Running a business while navigating the world with a hearing impairment is not easy; but Ntomboxolo Mve of Mfingo Trading and Matebogo Victoria of VoiceOut Deaf are shining examples that success is possible.
Both women have overcome the usual obstacles associated with starting up a business while trying to navigate a world made more complex because of their hearing impairments.
Mve explains that she was aware that something was ‘off’ from her childhood, despite the fact that visits to numerous clinics failed to provide an accurate diagnosis.
“Each time, the nurse who assisted me assured me that there was nothing wrong with my hearing,” she says. It was only when she was 47-years-old that a doctor found that the hearing in both her ears was compromised, and Mve was fitted with hearing aids.
She admits that the condition affected her confidence. “I found it difficult to talk to people. Because hearing loss isn’t a condition you can see, I felt like people were judging me and labelling me, believing I couldn’t follow a conversation. Even if I managed to hear them clearly enough to answer appropriately, my hearing difficulties were always at the back of my mind. I believe that if it weren’t for my lack of confidence, I would have pursued business more aggressively.”
As it is, however, Mve has successfully transformed Mfingo Trading from a one-woman entity into a thriving enterprise that employed two people and comprises two separate businesses.
The first of these, Mfingo Trading’s recycling arm, was established in 2014. “At the time, I had been unemployed for several years. I was desperate to start earning money and thought that it would be a good idea to start a business but, of course, it’s difficult to do that if you have no capital.” Mve struck on the idea of a recycling business after her Mitchell’s Plain community was invited to take part in a clean-up campaign. “It seemed the perfect solution. You don’t need any money to start recycling, and you can start earning straight away.”
Mve started traveling door-to-door to collect glass and plastic bottles and other recyclables; also trawling beaches and malls for materials that could be recycled. Mve works with a team of waste collectors that collect waste from residential and commercial spaces. She then sorts the waste, puts it in big bags, and sells it to waste management companies. At first, her collections took place once a week, but within the year she realised that she would have to collect more frequently if the business was to grow. Today, Mve and her team collect every day except Sunday.
Mfingo Trading’s second interest is a tannery; again, established on the strength Mve ’s observations.
Every time there is a wedding, a funeral, or any other special occasion, we slaughter an animal. I noticed that the animals’ skins were typically thrown away and ended up in landfill. My idea is to collect the skins, tan them, and craft leather goods from them.”
With the help of an investor, Mve hopes to gain the facilities, equipment and resources required to expand both businesses.
“I don’t intend to be a rubbish picker forever. My ultimate goal is to develop products using plastic. I believe there are lots of opportunities in this space.”
Meanwhile, having been born deaf, Victoria has made it her mission to close the gap between the deaf and hearing communities. Victoria grew up in Mohlakeng township in Randfontein, where there were no schools for the deaf – which meant that there was nowhere for her to learn sign language.
“Imagine how hard it is for a deaf child to cope when they have no medium for education. Most deaf children aren’t able to communicate with other deaf people if they haven’t been to the proper schools, and many parents in a situation like mine don’t have the resources to send a child to a school as far away as Soweto or Johannesburg.”
Against this backdrop, it’s not surprising that Victoria Matebogo has a keen sense of the challenges faced by deaf people – and a thorough understanding of their needs, too. She points out that it is often difficult for deaf people to find employment, which means that they struggle to fulfil their most basic need: putting food on the table.
This insight led to the founding of VoiceOut Deaf: “My thinking was that if I could start a farming business for deaf people, they’d have everything they needed to feed themselves,” she explains, adding that VoiceOut Deaf stands for “Voicing Out For the Deaf Community”.
“Most members of the deaf community have no option besides attending disability centres, where they have no interpreter and therefore can’t speak for themselves. They don’t understand basic business fundamentals – but, with VoiceOut Deaf, they are exposed to the business world instead of depending on handouts.”
The business started as a cooperative in 2016, and was registered as a private company a year later. It runs out of Westonaria Agri Park, and supports 41 people through activities like ploughing, planting, fertilising, harvesting and selling. New customers are typically found through word of mouth, although the company also has a social media page and plans to launch an awareness programme that will help it target a wider audience.
Apart from providing an income, the company also offers an Employee Assistance Programme, helping its staff address personal or work-related problems.
“Besides being a profitable business model, our company is all about helping people develop their entrepreneurial skills and adding more value to their lives.” Much of this comes from being part of a community, which Victoria explains is crucially important for deaf people. “Being part of our VoiceOut Deaf means that people get a chance to become an active member of a community, engage in economic activity and access the services we offer.”
Make no mistake though – as much as VoiceOut Deaf does much to support its communities, Victoria has not lost sight of the profit-making imperative. Her primary aim is to see the initiative become the most profitable vegetable farming business in South Africa, and her efforts have been recognised through accolades such as being named a finalist in the 2022 Women in Agribusiness Awards.
She admits that it is not always easy for the company to keep abreast of new developments – and for reasons that are surprisingly simple. For example, there is no sign for the word ‘hydroponic’, or any of the other words that have evolved out of the new technologies driving agriculture forward.
Moreover, while such technology is undoubtedly a boon for the industry, there are many rural areas in South Africa where it remains inaccessible.
Matebogo remains determined to push past these hurdles. “I want to create a legacy business; a business that will create a friendly environment for the deaf community,” she concludes.
Matebogo Victoria was a participant on the SAB Foundation’s Tholoana Enterprise Programme, an 18-month business accelerator powered by Fetola which supports the lasting success of businesses from across South Africa, particularly those owned by women, youth and people living with disabilities, and those in township and rural areas.
Ntomboxolo Mve was a participant on Fetola’s Circular Economy Accelerator (CEA), a sustainability growth solution which empowers South African entrepreneurs to build successful, environmentally-sound businesses, in partnership with J.P. Morgan, the Embassy of Finland in Pretoria and Nedbank.
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