From Township Sewing Rooms to Industry Impact: How Zinhle Khumalo Built Ikhethelo Clothing & Textiles

From Township Sewing Rooms to Industry Impact: How Zinhle Khumalo Built Ikhethelo Clothing & Textiles. When Zinhle Khumalo worked in administration for corporates like Eskom and the eThekwini Municipality, she saw firsthand how government and private institutions relied on textile suppliers. In 2012, she stepped into that world, joining a team manufacturing hospital linen for Mpumalanga’s provincial hospitals. That experience sparked a deeper mission. She witnessed women in Umlazi Township losing their piece-work jobs when contracts ended and that sparked a determination. A year later, in 2015, Khumalo founded Ikhethelo Clothing & Textiles, employing former home-based seamstresses and positioning the company as a force for women’s empowerment.

Building Credibility Against Cheap Imports

South African textiles faced fierce competition from cheap Chinese imports. Undeterred, Khumalo doubled down on local pride, sourcing fabric locally, investing in printing capacity, and producing corporate uniforms, school wear, hospital linen, PPE, and T-shirts. Her focus on quality paid off. Institutions like KFC, Transnet, and Total SA entrusted Ikhethelo for their uniforms and linen needs, even inviting her to operate on-site to reduce transport costs.

Scaling Up with Strategic Funding

Despite limited experience in fabrics, Khumalo learned fast and used funding to scale. She joined SAB’s KickStart programme, a national initiative to position youth-owned businesses for public and private sector supply. The programme helped with capital, supplier readiness, and client introductions. Soon she acquired machinery, expanded her factory into the Umlazi Industrial Park, and hired 15 permanent staff, all young women from the township.

Expanding Products and Services

Starting with hospital linen, Ikhethelo soon diversified. By 2019, Khumalo added bed linen made from Egyptian cotton and bamboo under the “Izinga Bedroom Affair” line. She also launched protective clothing and PPE production at a time when demand was surging globally. Local production meant faster turnaround, quality control, and reduced shipping delays from overseas suppliers.

Leading with Passion and Self Care

Running a factory meant long days and Khumalo emphasized taking care of herself. She practices self-care, manages stress, and ensures her team has time to recharge. She sees this not just as personal wellness but as a leadership strategy. Healthy leaders build healthy companies.

Winning Contracts, Building Trust

One of her major breakthroughs came when clients like KFC asked her to produce embroidered T-shirts and corporate wear. Soon after, bigger names followed, Transnet and Total SA contracted Ikhethelo for uniforms. This cycle of trust-building meant that each successful delivery became the reference for the next contract. Her reputation rose on quality and reliability.

Embedding Social Impact

More than a business, Ikhethelo became a channel for upliftment. Zinhle dedicates five percent of profits to sewing skills training in township youth, helping to build future talent pipelines. She also mentors, sponsors training, and strives to open further branches in KwaMashu, reinforcing women’s empowerment in underrepresented areas.

Lessons for Entrepreneurs

• Start with purpose: Khumalo’s main motivation was community uplift, not just profit. It shaped her decisions.
• Turn adversity into strength: When Mpumalanga contracts ended, she didn’t stop. She built her own factory.
• Invest in quality: Competing with imports meant offering products that matched or exceeded their standards.
• Use funding wisely: SAB KickStart was not just capital, it offered mentoring, networks and client access.
• Diversify without losing focus: Expanding into PPE and bed linen grew her revenue and resilience.
• Prioritize leadership wellness: Managing oneself is as important as managing the team.
• Scale with values: Hiring local women and reinvesting profits ensured growth remained meaningful.

Looking Ahead

Today, Ikhethelo Clothing & Textiles operates with a full CMT (cut, make, trim) factory in Umlazi, serving both public and private institutions with a growing staff of young township women. Khumalo’s vision includes further expansion, job creation, and education. She continues to challenge the norm, showing that ingenuity, heart and local focus can build thriving businesses.