Vuyokazi Vatela (28) is a married mother of two who has been a part of the Siyazama Self Development Project since 2007. Vatela was unemployed and looking for work when she came across the centre.
Vuyokazi Vatela (28) is a married mother of two who has been a part of the Siyazama Self Development Project since 2007. Vatela was unemployed and looking for work when she came across the centre.
She was taken aback by how many women had taken the initiative to get involved in the self development projects offered at the centre and very soon decided that she too would like to be one of those women.
So she gt going and was soon learning baking, weaving, painting and knitting from the other more experienced women.
After two short years at the centre, Vatela has become a new kind of person. Once unemployed and depressed, she is now confident and hopeful for her future as a businesswoman. Whereas she once felt guilty that she was not contributing to her family financially, Vatela now feels pride in the fact that she is capable of providing a small income and setting a good example for her children.
She is currently building up a collection of handmade products which she plans to sell at the National Arts Festival next year. When asked what she envisions for her future, Vatela declares that the skills she has learned and the people she has met have sparked within her the desire to one day start her own business.
Also, she says that she truly believes that if she continues to work diligently and make the most of the opportunity presented to her by the Siyazama Centre, her dream of owning and running her own business will become a reality.
People like Vuyokazi Vatela who truly possess an entrepreneurial spirit – one of vision, creativity, innovation and persistence – are the unsung heroes of the local Grahamstown business world. These people are truly inspirational and are proof that humble beginnings are no excuse for apathy.
On being an inspiration and/or role model to others in search of work, Vatela laughs, but earnestly believes that people in search of employment should not sit in their homes and mope around, waiting for an opportunity to present itself to them in their living rooms.
This does not however, mean that those looking for jobs should hit the streets and bang on every door until they find something. Rather, Vatela argues that if you want to do something with your life and you have an idea that you believe could work, you can do nothing worse than rely on others to turn your vision into a reality.
She says this process can be captured by a simple phrase in which she truly trusts: "when you want to make a change in your life, don’t ask, just do.”
