From Farm Passion To Tannery :: Mmegi Online

Growing up in a family of farmers who survived on tanning and preserving leather, Tumisang Ngwanathebe developed the passion and decided to go commercial. Ngwanathebe told BusinessMonitor she realised that starting a tannery or leather processing unit is a lucrative business as leather is used to create a number of products.

She then approached the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security who assisted her to acquire the certificate of hides and skin. Ngwanathebe said the demand rose across the country as government engaged her to train people.

“They were impressed with what I was doing with the leather and started recommending me to train some keen locals. I then decided to accredit with the Botswana Qualifications Authority (BQA) as a trainer,” she said. Trading under Skin and Things Consultancy, the company uses leather to manufacture wall mount, animal mount, rugs, phate or traditional mat, art and handicrafts, portraits, traditional flower pots, shoes, women’s and men’s belts, wallets and gift bags amongst others.

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