Jewellery is a charm for this goldsmith
Mashike Brenden Thomas Mangoale gives jewellery a personal touch.
The 35-year-old is a jewellery designer, manufacturer and goldsmith by profession and he has been in the business for 11 years. His love affair with jewellery design started in 2005 when he went to Imfundiso Skills Development; a skill transfer initiative aimed at historically disadvantaged and unemployed youth.
In 2010, he took the bold step to start his own jewellery business under Seda Limpopo Jewellery Incubator. The passion for what he does drives him, as well as his love for working with his hands.
“I remember a jewellery piece I made when I was still at Imfundiso. I entered it into a South African Mint coin competition and I won, this was back in 2006,” he explained.
A highlight of his career was receiving a R50 000 kickstart from the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).
He has grown in leaps and bounds since then, however, he still experiences challenges as a black jeweller trying to tap into that market.
“Funding continues to be a real challenge especially trying to rope in sponsors. I am not going to sit around and wait for a miracle to happen though. I am working hard to realise my dream of opening a jewellery store,” he said.
The retail store he dreams of would be located at a mall but first he needs approximately R200 000 to cover the cost of raw material and at least six months’ rent because he already has machinery. He is currently situated at the Indian Centre where he does all his work, supplying clients from as far as Durban and Cape Town with African Jewellery.
