Lindiwe Grace Ratlhagane of Tshwane in Gauteng urges parents to be their children’s first line of protection. She spoke to Vuk’uzenzele ahead of the National Child Protection Week commemoration, which will be held from 29 May to 5 June to raise awareness of the rights of children.
The annual campaign is led by the Department of Social Development in partnership with key government departments and civil-society organisations that provide child protection services. “We are their mentors and we will always be there for them. As a parent, do not be afraid to educate your children about taking care of themselves; about abuse and violence against them. This will create awareness of what is wrong and right for them… we must also celebrate all their little milestones,” said the 36-year-old Ratlhagane.
She is the founder and owner of Lethabokekganya Home Fragrances, a business that she started in 2021. The mother of two, who named the business after her two sons – Lethabo and Kganya – manufactures the products in the comfort of her home using luxury, finely produced ingredients that are environmentally friendly.
“Our candles are produced using soy wax, which is 100% non-toxic, 100% vegetable, easily scented and cleanses spaces effectively. Our range of blended fragrance oils for all our products is paraffin-free ultraviolet inhibitor-free and not tested on animals,” she explained.
She added that the products can be used at home, in offices and in any other indoor space. The idea to start the business dawned on Ratlhagane after she was involved in a car accident while pregnant with her son in 2020, which resulted in her son later being diagnosed with severe anxiety.
“While researching the best ways to take care of and support my son, I learned about using fragrances to minimise anxiety episodes. I feared that he would experience side effects from relying on medicines, and that he would end up fully depending on taking medication long-term,” she explained.
For Ratlhagane, fragrances were a perfect alternative, and she started using them on her son and saw the benefits. After seeing the results, she saw it fit to share this information with other people and opened her business. She encourages people to be aware of their mental health.
“Taking care of our mental health means that we give ourselves a chance to cope with life’s challenges, fears and uncertainties. It allows us to build good relationships and to realise our full potential,” she said.
In 2023, Lethabokekganya Home Fragrances became a member of Proudly South African, and Ratlhagane said this has given the business a lot of exposure and access to markets. She added that Lethabo-kekganya Home Fragrances also has a reseller programme and supplies its products to guest houses.
For more information about Lethabokekganya Home Fragrances email Lindigrace85@icloud.com, WhatsApp: 0636852108 or follow @Lethabo_ke_kganya_Home Scents across social media platforms.
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