Fragrance maker Matimba Makaringe (32) from Nkova-nkova township, outside Tsanino, Limpopo, urged other women to work hard and create employment opportunities for rural communities as South Africa celebrates Women’s Month.
Create opportunities
Makaringe urged the women to work hard and create employment opportunities for the rural communities. In 2017, she started a fragrance company at home. She is happy that now her company provides work for several women. .
Her company, Courageous Cosmetics, now has a branding, marketing and training contract with the Small Business Development Agency. Makaringe is a self-taught fragrance maker who took a crash course in fragrance production before starting her business.
The University of the Free State corporate communications graduate says she started the business after experiencing several misfortunes.
“The heating pad popped against my thighs, so I got second degree burns. And a few months after that, I had a miscarriage. And I was in a relationship with a partner who left me in huge debt. So the stench from the burns and the blood from the miscarriage continued to linger on me. So I tried to buy branded perfume, but I just couldn’t afford it. So I met a man who helped me produce my own fragrance. And when I used it, I realized there was a market for it.” she says.
Matimba Makaringe has created opportunities for her community by employing 4 women in her fragrance business
Grab every opportunity
She says starting the business wasn’t easy; however, she encourages women to grab every little opportunity to improve their lives.
“No one is going to come to our rescue if you do a transplant here and turn it into a successful business. When I started in this business, I worked in a garage for five years in a shop last year and I fought tooth and nail to be here. I’m just looking at work. We are trying to create systems using technology instead of social media for gossip. I go to social media to find opportunities.” She adds.
Life changes
One of her employees, Mpho Mashaba, says working at Makaringe’s perfume shop has been life-changing because her company has created jobs for black people.
“We can do our own thing. As for me, since we offer manufacturing, training, and buying and reselling opportunities, it could also be more personal because I can take the opportunity to do my own thing and become a market agent for other companies and help them grow.” Mashaba explains.
Makaringe adds that she wants to restore hope and confidence to women living in underdeveloped communities by helping them produce quality and affordable fragrance products.
