Young people create opportunities
Friends work together to create financial opportunities for themselves.
KwaThema – Nhlakanipho Bukali and his friends are the change they want to see in their community, by creating opportunities.
They have started a carpentry business that involves recycling and designing stylish wooden furniture from pallets and old car tyres.
Nhlakanipho says after years of trying to find employment with no success, he saw an opportunity in the carpentry market.
“While surfing the internet I saw a step-by-step way of designing furniture from wooden pallets.
“My friend and I decided to invest some of our savings and bought our first material.
“We designed chairs for our bedrooms and people in the area saw our work and fell in love with it.
“The orders started piling up and we decided to re-invest the profit to grow the business,” he says.
The first-year events management student says he is currently working with eight young people from the community.
“I am happy that the business is growing daily and I am able to empower and teach some of the unemployed youth,” he says.
Nhlakanipho says one of the biggest challenges he is currently facing is the shortage of space.
“I work from my bedroom and neighbour’s home. We don’t have storage space,” he says.
Nhlakanipho says he sells his products and also rents them out for weddings, photo shoots and other events.
“People love and appreciate my designs. This makes me proud. I work daily to take the business to greater heights.
“I would like to one day supply different companies nationwide,” he says.
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