WOWZulu comes to Ballito

Handcrafted products with a touch of the proud Ilembe history is the recipe for tourism success at the new WOWZulu marketplace in Ballito.

Bearing in mind the Ilembe district’s close proximity to King Shaka International Airport, a partnership between Africa!Ignite and the Enterprise Ilembe led to the development of a one-of-akind WOWZulu centre situated at the Sangweni Tourism centre in the heart of Ballito.

WOWZulu is a Durban based non-profit rural development agency that has worked across rural areas for more than a decade.

The goal of the marketplace is to help women and youths in deep, poor rural areas to improve their lives by earning a decent living from selling their crafts in the marketplace and, in turn, enhancing tourism. One of the crafters Celani Nojiyeza said she felt blessed that she could earn an income from her work.

“I make and sell beaded jewellery and other products. I do not earn a stable income because I do not have a set place to sell from. Having my products at this marketplace will help me,” she said.

The new marketplace comes in the form of a colourful container filled with uniquely designed, handcrafted products such as jewellery, mats and even board games with each telling a story of Ilembe’s history.

Speaking at the launch last Thursday, Ilembe Chamber CEO Cobus Oelofse said he welcomed the marketplace to the business community.

“In an economy like ours, with a thick rural inter-lab, it is important to make sure that those from rural areas do not feel excluded from the economic activity that we have within the Ilembe district. For me, the opportunity that WOWZulu provides with a marketplace where people can sell and display their goods, is so important in terms of reaching out to art and crafts as a business.”

Celebrating the new development, Ilembe deputy mayor Dolly Shandu, said it was important to enhance tourism which already contributed about 10 per cent to the district’s GDP.

“Tourism is still a major driver of jobs and is the fastest growing sector of the economy. It is against this background that we fully support WOWZulu. This development will package attractive tourism products and sell these locally. People who are on the doorstep of where tourists go can now benefit from a tourist income.”

>>> Meet the top players in the North Coast property industry. See our Property People feature.

>>> Looking for a church? Check out our Churches on the North Coast feature. 

Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 061 718 4438.

Please read our WhatsApp broadcast list disclaimer.
Join us on BBM at 59015786
Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.