Eastern Cape women entrepreneurs aim high

A Sara Baartman District Women Entrepreneurs Awards (WEA) winner aspires to be a fabric design factory owner who will in turn be able to employ the local people of Makhanda.

Kholiswa Seti of Kholi Designs was named the best smallholder in the rural development category, during the WEA ceremony hosted by the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR) in the Sarah Baartman and Amathole districts.

As part of the annual Women Entrepreneur Awards, the provincial department has been recognising top performing women who are contributing to economic development and job creation through the agricultural sector.

The objective of the awards is to empower and honour women in agriculture and agro-processing sectors by recognising their contributions.

The awards are an instrument through which the contribution of women in the fight against poverty, hunger and joblessness is recognised to increase participation and visibility of women in the sector.

Expressing her joy in winning the award, Seti–who was displaying her products at the National Arts Festival held this week–said her win happened at the time when she “just identified my niche market.”

She said it was only on Monday when she got great reviews about the quality of her work when she decided to have two pop-ups stalls to showcase her products in a solo marketing venture.

Government assistance

“Just when the excitement got the better of me about this idea, the question was ‘where are you going to get the money girl?’ So, this prize money (R20 000) will make me pull-off this idea of pop-up stalls and I am grateful. Slowly but surely my dreams are coming true [and] soon I will be able to employ more people and have a factory, thanks to the government,” an elated Seti said.

Seti, who received an overlocker and straight industrial sewing machines last year from DRDAR, said before the assistance, she only had one domestic machine and was working alone. Now, she has been able to hire someone on a full-time basis and another part-time.

“I call the industrial machine I received from the department ‘magic machine’ because it is fast and delivers great quality while the overlocker is doing wonders,” she explained.

Kholi Designs produce traditional wear, smart to causal wear, as well as matric dance attire. She said the designs catered for specific seasons, adding that she is currently displaying and selling winter wear at the festival.

Seti is not new to winning awards having won the Best Designer range at the 2017 Nelson Mandela Bay Fashion Week.

Farming for the future

Another winner, Bongeka Gebuza from Khanyisa Agro-organics in Ngqeberha, was awarded the Youth Special Award for her sterling work in her rabbit farming enterprise.

Speaking about her love for rabbits and organic farming, the Bachelor of Science Honours in Agriculture student at Nelson Mandela University, said she was “always interested” in rabbits, especially their nutritional value and how to take care of them.

“When I was gifted three rabbits, I managed to breed them until I had 72,” Gebuza said.

The 34-year-old Gebuza is currently busy with her honours degree research on rabbit manure.

She said her research seeks to look at the soil nutrition where she is planting spinach, using rabbit manure on one side and chemical on the other one.

Gebuza, who casually eats and sells her rabbits, said the prize money will assist her with buying the expensive rabbit feed and improve their cages.

She said she will continue with farming.

“One day I want to be the supplier of rabbit manure. I do not have interest in working as I am more interested in entrepreneurship, but we need funding for that as young people,” an optimistic Gebuza said.

Gebuza encouraged the youth to look into the farming sector, as it has more job opportunities.

“They need to explore and start small while looking for funding,” she said.

The district winners will compete for silverware at the provincial awards ceremony to be awarded by new DRDAR MEC, Nonceba Kontsiwe. The contestants will later represent the province nationally at the awards ceremony to be held in August. – SAnews.gov.za