With the nationwide lockdown being eased to Level 4, some additional regulations have been put in place to keep everyone safe.
One of these regulations is that everyone should wear a cloth mask when leaving one’s home. But, a cloth mask is not something everyone has at home and, as the market for this essential item opened up, it is also not an item that comes cheap, resulting in many South Africans not being able to comply with the regulations.
Three young women from Matholesville noticed this gap in the market, and decided to use their passion for designing and sewing to help their community.
Ayanda Cetywavo, 30, has been a resident of Matholesville for 20 years now, and she has a heart for her community.
“When President Cyril Ramaphosa said that masks would be mandatory from 1 May, I realised that some masks being sold are not re-usable. Then I thought of communities that have some less-privileged people among them who cannot afford to purchase disposable masks on a daily basis. I came to the conclusion that a washable and reusable face mask is the answer; one can buy one and keep using it,” Ayanda explained.
She approached Celesile Ndlovu, 33, and Shyline Mudewe, 24, with her business idea, and they were very excited to help out.
“I knew that they have a passion for sewing. They have a sewing machine and have been making their own clothes. They also have a passion for designing, and after I showed them the pattern I have for the face masks, they immediately agreed to become my business partners,” she said.
She added that the masks are washable, reusable and can be ironed, and said, “The material we use is a polycotton for the inside, and 100 per cent printed cotton for the outside. We bought the material from a tailor who sews African attire.”
Ayanda said they are selling their masks at R15 each, but in a bid to help those who cannot afford one, they have decided to hand out masks to the poor, orphans and senior citizens in their community.
“Depending on the demand, we sell an average of 60 masks per day. Other days we sell 30; it all depends on the orders we receive.”
When asked if they were not afraid to work outside during this time, she answered, “We are not afraid of the virus as we are abiding by the regulations. We always wear our masks, we always sanitize our material and hands, and we put on gloves. We also keep the social distance as required by law. And above all, we depend on God’s protection.
“She urged community members to remember that wearing a mask is only effective when one also sanitizes one’s hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, or washes them with soap and water.
“We encourage people not to use the mask more that once without washing and ironing it. It is very important to wear your mask whenever you are out in the public or at work, as this will not only save your life, it will save the lives of many others.
Let us stay home and go out only if necessary. By uniting in prayer and by adhering to the rules we can beat this.
Ayanda concluded by saying, “We are goal-driven and passionate about what we do. We are asking for sponsors or donations as we don’t have enough equipment. We also ask for support for our business. If you want to place an order, contact Ayanda on 082 254 4312, or Celesile on 078 379 6032.”
