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Qakaka adds sparkle to her community

EMPOWERING WOMEN: Nomaci Qabaka empowers women photo: Supplied
EMPOWERING WOMEN: Nomaci Qabaka empowers women photo: Supplied

ONE woman in Mdantsane township outside East London in Eastern Cape is working hard at empowering and creating jobs for her community.

Nomaci Qabaka, 58, is the founder of Xhobani Special Projects, a business that includes a bead factory and an ICT centre. This initiative has been crucial in empowering unemployed women in the area.

Xhobani Beads was established in 2009 to sell a piece of Africa to foreigners arriving for the month-long 2010 Fifa World Cup.

Qabaka said that with a staff of 10 she had been able to create jobs for the community.

The former social worker and teacher credits her company for offering skills to 100 unskilled workers in the design and manufacturing of jewellery items using recycled glass.

Her bead line includes handmade glass beads, Millefiori glass beads (colourful, patterned beads made from clay) and lampwork glass beads known for their intricate and whimsical designs.

Before venturing into business, Qabaka worked as a social worker from 1979 to 1989 and, after graduating with a BA degree in education from Fort Hare University, she started her teaching career in 1990.

"It saddens me to see the situation of black women in my community," she said about what motivated her to start a company to fight unemployment.

"I wanted to help women get some form of skills. Our women need to be empowered. The contribution we make is to provide a platform for women to get to another level."

Her second initiative, the Gugulethu ICT Centre, has offices in Mdantsane and East London and offers free ICT training.

While the World Cup might have come and gone, it's still business as usual at Xhobani. This, she said, is due to the fact that her major clients are government departments and big corporates.

"Government has shown us a lot of support. The DTI [department of trade and industry] has been one of the many organisations that have supported us in terms of finance and introducing us to skills improvement by taking us to local and international skills seminars to show us how other manufacturers like us are diversifying their businesses."

A number of departments, including rural development and arts and culture, and the local municipality, have been some of her biggest supporters in giving her business.

The departments and municipality often purchase her products as gifts for foreign delegates who come for official visits or to decorate their offices, she said.

As for the future, she reckons that "more can still be done". "I want to employ more people than I do right now."

Khumelaj@sowetan.co.za

 

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