A 38 year old woman, Lelly Mntungwa from Msinga in Kwa-Zulu Natal quit her job in order to follow her passion – starting a business and using it as a way to uplift her community.
Lelly Mntungwa said she saw a gap in the retail industry and decided to take advantage of this by opening her own factory shop. She currently owns a clothing and textiles factory shop that stocks items such as school uniforms, workwear and protective gear. She holds a diploma in marketing from Damelin but also armed herself with knowledge about her line of business, the clothing industry.
She states that perseverance and hard work were her recipes for success in life. Starting a business without any financial assistance was not easy but these two recipes helped her to grow and now she makes a living by helping people.
However, her main focus is to help her community through job creation and skills development so as to cut down the unemployment as well as the poverty rate in the country.
She said, “The focus is to create employment for women and youth so that they can support households in the area”.
According to the entrepreneur, she employs 22 people and has trained 30 youth in leather processing. There is also a skills centre where people are trained on site.
She is also in partnership with the Department of Higher Education to assist learners that have dropped out of high school to finish their matric at no cost.
In future, she aspires to reach a level where her factory will become the centre of production, manufacturing and supplying of school uniforms and furniture throughout the KwaZulu-Natal province.
– Business Report Online
