Ponani has it all sewn up
PONANI Shikweni is not only a selfmade woman, she also has an infectious energy and indefatigable drive to equip other young women in Alexandra to reach financial independence.
While the Covid-19 pandemic threatened many small businesses, this agile, entrepreneurial co-operative seized an opportunity for growth.
“Life is fast in Alex, and to survive you need to have a plan. Having no income and no job can lead people to some desperate, dangerous actions, and so when we offer young women work opportunities we are also helping young people to avoid getting involved with drugs and crime,” says Shikweni, who is director of what she calls Hluvuko Designs.
“These young women were unemployed and had very few opportunities until I recruited them to join our co-operative, and taught them how to sew to earn a living.
“Then, when Covid-19 arrived, suddenly there was a huge demand for cloth face masks and, fortunately, we were ready to start producing to help fill this gap.”
In 2015, however, Netcare recognised the potential of the women’s entrepreneurial model as a promising enterprise development project, and assisted them to formally register the business.
According to Shikweni, the name “Hluvuko Designs”, meaning “development”, was chosen because it encapsulated their purpose of developing individuals as well as contributing to the prosperity of their community.
The team was also commissioned to sew items including conference bags, pillowcases and kangaroo care wraps for Netcare.
“With the outbreak of the virus in South Africa, Netcare asked us to make 10 000 cloth face masks for their staff members and we got another big order for 20 000 face masks from the Youth Employment Service (Yes) initiative and Exemplar, which hands out the masks for free to people shopping at the Alex Mall,” Shikweni says.
“We also got training on how to run a factory effectively, which has helped us to get more young women working quickly to keep up with demand. It has been going very well with our business, we are getting more orders. We have bought more big sewing machines and bought our own vehicle, which is already making a big difference to our business,” she adds.
ShikweniI came to Alex in 2004 because she was looking for opportunity, and what she found was a big need for employment for women and the youth.
For many of the women working for her, this has been the first time they have earned an income.
“The women have shown perseverance, determination and eagerness to learn, and we have every confidence that they will continue to thrive and grow their business,” says Dr Nceba Ndzwayiba, Netcare’s director: transformation.
As part of its partnership with the Yes initiative, Netcare will be establishing an entrepreneurial hub at Alex Mall with the aim of promoting job creation through supporting grassroots entrepreneurs and nurturing small businesses in the community.
Site plans have been approved by the City of Joburg, but construction was unfortunately halted due to lockdown.