HOPE has been restored for Phumzile Shangase who is part of the Supa Mama recycling project. Based in the Pinetown area, the kitchen brand extends their services to empower small business owners.
Speaking more on the project, Supa Mama’s communications officer Lovejoy Nhlapho said, “The SUPA MAMA® brand is defined by the ethos that it is our responsibility to give back to the greater community. We address issues of unemployment, quality of life, skills shortages and the social inequalities of the past. We work towards enabling sustainable livelihoods. We are committed to working with women-owned SMMEs. We aim to invest in the dignity of South African women,” she said.
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The recycling programme invites women such as Shangase to be part of the process of recycling. They collect waste from marketplaces, and this waste is sorted out and graded. Supa Mama then transports this waste to a centralised location and purchases this waste at a price.
“This waste is recycled into raw material through our recycling partners. The recycled material is then transformed into sustainable products,” they said.
This is the project that has restored hope for Shangase as it has become her livelihood. “I started out helping other ladies collect their plastic bags, and another lady invited me to be part of the recycling business by Supa Mama. I collected about 200 bags, and I have never looked back,” she said.
Shangase said she has been able to get through one of the hardest times in her life. “I lost my sister and my mother this year. With the work I do with Supa Mama, I was able to contribute towards both their funerals. My sister passed away earlier. When my family was trying to figure out what they could put together for her to have a decent funeral, I was able to buy a blanket that covered the coffin. A few months later, we lost my mother again. I was also able to help out with her funeral,” she said.
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Furthermore, Shangase said she is able to provide for her siblings and child. “I am currently taking care of five people; I would have not been able to do so without this business,” she said.
Shangase said if the chance is available for her to go to school, she would grab it with both hands. “There is so much I want to do for my future, and I am grateful for this start. It gives me hope for the future,” she said.
