Groomed to leave a legacy

LELAPA: THIS REAL HOUSEWIFE IS ALL ABOUT FAMILY/HOME New company was crafted from a point of healing after losing her grandparents.

Known for her light-hearted and sometimes controversial persona on reality TV show The Real Housewives of Durban, Kgomotso Ndungane is a multi-faceted woman.

Born and raised in Potchefstroom, Ndungane went from working in the corporate sector after attaining her B Com in information technology (IT) from the University of Pretoria, to becoming an established businesswoman in KwaZulu-Natal, while building a family with her husband, former Springbok rugby player Odwa Ndungane.

Coming from a family with a background in education and business, Ndungane says she was born with the gift of entrepreneurship.

“Even though they could provide everything for us, hard work, commitment and discipline was something they all held highly.

“During the holidays, my grandmother used to make me do ice lollies and sell them. With that money, we could do things for ourselves,” she says.

Ndungane started her first business in 2007, as an IT consultant in Johannesburg and then moved to Durban, where she started an events and floral business, Oak Celebrations, in 2015.

Last year, as a result of Covid-19, she launched her latest company, called LeLaPa.

Every business Ndungane has started was inspired by her roots, hard work and passion.

Her natural love for aesthetics, nature and art was what drove her to start the flower business and when she was organising her wedding, she realised how much fun it was to arrange, plan and execute the project.

She chose her own suppliers, as well as purchased most of the furniture and décor.

With an idea, no formal training, but the passion and a business plan to support it, Oak Celebrations was created.

“That’s when I realised my love for creating beautiful weddings, intimate events and flower arrangements. I think being creative, knowing how to sketch/draw, just made me a natural fit as a lot of things were selftaught, including the ability to arrange my own flowers from beginning to end,” she says.

Her idea for LeLaPa was crafted from a point of healing from the pain of losing both grandparents – her grandmother just before lockdown, and five months later, during lockdown, her grandfather.

“I wanted to create something which I can call a legacy, which they have left for me.

“It was like I was building my own inheritance from their love for me. That’s how the name for LeLaPa [family/home] came about,” she says. Creating and selling home, body and bath products was an idea that came about from the hospitality industry requirements. On the challenges black women experience in business, Ndungane believes there are a number of factors that contribute to this, like structural issues and access

I was building my own inheritance from their love for me

to capital.

The greatest is the lack of collaboration and support.

Being open to guidance is something she highlights as a significant issue.

“Sometimes when you are trying to guide fellow black businesswomen, it often gets misinterpreted as looking down on them or being disingenuous.

“We want seats at tables without first thinking about the seed we want to plant at those tables. We have to dig deeper,” she says.

Ndungane’s vision for the future is to leave a continental footprint.

“I want to build a brand which is generational, and leave a legacy for my children and their children.”