Lufuno Netshithuthuni
Women in Business and Industry
Nominee's Province:
Limpopo
Project Name/Description:
Funo Designs
Thirty-year-old Lufuno Netshithuthuni of Venda in Limpopo is a bold founder of Funo Designs, a company that manufactures modern shoes with a unique traditional design inspired by the Venda culture. The shoes are for women who love cultural fashion. Netshithuthuni started her business in September 2019. Six months down the road her business was thoroughly tested by the outbreak of the coronavirus. “We had to stop taking orders, materials had been bought already and we had to refund some of our customers who had cancelled their orders because of lockdown,” she says. But these challenges were not going to deter Netshithuthuni, who has managed to keep her eyes on the prize no matter what. “I knew that giving up was not an option and that I had to work hard to make my dreams a reality," she says. “And fortunately, due to demand, it didn’t take us long before we could bounce back.” Her role model is Laduma Ngxokolo, founder of Maxhosa Africa, a knitwear brand that “celebrates traditional aesthetics with a Xhosa influence” and is recognised on international platforms.
