Manku Ethel Mmotong is an entrepreneur in a dilemma

Manku Ethel Mmotong

The budding African Bling Bling is talented bead worker who was inspired by a shop at the Lakeside Mall in Benoni to beads. But her parents do not recognise art work as a profitable business enterprise. They want her to go back to school to study for a job.

Manku, 28, already has an administration diploma from Ekurhuleni East College in Benoni and presently she is studying with Unisa for an education degree. “Finance is another obstacle to my ambitions,” she continues. At home, when her creative juices are flowing and she must work her beads, she has to hide in order not to hurt her parents’ hearts.

Her vision is to develop young people to realise their dreams and to achieve the impossible. She also wants to be a successful entrepreneur. “It all started when she was principal chorographer for a  community group called Happy Stars back in Maserumule Park in Limpopo.

 “I was in grade 7 then. I was an administrator, principal, event organiser and everything else,” she remembers. But it was when she passed the Bead Work shop at the mall that her passion was stoked into life. “Finally I bought some material and these visions to create products came to me in the form of dreams. That is how I create products, dreams lead me.” 

Hence at the moment money means nothing to her. Beside beads she also recycles plastic to use as a base for her material. Manku also recycles fabric rags that she collects from dress makers in the area. But she concedes that apart from her parents’ attitude and the lack of finance, business knowledge is imperative if she is to move to dizzy heights. Because she works alone, she says, she is unable to enter exhibitions because she cannot make enough pieces to satisfy the organisers. Another obstacle is to find people who share the same passion as her, people with enough drive. “I really need to do a business management course to tune me up,” she remarks.

Back home she already has organised a fashion show which Monnakoma  Motshana, the owner of MonteCarlo Tavern was gracious to sponsor. Manku invited dress makers, caterers, performers, make-up artists, hair stylists, and designers to showcase their creations and work. A few models came forth but were not up to “Jo’burg standards,” she quips. “But I tell you, I still owe myself a big show. The show back home was just a rehearsal of the big things that are coming my way. My motto is, life is an X+X+X+X which stands for YESTERDAY was an Xperience, TODAY is an Xperiment and TOMORROW an Xpectation. So use your experience to in your experiment to achieve your expectations.” 

Some of her exciting designs