South African entrepreneur preserves her culture through her crafts business

Noriah Matsimbi, 47, from Musina in Limpopo Province, is the founder of Uhothe Beads Design, a proudly South African craft business rooted in cultural expression, creativity, and resilience. Established in 2015 after she was retrenched from her job, the business began as a response to sudden financial uncertainty but quickly grew into a purposeful venture grounded in tradition, passion, and entrepreneurship.

When she lost her job, Noriah found herself facing the urgent reality of needing to provide for her children, keep food on the table, and ensure her household remained stable. Instead of giving in to hardship, she drew on her creativity and discipline, turning bead-making, a skill she cherished, into a livelihood. Working with her hands brought her peace, focus, and a sense of meaning. She often created designs straight from her imagination, driven by her desire to produce pieces that would allow cultural beauty to “appear so everyone can see it,” as she explains.

For Noriah, beading is far more than a business. It is an inheritance; one she believes should be passed on from generation to generation. She is deeply committed to preserving cultural identity through craft and ensuring that younger women understand the value of traditional beadwork as both an art form and an income-generating skill.

However, like many micro-entrepreneurs in rural areas, Noriah faced significant challenges. Before joining phase 3 of the EntreprenHER programme supported by the De Beers Group since 2017, she struggled with marketing her products, reaching new customers, and separating personal finances from business finances. She candidly recalls treating the business’s earnings as her own money, without understanding concepts such as profit, stock reinvestment, or proper financial record-keeping. These gaps limited her ability to grow and sustain her enterprise.

A friend introduced her to the UN Women EntreprenHER programme, a turning point in her entrepreneurial journey. Through six structured training modules, Noriah learned essential business skills including record-keeping, cost management, stock budgeting, and distinguishing between profit and expenses. She describes the training as the moment she finally understood how to manage her business strategically rather than emotionally.

The programme strengthened her confidence and gave her the tools to expand her customer base beyond her immediate community. Today, Noriah proudly serves clients from faraway places, sending her beadwork through courier and PEP delivery services. She also learned to advertise on social media, something she had never attempted before, and this shift significantly increased her visibility and sales.

Although she mostly works alone, Noriah hired her daughter during Heritage Month, a period when demand for traditional beadwork surges across South Africa. This was her first experience formally engaging help, and it highlighted her business’s potential to create opportunities for others.

One of her biggest lessons from the programme is the importance of stable pricing. She no longer lowers or raises prices just because competitors do so, recognizing that every business has different cost structures and strategies.

Looking ahead, Noriah dreams of opening a dedicated space where she can train young women and girls in beadwork. She wants to show them that meaningful income can be created through skilled handcrafting, using traditional methods, not machines. She also believes that with the right support, materials, resources, and mentorship, women-owned craft businesses can flourish.

Noriah’s journey reflects resilience, cultural pride, and the transformative power of women’s economic empowerment. Through Uhothe Beads Design, she is not only building a livelihood for herself but also helping to preserve heritage and inspire the next generation of women artisans.

The EntreprenHER programme is a partnership between UN Women South Africa Country Office with support from De Beers Group, strengthening the economic power of women entrepreneurs across South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. In South Africa it is implemented by the Blouberg and Musina Municipalities. Since 2017 De Beers Group has supported more than 3,900 women through EntreprenHER, providing training, mentorship, and micro-financing to help women entrepreneurs grow and thrive.