Thursday, January 19, 2017

Local entrepreneur fired by passion is making a difference

Fikile Magudu (Nozulu School Wear) (Left) discusses elements of her business and the manufacturing process with Ricardo Barbosa (CEO of NPC and Vice President for Africa at Intercement)  (2nd left) and Smangele Tshabalala (Transformation Manager NPC/Intercement) (far right) looking on Ahmed Barmania NPC Procurement Manager and Mbali Sabela (PA to Mr Ricardo Barbosa). NPC/Intercement has been instrumental in assisting with equipment and other elements to assist Fikile grow her business, through its Social Investment programme. Image supplied courtesy Paul Godwin

Nozulu School Uniforms Pop-up Shop Opens in Chesterville Township

Many South Africans are looking at 2017 with pessimism and others may be suffering from "Januworries”, but a local Durban businesswoman has taken the "bull by the horns" and is only looking at the positive. With the school holidays behind us, learners and parents are excited about the new school year, new grades and new schools for some.

Parents spend much of the holidays preparing their children for back-to-school buying of school uniforms and stationery. Although this can be exciting it does also put a lot of financial pressure on many families especially those in low-income communities. 

Bearing this in mind, while the rest of us were enjoying the festive season an amazing and passionate woman entrepreneur from Chesterville, Fikile Magudu and her team of eight staff were hard at work manufacturing uniforms and preparing to clothe the learners attending school in the Chesterville Township and other schools in the area with affordable school uniforms. 

Fikile a mother with two sons who has lived her entire life in Chesterville, has been in business since 2010 and is entrenched in the local community. Through hard work and dedication Nozulu School Wear has become a reality which is benefiting the local community and has local students proudly sporting quality uniforms of which they and the community can be proud of.

For this dream to come true, Nozulu has had some help along the way and she thanks a local company NPC/ InterCement with its South Africa's Textile and Clothing Manufacturing Project for funding support to set up the shop. NPC has supplied vital equipment and material for the factory’s production line in partnership with eThekwini Municipality who provided the factory space and with the help and support of the Municipality's Cato Manor ABM and the entrepreneurial development training through its Business Support unit. The assistance from NPC and the municipality has also assisted Nozulu in opening its first "Pop Up Shop" in Chesterville with the aim to supply children and their parents with affordable quality school uniforms.  Situated at number 11 Maphephetha Road / Road 14, Nozulu School Wear is conveniently situated in the township with the clothing factory situated close by in the Umkhumbane Entrepreneurial Support Centre (UESC) in Harry Gwala Road. 

Fikile’s journey started from very humble beginnings in 2010 firstly working from home and then from various shops in the City Centre. Working in the City proved an expensive undertaking and led to her moving into the local resource centre in Chesterville. It was here that she was introduced to the UESC program and submitted an application to be admitted into the program and was accepted. This program offers start up businesses the opportunity to work from affordable premises and offers training in business compliance, financial management, human resources, sales and marketing.

 “People do not understand or are not aware of what many companies like NPC/intercement and eThekweni Municipality are doing for communities and small start up companies such as mine, without their support it is very difficult for us to make a living” states Fikile.

Fikile will face a challenge in July 2018 when her contract expires in Umkhumbane and she will be looking for new premises for her clothing factory. However based on her current performance – one can only assume that  Nozulu School Wear will be moving forwards to even greater heights. The pop up store will remain at its present site.

Nozulu Schoolwear provides school uniforms to more than seven schools in KZN and is also branching out to the North and South Coast. This in turn is creating employment opportunities in those areas for suppliers to supply schools such as Isidelile Seconday and Umzinto Secondary on the KZN South Coast who are already loyal supporters of Nozulu School Wear. This is a very good sign and bodes well for Fikile’s entrepreneurial spirit and vision for her company.

“Without the support of NPC / Intercement and the eThekweni Business Support, Tourism and Marketing Unit my dream would not have materialized, they have made my business a reality, giving me the opportunity to concentrate on growing my business and create employment for members of my community. It is hard for me to express my gratitude to NPC and Ethekweni but I would simply not be here if it was not for their support and guidance. The only way I can show them my gratitude is to be successful.” Comments Fikile She goes on to say  “I am also extremely grateful to the local schools in the community that support Nozulu, without their support and loyalty I would not be in business."

NPC/ InterCement South Africa Textile and Clothing Manufacturing Project, which aims to facilitate skills development, job creation and provide development and support to SMMes with a potential to supply industry. Through this project Nozulu was assisted with materials and some equipment for the production line as well as totally refurbishing the pop up shop container which included painting and providing and installing all the shelving and branding. 

NPC/ Intercement wants to support more local businesses that are in the vicinity of our operations, small businesses such as Nozulu School Wear, and other SMME’s like this. Discussing Nozulu’s progress with Fikile, I can see the success in her eyes and obvious passion for her business and wish her all the very best going forward. States Mr Ricardo Barbosa (CEO of NPC and Vice President for Africa at Intercement)



Happy customers - with the pop up store conveniently situated in the township, the local community has easy access to affordable quality school uniforms. Store Manager Duduzile Madonsela serves another happy customer from the recently renovated container which was supplied by Ethekwini Municipality’s Business Support Unit and totally refurbished by NPC/Intercement
Image supplied courtesy Paul Godwin




About Umkhumbane Entrepreneurial Support Centre (UESC) :

Umkhumbane is a manufacturing incubator operating since 2001 and caters for a vast array of manufacturing businesses in various disciplines. Whilst all the businesses in the incubator are 100% black owned and there is an equally generous mix of women and youth owned businesses currently being developed through the incubation program. EThekwini Municipality are the owners of the incubator and are responsible for the development of the incubates for the period of three years they operating from the premises.

Nozulu Training and Development has received assistance from eThekwini Municipality including trainings/workshops, access to market, access to information. The interventions that were received by her business as part of business development initiatives include business compliance, financial management, human resources, sales and marketing. Ntombifikile has also attended workshop such as Complexities of tax management that educate business on being tax compliance and including the importance of financial record keeping in business.

The business has also benefited through on our access to information programs such as Women Economic Empowerment Conference, Women Economic Breakfast and Essence Durban Festival Business Conference. She has been exposed to access to markets initiative, where she participated on all the regional fairs including South, North and Inner-Outer west. Her business has also been exposed on one of the biggest city event such as Main Durban Business Fair and Essence Durban Festival. With the above intervention, Fikile has been able to grow her business to a greater height and now she has pop up show selling school uniforms in Chesterville.



Story and photographs - Paul Godwin/Nerve Communications

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