Starting a business is not child’s play, it requires a lot of patience and determination. These are the remarks of businesswoman Siyanda Mangwana.
The 44-year-old runs a successful beads business known as Amagubevu. Among others, she produces a range of items including traditional necklaces and bracelets.
The Mew Way TRA resident has dedicated her life to creating bead material and has been doing it for the past 25 years.
“Life is strange. I never thought that I’d be where I am today. I left school in 1996 while I was in Grade 10 because I was sick. I had a calling.
“I used to dream about beads and all the scary things. In my dreams I would see all kinds of beads,” explained Mangwana, adding that she attended high school at Vulihlanga, Butterworth in the Eastern Cape.
She said her calling forced her to drop out of school. She said one day she decided to go and buy the beads, and started creating different items.
Mangwana said she used to create items for fun until she moved to Cape Town in 2003. That was when she started to sell the stuff.
“No one taught me how to make beads. I started by creating all the beads I used to dream about.
“If I dream about something I would wake up and make it. At that time, I had already given up at school because I was getting sick every time I went to school,” she said.
The mother of two said in 2010 she started displaying her work at the Khayelitsha Training Centre for tourists.
“I had been at the Training Centre for eight years now where I sell my products. On grant days I used to go around to different spots to display my work to get the customers,” she said, adding that the centre was closed for them in early 2018.
Mangwana said, late in 2018, she started displaying her work at OR Tambo Indoor Centre. That is where she has been since then.
She stated that she can do any kind of bead with her hands.
She said her challenge is to find a marketplace or right place to display her products.
“I tried to go to sell my items in theWaterfront but I was chased away by the securities because I didn’t have a permit to trade there. The market is limited in the townships,” she stated.
Mangwana stated that her prices start from R100 upwards.
“People can come with the design of their choice. I’ll do it. But a customer must pay a deposit upfront before I can start working. Either you come with your own material doesn’t matter,” she said.