From a small studio in Bloemfontein, Kabelo Makhetha is reshaping the way society sees jewellery. Through
his start-up, Owa Jewellery, he creates pendants that are not only eye-catching but potentially lifesaving. Each piece carries a QR code that helps identify people living with dementia and other cognitive impairments if they go missing.
A QR code (Quick Response code) is a type of two-dimensional barcode that stores information and can be quickly scanned and read by a smartphone or scanner.
“The main goal of Owa Jewellery is to assist people living with cognitive impairments, which includes dementia and other conditions that affect the mind… Our primary target is people living with dementia due to the severity of the illness.”
Dementia is a condition that causes a decline in memory, thinking, and behaviour, affecting daily functioning.
The concept merges jewellery design with safety in a simple but effective way. “What we do is integrate QR coding with jewellery so that when a person goes missing, the person who finds them can identify them. It is basically an identity document on the go,” he explains.
Makhetha began developing the idea shortly after completing his studies in Jewellery Design at the Central University of Technology (CUT).. “I started the business in 2021. When I completed my degree, I went into research and development and in 2024 I started to sell the jewellery.”
The seed for Owa Jewellery was planted years earlier through a painful personal experience.
“What inspired the enterprise was that in 2019 I lost my grandmother to dementia. She was 78. Before she died, there was a time she got lost and we couldn’t find her for about eight hours. The dementia became worse after that. I was doing matric. I lost another elderly relative to the illness in 2022.”
Determined to find a solution, he immersed himself in entrepreneurship opportunities while at university. “In 2020, I got involved with different organisations within CUT that advocate for entrepreneurship. One of those was the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE).”
Getting the business off the ground required both personal sacrifice and external support. “I received R10,000 seed funding from my father,” he explains.
His operation now includes “a team of five students” who assist him with production and outreach.
Institutional support has also been crucial. “The business has also received support from the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) in the form of equipment – a jeweller’s bench, a polishing machine, a microscope, pliers and a laptop.”
For Makhetha, Owa Jewellery is about far more than ornaments. It is about creating peace of mind for families, and honouring the memory of his grandmother and others who lived with dementia.
“Having gone through what I went through with my grandmother, I don’t want other people to experience the same pain. If one pendant can help bring someone safely home, then it means the idea has served its purpose.”
To contact Owa Jewellery, email owajewellers@outlook.com or call 063 028 1399.
The NYDA can be reached at www.nyda.gov.za
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