DURBAN – Lelly Mntungwa, a 38-year-old woman from Msinga quit her job to fulfil a burning desire to uplift her community and start her own business.
Mntungwa saw a gap in the market when a leading retailer closed to start her own clothing factory. She currently owns and runs a clothing and textile factory that makes products like school uniforms, protective clothing, work wear, etc.
This businesswoman has her Diploma in Marketing from Damelin but has also armed herself with knowledge about her line of business, the clothing industry.
She has undertaken courses in clothing, textile and leather processing.
According to Mntungwa, perseverance and hard work were her recipes of success in life. She started her business without any financial assistance and now she helps people make a living through employment.
However, she is also really focused on helping her community through job creation and skills development. Mntungwa hopes to cut down on the unemployment rate and poverty country.
She said, "The focus is to create employment for women and youth so that they can support households in the area".
According to the entrepreneur, she employs 22 people and has trained 30 youth in leather processing. There is also a skills centre where people are trained on site.
She has also partnered with the Department of Higher Education to assist learners that have dropped out of high school to finish their matric at no cost.
On her future plans, she that she wants her factory to be the centre of production, manufacturing and supplying of school uniforms and furniture through the KwaZulu-Natal province.