Durban - Abuse, lack of confidence, low self-
esteem and financial difficulties.
These were some of the hardships experienced by three KwaZulu-Natal moms, before joining The Clothing Bank (TCB).
Thabisa Mathandabuzo, 36, struggled to raise her daughter from her wages, as a part-time domestic worker at a B&B, earning about R1500 a month.
“Things were very difficult as I was raising my child alone. I had many struggles - financial and emotional - because I couldn’t afford to look after myself and my child. I had no passion, no confidence and I was a hopeless
single mother,” said the Umbilo resident.
Mathandabuzo spotted a gap in the market for comfortable shoes, for nurses who work long shifts. She bought shoes and slowly grew her business, using the knowledge and skills gained on the TCB’s ED training programme.
Mathandabuzo said the course taught her bookkeeping and other forms of training, as well as counselling, over the two years she was enrolled in the programme.
“The opportunity to start a business changed my life,” said the single mom, who now trades in Durban, Johannesburg and the Free State.
Stacey Carpede, 33, also experienced change through TCB, when she joined in 2018.
The Wentworth mom said her husband worked in a volatile industry, which brought some hardships for her family.
“It was very hard, so we used to get meals from my mom - she would help us where she could. Now and again, when my dad did feel like helping us, he would. There were a lot of things going on in my life and I never thought it would change until my friend told me about The Clothing Bank,” said the mother of three.
Unfortunately, Covid-19 has affected Carpede’s retail business, as she has not been able to buy stock since the national lockdown began.
“I cannot buy stock, so I’m unable to make money to provide for my
family but it’s understandable, we know that this virus is dangerous but there also needs to be some sort of help for us, as small business owners,” Carpede
said.
She said TCB provided the women in the programme with mentoring, counselling, and classes on etiquette and self-esteem, beyond the boundaries of just business.
Established in 2010, by Tracey Gilmore and Tracey Chambers, in Cape Town, TCB has grown into an internationally recognised organisation offering income-generating opportunities that build the bridge to financial inclusion.
It has helped 3000 women to date, and currently consists of more than 800 mothers, nationally.
The motivation for starting the programme was built on the frustration at the lack of employment opportunities available for marginalised, under-
resourced women, said Tracey Gilmore, spokesperson of TCB.
“The Clothing Bank was birthed out of a conversation Tracey (Chambers) and I had, about the amount of excess stock there is to be found within the retail supply chain and how we could use the stock as a tool to teach unemployed women how to run sustainable businesses,
and earn a decent income,” said Gilmore.
She said the support received from the very first interaction, with one of SA’s biggest retailers, ignited TCB’s success.
The decade-long journey has been anything but seamless though. Last year, a fire broke out at their Cape Town branch, resulting in a
R10million loss in stock.
“The Clothing Bank jumped back quickly and, with the generous support of retailers, the programme was able to achieve record sales in 2019, reaching its target of supporting more than 900 women to run sustainable small businesses, which collectively earned more than R38million in profits,” Gilmore
said.
Overcoming adversity underpins the story of each matriarch enrolled in TCB’s programme.
An uMlazi mother of four, Ntombizandile Gumede, 45, said domestic abuse and marital complications, which often led to having no food in the home, encouraged her to become an independent woman when a friend recommended TCB.
“At first it was hard finding customers, and for them to trust the
quality of my clothing. Another problem I encountered was theft,” she said .
Gumede has overcome many challenges and gained a decent customer base.
All three women said expansion was a key goal for the future, and
that perseverance was essential for success.
“You must have goals and be someone who is able to work hard, be
independent and self-driven. You don’t need to have a lot of money to start a business, work with what you have and see if it grows. Don’t have high expectations when you start because
it will have ups and downs but be patient, focus on your goal, and you will succeed,” Gumede said.