlantis Leather Shop- Shop 5 (behind Pick n Pay)- in Atlantis Business Hive, at the Atlantis Taxi Rank.
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