For Letsiwe Namhla Bhekiwe Sithungo, crocheting is more than a creative hobby. It is a way of honouring her late mother, who encouraged her to turn her talent into a business.
The young entrepreneur is the founder of Namhla Crochets, a Mbabane based crochet business specialising in handmade wearable items, particularly hats.
From beanies and bucket hats to ruffle and slouchy hats, she has turned balls of yarn into fashionable pieces while slowly building a business that she hopes will grow beyond its humble beginnings.
“I started Namhla Crochets to honour my love for crocheting as well as my late mother, who used to encourage me to start this business,” she said.
Her first customer was her maternal aunt and for months afterwards, finding new customers proved difficult. “When I first started, my only customer was my aunt on my mother’s side. I couldn’t get other customers for months no matter how hard I tried,” she recalls.
Rather than abandoning the idea, Sithungo continued creating, advertising and relying on the encouragement of the people around her.
For Sithungo, entrepreneurship is also about encouraging young people to recognise the value of their talents. She believes young creatives should not always wait for formal employment before they start earning an income.
“I want to inspire other young talented people to use their skills and creativity to start their own businesses and to make an income early. Instead of waiting for job opportunities, let’s create our own,” she said.
Her own business journey has taught her that growth requires patience, persistence and a willingness to start small. Sithungo currently works alone, making every product herself. Her range includes beanies, ruffle hats, slouchy hats, bucket hats and, occasionally, swimming tops.
She wants to sharpen her crochet skills and eventually produce more sophisticated pieces, including skirts and cardigans.
Her goal is to create high-quality pieces that remain affordable while keeping pace with contemporary fashion trends.
Although Namhla Crochets is still a solo operation, Sithungo is already developing a customer service philosophy that reflects the kind of business she wants to build.
Before delivering an order, she sends the customer photographs of the completed product, allowing them to identify anything that may need to be corrected.
“If the product has been delivered and there’s a reasonable problem, I have no problem with fetching the product and redoing it free of charge,” she explained.
For Sithungo, every customer matters. Completing an order is also a personal achievement that she celebrates before sharing photographs of the finished product with her supporters for encouragement.
Interestingly, Sithungo admits that when she started Namhla Crochets, she did not believe the business would go very far. The lack of customers made her question whether her idea could succeed.
At the heart of that determination is a deeply personal motivation: Making her late mother proud.
Her mother’s encouragement remains part of the story behind every piece she creates and every step she takes to grow the business.
For other aspiring entrepreneurs who may be discouraged by slow beginnings, Sithungo’s message is simple: Have faith and start small. She identifies lack of customers and funding as some of the biggest challenges new businesses can face. Her advice is to budget carefully, protect the money coming into the business and understand that success rarely happens overnight.
For now, Sithungo continues to crochet, learn and advertise her creations, one customer and one handmade piece at a time.
When she is not crocheting, Sithungo enjoys reading. She is currently re-reading her favourite book, Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney.
For more information about Namhla Crochets and its handmade pieces, prospective customers can contact the business through its social media platforms.
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