Unlikely leg up for Soweto entrepreneur
Gums treatment births prosthetics business
One morning in March 2018, Sibongile Mongadi was sitting on a bench in the reception area of a public hospital waiting to receive treatment for a gum infection she had.
As she was waiting, she witnessed an amputee arguing with nurses as to when he will be able to receive his prosthetic leg after being on the waiting list for five years.
This incident planted a seed in Mongadi and she embarked on a course to start her own company which would manufacture artificial limbs.
Mongadi, 32, of Dobsonville in Soweto is founder and owner of Uku’hamba – a biomanufacturing company that produces water resistant, lightweight and customised prosthetics. The artificial limbs she produces are made up of plastic and metal.
Uku’hamba was established in January 2020 and currently has five employees.
The company operates from a workshop located in the backyard of Mongadi’s parents’ home in Dobsonville.
She said it was being tired of working her 9-to-5 job and the hospital episode that made her realise that she belongs in the entrepreneurship space.
“In 2015, I started working at a financial services company in Roodepoort as a broker consultant. I left the company in 2018 because I felt I wanted to do something that would not keep me in one place for many hours. I wanted to be flexible. Even though I did not have money when I left the job, I told myself I will find something to do,’’ said Mongadi.
The businesswoman said she was heartbroken when she saw the amputee at the hospital being turned away and this drove her to start Uku’hamba. In 2018, Mongadi enrolled for a diploma in additive manufacturing engineering at University of Johannesburg. She completed it in 2020.
“That gum infection led me to my dream. I could see the amputee fighting with the workers and he was told he could not receive help. He lost one of his legs and had been tired of being given false hope. He was sadly told to go home as there was nothing the staff could do for him.’’
Mongadi said the start of her business was given a major boost through a R100,000 grant she got from getting first place in a pitching competition in 2018, which was sponsored by the Black Management Forum. With this amount, she bought materials to build her workshop and a 3D printer machine which is used to produce prosthetics.
Mongadi said the production of prosthetics officially kicked off in June last year and has seen her receiving 10 customers since that time. She used the proceeds received from these customers to buy more 3D printer machines, drillers and laser cutters, among other equipment.
Mongadi said her customers are mostly people in their mid40s from Soweto and North West province. “These are people who want to regain their mobility so that they can increase their chances of getting employed,’’ she said.
Mongadi said a standard artificial hand costs between R3,000 and R5,000 and a standard below-knee prosthetic would cost R15,000.
‘‘ These are people who want to regain their mobility
She said it took a minimum of a day to manufacture an artificial limb, and the longest period could be three weeks, depending on the type of design.
“This journey has been fulfilling. I want to change one life at a time with my business and put a smile on a person’s face. I do not see myself leaving the township even if we build a manufacturing plant in Dobsonville.
“I want to create more employment for the township youth,’’ Mongadi said.