Courage brings the smell of success

Matimba Makaringe is a prime example of how courage and determination can play a pivotal role in building a business.

After being involved in an accident in which she suffered second-degree burns so severe that she could not take a bath due to open wounds, she mustered the strength to start Courageous Cosmetics.

“Shortly after the accident, I suffered a miscarriage.

The stench from the burn wounds, and whenever I’d go on my periods, was bad — I think because of the traumatic response to the miscarriage. I began to believe that I needed a very strong perfume to mask that,” she said.

Makaringe’s business, which began in 2017, is based in Nkowankowa in Limpopo.

She adds that while shopping for perfumes, she discovered how unaffordable brand-name products were.

“I then brought it back home and said: what about the low-income earner? They can’t afford to smell good, so I decided to make something for myself that could also benefit others.”

Makaringe received training and office equipment from the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency, SEFDA (formerly known as the Small Enterprise Development Agency), which also helped her become business-ready.

Furthermore, Makaringe found strategic support from the Limpopo Jewellery Business Incubator (LJBI) — a township-based incubator in Seshego (Polokwane) focused on empowering businesses owned by previously disadvantaged individuals.

The LJBI, an entity of SEFDA, provided her with essential branding material and equipped her with training on South African Revenue Service (SARS) compliance and productivity, ensuring her business adheres to key regulatory standards.

However, she describes breaking into the industry – dominated by expensive household-name brands – as challenging.

“It’s been tough because most people don’t believe that the product [Courageous Cosmetics] is of good quality… My vision was to restore hope and dignity. I want the construction worker to smell good, and I want the domestic worker to smell good. The price is targeted at lower-income groups, but the quality remains very good.”

Courageous Cosmetics products range between R30 and R250.

“The proudest moments for me are when that low-income earner comes into our shop with so much pride and says, ‘I smell so good’. Also, being able to retain employees… being able to take care of families through job creation. We also had a programme where we put four interns through internships at the shop, where they were learning.”

The business has created 10 permanent jobs and trained 25 women through its reseller programme.