This Mandela Day: Help unemployed South Africans on their journey to self-employment and independence
This Mandela Day:
Help unemployed South Africans on their journey to self-employment and independence
Image supplied by the publicist
With the staggering unemployment rate, Taking Care of Business’ (TCB) Enterprise Development programmes, which train South Africans to become self-employed, are filling an essential gap.
TCB has created three two-year programmes that train more than 1000 participants every year to establish their own informal businesses in the circular economy. These programmes use donations (clothes, appliances and fabric) from large retailers that would have been sent to landfill, to train people how to start, build, persevere and ultimately be successful small informal business owners.
This Mandela Day, on 18 July, you can assist TCB in their mission to help unemployed people on their journey to self-employment and independence.
Tracy Gilmore, co-founder and COO of TCB says,
“We hope people will take action and inspire change this Mandela Day. This day is an opportunity for individuals and organisations to take collective action in a meaningful way and leave a legacy in honour of Nelson Mandela. Together, we can build a safe, prosperous future for everyone by giving our time, energy and resources.”
TCB’s Repair programme trains mostly fathers to repair small and medium sized appliances and then resell them in the informal sector, building their own businesses.
Gilmore says,
“Each participant in this programme needs their own Repair starter kit. These kits have all the essential equipment one needs to get started repairing appliances and setting up a repair business. Each kit costs R600 thanks to our bulk-buying negotiated rates. We also always need small and medium appliances for our participants to work on.”
“In Remake, we train seamstresses to take their sewing abilities to new heights and build small businesses creating new designs and mending clothing. For this programme, we need sewing machines, sewing equipment and sewing kits. Every self-employed sewer in the programme needs their own sewing kit, which contains everything they need to get started and set up their business from home. We have sourced and negotiated the best possible bulk price to make this kit as affordable as possible, at R600 per kit,”
says Gilmore.
“Remake is TCB’s newest and smallest programme, and one of our goals is to roll this out too many more participants and ensure the programme’s success.”
What TCB needs this Mandela Day:
- Repair kits: R600 per kit
- Small and large appliances (even if they are not working)
- Sewing machines
- Sewing kits: R600 per kit
- Sewing equipment
- Donations
Gilmore says,
“I think one of the ways to make the most of Mandela Day’s 67 minutes of working for good is to work together. Challenge your friends, family or colleagues to raise money or collect items that charities, like TCB, need and make a real difference to another South African’s life this year."
For more information visit https://www.tcb.org.za/donate/
About Taking Care of Business (TCB)
Taking Care of Business (TCB), formerly known as The Clothing Bank, is a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty in South African families. We equip unemployed South Africans—particularly women—with the skills, support, and resources they need to build sustainable livelihoods and participate in the economy.
Through our Enterprise Development programmes—Resell, Repair, and Remake—we transform retail excess and damaged goods, including clothing, homeware, fabric, and appliances, into entrepreneurial opportunities. Participants launch their own small businesses and begin generating income within their first month.
More than just business training, our programmes take a holistic approach—developing the head (skills and knowledge), heart (personal growth and resilience), and hands (practical application). Participants receive training in finance, business management, digital literacy, and life skills, with access to mentorship and counselling to support their journey.
To learn more, visit www.tcb.org.za or contact us at info@tcb.org.za .
