Thembisa’s popular La Vida Car Wash is known for its spotless results and adopting technology that makes life easier for its customers.

Following his decision to embrace digital payments, La Vida owner Bongani Gabela has transformed his small business from a startup into a growing enterprise, with expansion plans in two short years.

It’s been a long journey. When Gabela lost his job in 2010, he didn’t lose hope. Instead, he began saving whatever he could, dreaming of creating his own business.

“I had been unemployed since 2010. I saved up money and slowly built the car wash to create a sustainable income for myself,”

By 2022, Gabela had enough savings to establish La Vida. “Little by little, I started to build a car wash and ultimately had a full operation,” he says. Today, the business employs four workers and has expanded to include a restaurant beside the washing station, with a buy-and-braai butchery in the planning stages.

Like most small businesses in Thembisa, La Vida began as a cash-only operation. But Gabela found that his customers kept asking for digital payment options.

“Customers pushed me to do digital payments,” he recalls. “People in Thembisa are used to cash, but are also surprisingly open to digital payments.”

The final push came when a bank approached him about implementing its payment system. In early 2024, he made the switch, and the results speak for themselves: 60% of customers now pay digitally, and the number continues to grow.

“More and more customers prefer digital payments,” Gabela notes. “Customers are happy to use this offering.”

For Gabela, the benefits extend beyond customer satisfaction. The time gained he now invests in growing his business.

“It saves you time if you don’t have to deposit cash all the time and it’s safer,”

All this has helped fuel La Vida’s expansion from a simple car wash to a multiservice operation. Gabela has even incorporated digital payments into his personal life.

“I prefer to use digital payments to buy groceries and supplies,”

Perhaps most significantly, he views digital payment options as a strategic business advantage

“I would recommend that businesses use digital as a strategy to attract more customers.”

Despite his enthusiasm for going digital, Gabela maintains a practical approach. While 60% of his customers pay electronically, he still pays his employees in cash because he recognises that different situations call for different solutions.

As La Vida Car Wash continues to grow, its switch to digital transactions represents a broader shift across township businesses. This small but impactful change is helping this local business shine in Thembisa’s competitive market.