Meet Entrepreneur, Thobekile Mkhize Founder Of Mabotho

It’s often said that entrepreneurship can help combat some of the economic challenges faced by the African continent and with the growth of young entrepreneurs; this could our beacon of hope. 

Thobekile Mkhize, a 35-year-old powerhouse who hails from Durban. Four years ago Thobekile started Mabotho, a black woman-owned brand whose core goal is to make and design luxury, custom-made leather and ‘iskhumba’ (cowhide) goods such as bags and home decor accessories.

Mabotho is meshed from her late father’s name ‘Mabo’ and ‘Tho’ from her name, is a unique brand that has cornered not just the local market but internationally by creating fashionable items that tell the African story. Mabotho maintains an underlying heritage that’s interpreted through creativity and hard work and this is portrayed through the detail, quality, and perfection of their product range. 

The products, handcrafted by artisans from various parts of Africa and every piece of material, pattern, and color, narrate a story that has long been yearning to be told.

Mabotho was birthed from her savings and built a customer base through local and international trade shows, word of mouth, and social media platforms. However, for Mabotho, the work speaks for itself, and thanks to technology they are no geographical limitations. 

As devastating as Covid-19 has been to businesses, Mkhize was fortunate in the sense that the business is run from home so production wasn’t interrupted, and even though international sales declined, Mabotho capitalised on their online presence through their accessible and interactive website.

xhead: Rooted in one’s roots

Even though Mabotho is still in its infancy, its ability to be genuine and original has resulted in its presence being felt in the market.  Mabotho has been selected numerous times by the Department of Trade and Industry to participate in exhibitions that are geared at stimulating and increasing South African exports, both locally and internationally. Mabotho has been fortunate enough to exhibit at numerous international trade shows. 

Even with international success, Mkhize has created a way for the local community to earn a living by buying the carcasses from locals.  “We have entered into agreements with various tanneries that we supply with the unprocessed leather in exchange for discounted purchases of the processed leather cut. The Zulu community, Mabotho, and the tanneries all benefit.”

This love for her community and the local and the company culture has given Mabotho a competitive advantage as Mkhize continues to support and collaborate with other international entrepreneurs that make similar products. For her, success is the ability to overcome one’s fear because fear can hinder one’s success. “If you let doubts, stress, or other people ruin or stand in your path of success then that’s going to stumble your growth. Always trust yourself and never let anything stand in achieving your dreams.”

Her journey in entrepreneurship is now moving into the next phase. Her plans include capitalising and taking advantage of the fact that there’s growth potential, a future, and opportunities for African designers to make their mark and make a difference in the business industry locally and globally. 

Mkhize’s success includes the willingness to take risks and try. “Some things you’ll learn along the way and some people will help you to reach your success. Everything goes according to God’s plan.” But seeing other entrepreneurs strive to make it each day is also an inspiration as well as:

– Passion

– Self-driven

– Self-starter 

– Be open to learning 

– Bravery.

xhead: Paying it forward

Entrepreneurship isn’t a walk in the park, one needs to have or acquire skills that will help you along. For Mkhize, an entrepreneur is someone with strong leadership and management qualities as well as confidence.  Fortunately, she understands the importance of focusing on your customers’ needs and to ensure that she provides the best service they need. And when it comes to quality control, one needs to focus more on producing quality than quantity.

“Reaching international quality standards is important for us and our customers.” Aspiring entrepreneurs need to be self-starters and shouldn’t expect someone to fund the business. “Help, financial aid, and other means of support will probably come along the way.  They need motivation and drive to start because it’s really up to an individual and exercising their power to start, plan and action their plan.”

Running a business takes lots of sacrifices, for one to stay focused one needs to be around positive people that understand your vision.  “Focus on the things you can control, create affirmations, and dream bigger than you think you can achieve”

Even though Mabotho has given the freedom to tell her story through art and creativity and she is living her dream, her greatest fear is not being allowed to tell African stories on international stages. For her, there needs to be a lasting legacy to inspire the next generation. “We need more brands coming from our shores.”

To succeed and stand out, entrepreneurs need to learn everything about the industry or field they are in. “When I first started I went to visit tanneries to understand the value chain system from farming cattle to learning about retail within the fashion industry. I had to learn about iskhumba and my Zulu culture. I spent time understanding the technical aspects behind making a bag.”

“We don’t promote the culture of xenophobia but of Africans uniting. We’re also working on sourcing leather from other African countries and forming partnerships. And we believe that to succeed one needs to have respect for other people’s culture.”

Mkhize’s goal for Mabotho is to showcase Africa’s potential and to create platforms that will show that African designers are on the rise and they need to take up spaces in the business world more than ever before. 

Fact box: 

Mkhize’s achievement includes:

• Won the Best Business Youth Owned Award in 2017
• Traveling and exhibiting to 7 countries including England, Ethiopia, Brazil, China, Morocco, USA, Dubai, 
• Securing x3 international orders

Mkhize’s top four entrepreneurial skills:

• Leadership skills 
• Communication skills 
• Financial management skills
• Sales and marketing skills

Byline: Sibongile Gura