One of more than 100 participants of the Earthshot Prize Youth Programme, Pienaar native and creative Xolile Mabuza (27), had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to discuss sustainable and environmental-friendly clothing products with William, the Prince of Wales.

She described the experience of meeting Prince William as a priceless dream she had never thought would come true.

Mabuza is the founder of Tendalo Trading, a company that specialises in repurposing old rubber tubes from cars, trucks and tractors by recycling and upcycling them into beautiful eco-friendly, durable, waterproof and ethically-sourced fashion bags.

“He was so invested in our conversation as I told him more about my bags, which he initially thought were made of leather. He even said he would like to get a bag. I shared with him how I started it, my goals and how this business has helped me to maintain my mental health. It was truly a humbling experience to converse with him,” she said.

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Prince William, the founder and president of the Earthshot Prize, was in Cape Town for the fourth annual award ceremony held on November 6, where five winners each received £1m (about R22.8m) to scale their businesses. He has spent Earth Week meeting eco-warriors and taking part in various events focused on environmental innovation. This included meeting the participants in the Earthshot Prize Youth Programme.

This programme is a climate leadership platform that offers mentoring and networking opportunities for young people between ages of 15 to 35. One of the objectives is to ultimately prepare young climate leaders to effectively take their shot at becoming an Earthshot Prize finalist.

Mabuza said she had initially applied for the Earthshot Prize, but was then referred to apply for the youth programme instead. “I rubbed shoulders with influential people like Prince William himself and even Nomzamo Mbatha, and interacted with people who are pioneers for the sustainability of the environment. The programme allowed us to cultivate our minds and apply critical thinking for the success of our concepts. I think being part of this programme will open bigger doors for me and Tendalo Trading,” she said.

Mabuza established Tendalo Trading in 2019 and managed to penetrate the market through the Woolies Youth Maker Programme by Woolworths in June. “I applied and pitched my idea, and I got in. The benefits of this programme is having my bags being sold at the three biggest Woolworths stores in the country, being the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, Gateway Theatre of Shopping in KwaZulu-Natal and Sandton City. This has been a game-changer, because it was difficult to penetrate markets on my own and it also gives me credibility. I have people from Europe asking about my products.”

Her bags will be available at these stores until January 2025.

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As part of this programme, she is enabled to put her business on a global scale. She recently went to Paris to showcase the business and products to the French Institute of South Africa, and the French Embassy as one of the Crèation Africa Programme’s top 12 finalists. She also participated in the London Investment Week from September 28 to October 5.

Mabuza’s business is based in KaDaantjie. She employs two full-time employees and usually outsources a designer for bulk orders.

Her goal is to establish a bigger factory that will house at least 50 people, especially young women, so they can be trained, upskilled and uplifted. “I want to have my own shops as well, even beyond the borders of South Africa, and to collaborate with other creatives,” she said.