11 Oct 2018

Unlike some of her peers who shun handiwork, 32-year-old Ms Obonye Sefalana has turned out to be a self-made entrepreneur of note due to the work.

Ms Sefalana designs and crafts fashion related accessories such as neck pieces, earrings and bracelets as well as ornamental items such as flower vases, photo frames, wall hangings and cushions among others.

She said she does not use any sophisticated machinery to come up with all these products, but relies on her bare hands.

There is no doubt that she has a magic touch as her products are a marvel and customers who pass by her work area are always left awed.

In an interview, Ms Sefalana shared that she had been involved in the business, which all stated as a childhood hobby, for 10 years.

She said when she was growing up she had a zeal to be financially independent but could not fulfill it because she was trapped in challenges of unemployment.

She said the challenges propelled her to re-visit her childhood hobby, and never looked back as the positive outcomes enabled her dream of being independent to become a reality.

“The art of designing fashion related accessories has always been my childhood hobby, and as I grew up I decided to trace my steps back to my hobby, turning it into a business project,” she said.

Ms Sefalana said the profit she received from the business has a positive trajectory, as she was able to attend to her financial and social needs.

She trades as African Affairs Creations, a name which shows that her products are inspired by African tradition.

“From way back most African women have always been fond of fashion related accessories and decorating their houses. It was more like a norm for a woman to be spotted with earrings and her household characterised by a collection of ornaments,” she said.

Ms Sefalana said she used African prints and the beads strictly to come up with her fashion accessories.

As for the flower vases, she highlighted that she buys them plain, then covers them with pieces of cloths while the photo frames and wall hangings are designed from hardboard, which she also covers in pieces of cloths.

For the cushions, she noted that she joined pieces of preferred cloths and filled them with spongy materials so as to give the desired shape.

“Whenever I work on fashion accessories, I try to come up with pieces that will not only compliment outfits, but I also choose colours that can blend with any given skin colour,” she said.

Furthermore, Ms Sefalana said for the ornamental items, she prefered to use bright colours, as they helped to enhance the inner appearance of rooms.

Although she operates from Francistown, she said she has managed to attract customers from as far as Kasane, Maun, Gaborone, Ghanzi and several other areas thanks to Facebook which made it possible for her to reach out to potential customers, and she received positive comments and orders.

In addition, she said the idea to relocate from home and sell at the Central Business District (CBD) and a number of youth expositions that she keeps attending also gave her the desired exposure. Ends