The National Development Agency (NDA) was one of the top performers in the CRF Best Employer survey for 2009-10.
As part of the company’s mission it has supported numerous projects across the country, including Itlhabolole Waste Management in the North West Province.
Amid unrest in South Africa’s clothing and textile industry, a rural project in North West Province is receiving international interest for its haute-couture styling using recyclable waste products. For most South Africans, Ikopeleng village is nothing more than an unknown place in our vast country.
Located next to the Ramatlabama border between Botswana and South Africa, Ikopeleng village does not immediately elicit any remarkable story. That is until you meet the women who run Itlhabolole Waste Management.
The organisation has developed its client base in Botswana, Johannesburg and Cape Town. It has recently added Germany to its list and has been invited to Germany to showcase its products in 2010 thanks to its success at this year’s Decorex design expo.
Itlhabolole showcased its products to local and international designers at Decorex, receiving a response so overwhelming it led to stock being sold out in the first two days and it was awarded silver in the best product category at the event.
‘This recognition is not only for the work that this organisation is doing, it also confirms for the women of Itlhabolole Waste Management that life is what you make of it,” says Potlako Ntlatleng, North West provincial manager of the NDA, which has worked with and funded Itlhabolole Waste Management for the past two years.
Meaning ‘develop yourself” in Setswana, Itlhabolole is an apt name for this organisation, which employs 18 locals, 14 of whom are women. This organisation manufactures fashionable ladies bags, shoes and traditional Setswana clothing from plastics.
Bags range from sling bags to shopping bags. The product range also includes plastic wreaths, dustbins, peg holders, mats and placemats.
The women are looking to build on their success by establishing another project that will create additional jobs, starting a food outlet in the village that sells popular foods such as vetkoek and chips, which has proved popular.
‘At a time when concern over the environment is gaining much attention, a small village in a corner of South Africa is creating wealth out of the waste that litters our streets,” Ntlatleng says.
Itlhabolole Waste Management can only grow. The journey for this group is far from over and the aspirations of the beneficiaries are to see themselves improving the quality of their lives and those of others in the village.