What began as a creative experiment has grown into a thriving business that is creating jobs while giving new life to waste.
In a story shared by News24 journalist Nkosikhona Duma, Durban artist and entrepreneur Minenhle Simelane explains how he founded Umlazi Art and Recycling after discovering that discarded chip packets could be transformed into durable, fashionable products using traditional weaving techniques passed down by his grandmother.
Rather than keeping those skills to himself, Simelane has built a business that now employs 10 people, creating opportunities for both older women and young people.
Five elderly women from his family’s village near Eshowe, many of whom previously worked on farms, now use their weaving expertise to produce handbags and other accessories from recycled plastic packaging. Their traditional craftsmanship has found a new purpose in the growing circular economy, allowing them to earn an income while preserving an important cultural skill.
The business also provides work for five young people in Durban during busy production periods, equipping them with practical experience in recycling, manufacturing and creative entrepreneurship.
Every bag begins with discarded chip packets that are collected, cleaned, cut and carefully woven into colourful, durable products that are sold to customers looking for sustainable fashion.
For Simelane, the business is about far more than recycling. It is about proving that waste can create opportunity and that traditional skills can be adapted to meet modern challenges.
He hopes to expand the business further and establish training programmes that will teach more young people how to build sustainable businesses from recycled materials, creating even more employment opportunities in communities that need them most.
In a country where unemployment remains one of the biggest challenges, Minenhle Simelane’s story demonstrates how innovation, cultural heritage and entrepreneurship can come together to create green jobs, preserve valuable skills and transform waste into opportunity.
Description:
A Durban entrepreneur is transforming discarded chip packets into fashionable bags while creating jobs, preserving traditional weaving skills and empowering women and young people through sustainable employment.
Editor’s Note:
South Africa’s unemployment crisis calls for innovative solutions that create meaningful work while protecting the environment. Minenhle Simelane’s journey shows how traditional knowledge, entrepreneurship and recycling can come together to build sustainable livelihoods, preserve cultural skills and inspire the next generation of green innovators.
