Needy girls’ menstrual anguish eased

The realisation that many rural girls bunk school during their menstrual period led Nontokozo Keswa (37) to leave her job and start a sanitary pad company.

Born in Ladysmith, Keswa holds an accounting degree from the University of the Free State and has worked as a business studies lecturer, a budget accountant, assistant director for budgets, deputy manager for budgets and finance manager in various government spheres.

“I resigned in 2013 to start my company, LaKeswa, which produces sanitary pads that are currently available in regular size for normal to medium flow and maxi for heavy flow,” she says.

“In 2013, I read about young girls missing school because they couldn’t afford sanitary pads. It pained me to learn that they were using newspapers and old cloths or rags as sanitary pads. Some of the girls were forced to date older men so that they could afford toiletries and basic needs.

I took a decision to do something to turn the situation around as much as I could,” she explains.

Initially, Keswa wanted to have her own manufacturing company but due to financial constraints, she opted to contract the services of a local manufacturer which is SABS approved and black female-owned to manufacture and package the LaKeswa brand.

“At the moment, we produce as and when we get orders. Our products are currently available at Macksons stores in Ladysmith. We are in talks with other retailers to list with them. We also courier to customers that are outside Ladysmith’s borders. We’re also in the process of making our pads available through online platforms, like Proudly South African’s www.rsamade.co.za,” she says.

The company also produces

a menstrual pain relief gel, which is currently only available through direct order.

Keswa says she is proud to have been able to donate pads to girls in need over the year, in and around Ladysmith, and to source donations from other manufacturers.

She believes no business is too small to help out in its community because every bit helps.

“A positive that came with the national coronavirus

lockdown was the support we received from government departments like the Department of Small Business Development, which has been assisting us in supplying wholesalers, supermarkets and spaza shops,” she says. The business has created four jobs so far and is in the process of recruiting its second set of interns from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, through its Itukise Internship

Programme.