AFTER turning a class project on recycled school bags into a viable business, Thato Kgatlhanye and Rea Ngwane are contemplating expanding.
Kgatlhanye, 21, and Ngwane, 22, came up with the idea of Rethaka three years ago as a class project before turning it into a proper business.
Rethaka employs eight workers who manufacture school bags made from plastic shopping bags.
The bags are solar-powered with retro-reflective features, meaning they charge during the day through the sun to enable them to glow at night.
This feature enables school children who live in households where there is no electricity to also use the bags as an energy source to read and study.
The bags also provide them with a safety feature at night as pupils can be seen on the roads or use the bags to light their paths.
"Our next step is to expand the business. We are looking at options of establishing a company somewhere in Africa to start off with," Kgatlhanye said.
"We have partnered with two schools in Rustenburg and Pretoria to help us collect recycleable material.
"The collecting and recycling of these materials is also an initiative to promote community involvement."
Ngwane said the next step was to sell this idea to more of the developing countries.
The idea behind the bags was to solve the problems of lack of school bags and safety at night in one stroke.
"We come from communities where there is no electricity in some sections, among other social problems. We asked ourselves how can we help out, and this is the answer we came up with," Ngwane said.
The company has its only factory in Tlhabane in Rustenburg. The workers are all from the same community.
The business relies on financing from corporates and other private investors.
The accolades for their business speak volumes about their work: a 2013 SAB Foundation Innovation Award, Red Bull Amaphiko Academy invitation 2014, and the 2014 Echoing Green Climate fellowship semifinalist spot.
"We are young entrepreneurs who keep learning. One of the toughest challenges we came across was to learn how to deal with the pressure of the business," Kgatlhanye said.
khumelaj@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
School bags that spread light
AFTER turning a class project on recycled school bags into a viable business, Thato Kgatlhanye and Rea Ngwane are contemplating expanding.
Kgatlhanye, 21, and Ngwane, 22, came up with the idea of Rethaka three years ago as a class project before turning it into a proper business.
Rethaka employs eight workers who manufacture school bags made from plastic shopping bags.
The bags are solar-powered with retro-reflective features, meaning they charge during the day through the sun to enable them to glow at night.
This feature enables school children who live in households where there is no electricity to also use the bags as an energy source to read and study.
The bags also provide them with a safety feature at night as pupils can be seen on the roads or use the bags to light their paths.
"Our next step is to expand the business. We are looking at options of establishing a company somewhere in Africa to start off with," Kgatlhanye said.
"We have partnered with two schools in Rustenburg and Pretoria to help us collect recycleable material.
"The collecting and recycling of these materials is also an initiative to promote community involvement."
Ngwane said the next step was to sell this idea to more of the developing countries.
The idea behind the bags was to solve the problems of lack of school bags and safety at night in one stroke.
"We come from communities where there is no electricity in some sections, among other social problems. We asked ourselves how can we help out, and this is the answer we came up with," Ngwane said.
The company has its only factory in Tlhabane in Rustenburg. The workers are all from the same community.
The business relies on financing from corporates and other private investors.
The accolades for their business speak volumes about their work: a 2013 SAB Foundation Innovation Award, Red Bull Amaphiko Academy invitation 2014, and the 2014 Echoing Green Climate fellowship semifinalist spot.
"We are young entrepreneurs who keep learning. One of the toughest challenges we came across was to learn how to deal with the pressure of the business," Kgatlhanye said.
khumelaj@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
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