By: Zandile Majavu
Fitness guru Dr Hajira Mashego needs a funder to move one step closer to turning her dream of establishing a franchise network for her company, Fitness Junction, into reality. Mashego, who has run Fitness Junction in Westview, Pretoria, for six years, is looking to expand the company by setting up gyms in 232 townships, where up to 16 people can be employed per gym.
This follows her hiring a company to conduct a feasibility study to establish whether a gym business would be successful in a township. “We are working on establishing the Fitness Junction franchise to have Fitness Junction franchise establishments in townships and rural towns all over the country. “We have all the documents and systems in place but do not have the funds to implement them. I need a funding partner, and I’m unable to get one,” she said.
The funding will assist in the construction of the gyms and the purchase of equipment. Mashego holds a number of degrees and diplomas in physiotherapy, sports management, and public health, specialising in fitness. She completed her Ph.D. in Human Movement Science at North West University. “When I completed my PhD, I was working as a senior manager in government, but I felt the need to use the findings of my thesis to impact the affected black population positively.
“My thesis had shown me that black adults were suffering from an unprecedented increase in chronic illnesses, which could be correlated to poor diet choices and sedentary lifestyles,” Mashego said. She resigned from the government and cashed out her pension to start the business. When the savings were depleted, she approached friends and relatives to buy minority shares in the business. The COVID-19 pandemic saw the business crash. However, in 2021, it was back to its 2018 figures and was once again profitable.
Explaining why she wanted to focus on townships, Mashego said: “There is a lack of safe exercise options in the townships. Most township residents only have the option of running on the side of the road to exercise. This is unsafe and thus prevents most residents from participating in the exercise.” Also, these residents often had to travel to nearby towns and cities to access gyms, and this had cost and logistical implications.
“I, therefore, decided to make cost-effective, good quality gym services accessible to township residents,” she said. Mashego advised aspiring gym entrepreneurs to start off small. The capital outlay to establish a fully-fledged gym was very high, so they needed to start lean and scale as revenue increased.
