In the latest Masiphumelele news, we checked in on Someleze and asked him how the Jabeson Bags brand is doing. This up-beat entrepreneur hasn’t wasted any time following his dreams and even though Covid-19 has seen many businesses closing their doors, he says Jabeson Bags keeps growing from strength to strength.

Someleze is excited about the future of Jabeson Bags and he says he is currently experimenting with a range of different techniques that will allow him to speed up the production process. His forward-thinking approach to the possibilities that exist has inspired the local community – they are extremely supportive of his budding business. Rainbow pre-school has commissioned the up and coming young man to design and create 28 backpacks for their children’s graduation ceremony.

The ball hasn’t stopped rolling there for Someleze – he has remained true to his heart, hiring three high school students from Masiphumelele to help him work on this project for Rainbow pre-school. Furthermore, the Sewing Café Cape Town has allowed Someleze and his crew to work from their premises here on Chasmay campus – with sewing machines and ample tools that will undoubtedly make this project a huge success.

It’s difficult to imagine, but once you meet Someleze, you will see that he is just a regular High School student- focusing intently on his classes in the week and devoting most of his weekends to his business. During this time, you will find him working from home – coming up with fresh new ideas to keep his business on the map and expanding.

At only 16 years old, Someleze is constantly thinking about the future and he has some big plans lined up. He is thinking about expanding Jabeson Bags to other disciplines of creative sewing such as re-upholstering car seats and possibly bespoke furniture items. Watch out for this breaking Masiphumelele news headline in the future.

He is extremely passionate about the unemployment crisis in his community and wants to help in every way he can. He wants to employ youth from Masiphumelele and keep them off the street and out of trouble with his very own home-grown shop selling Jabeson products right here in Masi. We asked him where he would like to branch out to – his ideal location for a Jabeson shop in Cape Town is at the V&A Waterfront.

Someleze puts his success down to a simple formula; “I use a stamp of authenticity on my bags that you can’t buy in regular shops, I don’t follow others and that seems to be a big part of why people love my bags so much”.  His Dream car is a Mercedes C63 AMG and he hopes to be driving away in one of these beauties within the next 5 years.

This is a young man with the perfect balance as a student and business owner. He puts his community at the forefront of his business but keeps a level head to stay in school and work his way towards a better future – not just for himself but others around him. Someleze is a walking, talking embodiment of what Masicorp stands for and we support his dreams and future endeavors with a whole heart.

If you believe that young people are our future and like us believe in the power of education to eradicate poverty – support other High School sewing students here. For the latest Masiphumelele news follow our blog or social media channels for more success stories from Masi.