Kwambo SMME feels the load-shedding pinch
WITH the country’s economy on a downward spiral and youth unemployment increasing, Isckwama Group, a fashion design and dressmaker based at the Esibusisweni Rural Development Centre in KwaMbonambi, feels let down by the constant Eskom power cuts.
Dependant on a stable power supply to keep clients happy and grow the business, director and founder Vusi Mhlongo highlights the entity's challenges.
“The electricity cuts have seen us lose half of our weekly revenue, meaning less profit and unhappy customers," he said.
“We are already facing a capacity challenge that cripples us in terms of early delivery, and now things are worse with, at times, up to six hours without power."
Mhlongo's love for fashion emanates from his mother who was also a self-taught dressmaker, and to harness his passion, he went to a dressmaking school in Durban in 2006 to acquire a formal qualification.
His company's key products include clothing, bags, and packaging.
“I came back to work as a self-employed individual and I have shared my skill with over
15 trainees who come to the centre and are taught sewing skills free of charge,” he said.
Mhlongo said he is grateful for the opportunity that was afforded to his company by Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) in partnership with KZN EDTEA (Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs).
“The support through the project with RBM, funded by EDTEA, has been of fundamental importance to my growth and has enabled my company to employ three assistants, to all of whom I have taught the relevant skills," he said.