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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu , Chronicle Reporter
WOMEN who sell home-made floor polish have proven to be a force to reckon with as they have improved their product to compete with established brands being sold in supermarkets.

The women popularly known in the western suburbs as “omama be cobra” were in the past known for selling floor polish mainly made from tar.

Some have gone a step further to add other ingredients and they are now producing different types which in the past could only be found in supermarkets.

This industry however, has some male players though it is dominated by women. Some people who sell home-made “cobra” move around selling it in the CBD or residential areas while others are selling it from market places.

Mrs Tambudzai Mpofu who produces and sells floor polish from her home in Cowdray Park suburb said she no longer has to move around selling it as customers were frequenting her house to buy.

She said she was now selling floor polish which is perfumed. She said the different types she produces are lavender, sweet cherry, strawberry and lemon fresh. Mrs Mpofu said her customers were pleased with her product as they felt it was good quality.

“I started making cobra in 2015 and at that time I was using plastic papers or plastic bottles, paraffin and tar or oxide. I have now changed my ingredients in order to improve my product. I now use wax, hardener paraffin, colouring and perfume. This has helped me to produce different flavours and colours which have different scents,” she said.

“I produce lavender, sweet cherry, strawberry and lemon fresh. I also produce different colours which include red, white, black, lavender, pink among others. I don’t have to move around houses selling floor polish anymore because people know that my product is good quality. They just come to the house to buy or place orders and they ask me to deliver.”

Mrs Mpofu said last week she sold 40 tins of floor polish to a teacher in Nkayi who wanted to sell it to her colleagues. She said during a good week she can sell over 20 tins of floor polish. Mrs Mpofu said she sells a small tin of floor polish for US$1, $140 or 15 rand.

She said she started floor polish production in order to assist her husband in raising income.

She said she produces her floor polish in 5-litre tins. Mrs Mpofu said the right amount of heat has to be used when making the floor polish in order to avoid a flame erupting.

“When making the floor polish I first place the wax in a tin and then add the hardener and I place my tin on charcoal and not on a fire because a flame will erupt as the ingredients are flammable.

“Once my ingredients have melted, I remove the tin from the heat and add paraffin and then I mix. If I want to make red or black floor polish, I then add red or black oxide and then I steer and at the end I add perfume,” said Mrs Mpofu.

She said in order to make floor polish with other colours she adds the desired colouring instead of oxide.

Mrs Mpofu said she also produces petroleum jelly, dishwashing liquid and pine jelly.

Mrs Plaxedes Chiwoko who also produces and sells floor polish from her home in Cowdray Park suburb said she started producing it in 2020 after being taught by a friend. She said during her first few attempts her product did not come out well but through practice she has managed to improve the standard of her floor polish.

Mrs Chiwoko said she sells her floor polish from her house and many customers frequent her house to buy it. She said floor polish production was a delicate process that requires meticulous attention. Mrs Chiwoko said floor polish which they make using red or black oxide takes longer than the other types. She said after adding the oxide she has to stir for a long time while closely monitoring her mixture so that the wax does not separate from the oxide.

“It takes me about an hour to make the red or black floor polish which requires oxide while it takes me about 30 minutes to make the floor polish that uses colouring. The hardener is used to thicken our floor polish because when you mix wax and paraffin you have a liquid mixture so the hardener thickens the mixture into a porridge like mixture and then it dries up,” said Mrs Chiwoko.

She said she was realising significant profits from selling her floor polish. Mrs Chiwoko said in a week she can sell about 15 tins. She said since she was still growing her business her desire was to partner with other ladies so that they could produce in bulk and supply institutions such as schools, churches among others.

Mrs Chiwoko said as she produces her floor polish, she always focuses on improving her product.

“As I make this floor polish, I want my customers to enjoy the refreshing fragrance in their homes just as they do with floor polish they buy from shops. It’s my desire to always keep my customers satisfied,” said Mrs Chiwoko. — @DubeMatutu