Unisa empowers award-winning agro-cosmetics entrepreneur

Through her participation in Unisa’s Inhlanyelo Hub NPC online Ideation Programme, followed by the Virtual Incubation Programme, Namhla Dotwana, founder and CEO of the Namhla Collection, a female-led agro-cosmetics enterprise, was able to transform her vision into action.

"The programme allowed me to take my ideas and convert them into actions," she says. "It allowed me to connect learning to actual business development and open doors that were difficult to open as a rural entrepreneur."

During the online Ideation Programme, Dotwana strengthened her creative and strategic thinking by working through the full ideation process, from identifying real-world challenges to developing unique, solution-driven ideas and exploring them as potential business opportunities.

She then proceeded to the virtual Incubation and Mentoring Programme, where she was assigned a mentor and assisted with access to networking opportunities. This enabled her to reach several important milestones, including ensuring compliance and conducting product testing. "Accessing accredited organisations for product testing was definitely one of my biggest challenges," she reflects. Through the Inhlanyelo Hub and mentorship engagements, Dotwana developed professional networks and pathways that are difficult to access independently.

Supported by Unisa’s Inhlanyelo Hub NPC, Dotwana is changing the way we tell stories about innovation, sustainability, and rural entrepreneurship. "Innovation exists in all areas – in labs, in big cities, in corporations, etc.,” she says. “It also lives in villages, in garages, and in the hands of regular people who want to turn their challenges into opportunities."

Her academic and professional background shaped Dotwana’s entrepreneurial experience. Before establishing the Namhla Collection, she worked as a junior photojournalist and media liaison clerk in the South African Navy's public relations department, while studying Public Relations Management and Media Studies via distance learning through Unisa.

Dotwana established the Namhla Collection during the COVID-19 lockdown, inspired by a significant cultural revelation regarding impepho, an African herb known for its deep spiritual and therapeutic attributes. The discovery inspired the launch of a company that creates handcrafted candles, soaps, bath salts, hair balms, and bath bombs, utilising locally sourced indigenous botanicals, with impepho as the central component in each formulation.

“The company is heavily based on African indigenous knowledge systems and emphasises responsible sourcing, biodiversity restoration, and sustainable harvesting,” explains Dotwana.

Since beginning her entrepreneurial journey in 2020, Dotwana has progressively transitioned her idea into a thriving enterprise that has received numerous awards and recognition for its innovative and resilient approach. Starting operations in her mother’s garage, her business rapidly grew, and in 2021, she was recognised nationally for the first time when she took home the top prize in the Nedbank Business Goals Competition, which earned her R20 000 in support of her dream. In 2022, she again took top honours at the SEDA Pitching for Funding Competition at a national level, winning R1 million in technology transfer support to increase operational efficiency.

Dotwana’s success continued with additional accolades, including recognition as the Outstanding Innovator of the Year at the Mhlontlo Local Municipality Business Awards in 2023 and at the Raymond Ackerman Business Plan Competition in 2024. By 2025, Dotwana had received multiple awards in a single year, including the Raymond Ackerman Innovation and Scalability Award, the WENOSA Women in Business Pitching Competition, and several other awards at the Technology Innovation Agency Awards, where she was named the inaugural Grassroots Innovator of the Year.

Dotwana used the funds from the award programmes to scale up the business. This included the acquisition of production equipment, infrastructure improvements, and resources to increase the company's production capabilities and enable laboratory testing and validation of the entire product portfolio.

Reflecting on her engagement with Unisa’s Inhlanyelo Hub NPC, Dotwana expresses her appreciation and acknowledges the role the programmes played in developing her business mindset, expanding her networks, and building confidence in creating a rural-based enterprise that can compete globally while maintaining the company's cultural roots.

Looking forward, Dotwana plans to establish a green manufacturing facility, emphasising inclusive hiring practices with at least 80% of positions reserved for women and 60% for youth from her village. Reflecting on her entrepreneurial journey, Dotwana noted that entrepreneurship requires discipline, patience, and flexibility.

Click here for more information on Inhlanyelo Hub NPC and its programmes.

* Submitted by Inhlanyelo Hub NPC