What began in 2019 as a small apparel business with four machines and two employees has grown into a major employment-generating enterprise, with Tranquil Textiles (Pty) Ltd launching a second factory expected to create an additional 150 jobs.
The recent launch of the second factory in Maputsoe Industrial Area marked a significant milestone for the company and highlighted the impact of targeted entrepreneurship support, business incubation and access to finance.
The expansion was witnessed by the Minister of Trade, the Competitive and Financial Inclusion Project (CAFI) Managing Director and strategic partners, including the Basotho Enterprise Development Corporation (BEDCO), Lesotho PostBank and the Lesotho National Development Corporation (LNDC).
Tranquil Textiles is among enterprises supported through the Lesotho Entrepreneurship Hub and Seed Financing Facility (LEHSFF), where it completed a six-month incubation programme under Cohort 3.
The company entered the programme with a workforce of 14 employees but, following incubation and additional support, grew to employ 96 people at its first factory.
Further support under the Lesotho Enterprise Assistance Programme (LEAP) enabled the company to pursue its vision of establishing a second factory.
The new facility is expected to employ about 150 additional workers and accommodate 80 new machines, significantly increasing the company’s production capacity and enabling it to pursue larger local and international orders.
Tranquil Apparel founder, Clement Molupe, attributed the company’s transformation to targeted support from government-backed initiatives, beginning with business incubation through BEDCO, followed by support from CAFI and financial assistance from Lesotho PostBank.
“I am grateful for the help I got from the government of Lesotho and the guidance I got from government-backed initiatives like BEDCO and CAFI because they helped me grow from nothing into a sustainable business,” Molupe said last Thursday.
He recalled that when he began his entrepreneurial journey in 2019, the business was operating on a very small scale.
“I started my business back in 2019 with about four machines and two employees, which later grew to four people. To begin my journey of success, I was first incubated into BEDCO, which helped us to go through to CAFI, which helped me build my first factory,” he said.
Molupe said that when Tranquil Apparel entered the CAFI programme, it was still a micro-enterprise with limited machinery and fewer than four employees.
“When I was first incubated into the programme, I was just a businessman with less than four employees and a few machinery inputs,” he said.
According to Molupe, CAFI’s support helped the company increase production through training, capacity building and machinery purchases.
“CAFI helped us produce on a higher scale through capacity building and machinery purchases to grow the business, which now employs about 90 people working on local and international apparel orders,” he said.
He said the support extended beyond machinery and equipment, providing the company with improved business systems, market opportunities and the confidence to pursue larger contracts.
“I am very grateful for the opportunities granted to me through CAFI and the growth I acquired while in the programme and after it,” he said.
The first Tranquil Apparel factory in Maputsoe currently operates full shifts, producing garments for both the domestic market and international buyers.
Molupe said the company’s journey of growth continued when Lesotho PostBank provided financial assistance to support the construction of the second factory.
“Our journey did not end there as PostBank Lesotho later came through to build our dream into something bigger, giving us financial assistance to open our second factory site again in Maputsoe,” he said.
The entrepreneur said his ambition was to grow the company’s workforce beyond 200 employees and contribute meaningfully to reducing unemployment in the country.
“Our dream for this was to hire about 200 employees by the end of the year and through the second factory opening that dream will be attained and more,” he said.
For Molupe, however, the expansion represents more than the growth of a successful business.
“My dream is to contribute to the economy of the country positively and to the livelihoods of many Basotho,” he said.
Lesotho PostBank Managing Director, Mokhachane Mopeli, said the bank was proud to support an entrepreneur whose vision was centred on creating employment opportunities for Basotho.
“I am happy that our bank was able to make a dream come true for a Mosotho man whose dream was to create employment for Basotho,” Mopeli said.
He described unemployment as one of the country’s most pressing challenges and said financial institutions had an important role to play in supporting businesses capable of creating sustainable jobs.
“The unemployment rate in the country is everybody’s pandemic and if one person has a dream of hiring people, it is only fulfilling for the bank to be able to help such a person,” he said.
Mopeli said PostBank was increasingly shifting its focus towards supporting businesses and transforming the lives of Basotho through enterprise development.
“The bank was made to help Basotho earn a living through our services. We as the bank are shifting to transforming the lives of Basotho and their businesses. Through Tranquil factory, Basotho will be able to earn some employment and make a living,” he said.
CAFI Director, ChabaMokuku, said the project’s mandate went beyond providing training and capacity building, with a strong focus on facilitating sustainable employment through the private sector.
“Our mandate is to make sure that we create employment not only from government but from private companies like Tranquil,” Mokuku said.
He said sustainable employment growth required an enabling environment in which entrepreneurs and small businesses could access the support required to grow and scale their operations.
“Employment is not only supposed to be government. It should also come from independent businesses and the government creating an allowing space for businesses to grow,” he said.
BEDCO Director, Tšepang Tlali, said Tranquil Apparel’s journey demonstrated the potential of combining business incubation, access to finance and market opportunities.
From a modest operation employing only two people in 2019, the enterprise has developed into a fully-fledged apparel manufacturer employing around 90 people at its first factory, with the second facility expected to push employment beyond 200.
The planned installation of 80 additional machines is also expected to strengthen the company’s capacity to meet larger orders, expand exports and continue supplying the local market.
Tranquil Textiles’ growth from a small business with a handful of machines to two factories demonstrates what can be achieved when entrepreneurs receive targeted and sustained support.
The company’s expansion also highlights the potential benefits of collaboration between government programmes, enterprise development institutions and financial institutions in helping small businesses overcome barriers to growth.
Summary
- The recent launch of the second factory in Maputsoe Industrial Area marked a significant milestone for the company and highlighted the impact of targeted entrepreneurship support, business incubation and access to finance.
- “I am grateful for the help I got from the government of Lesotho and the guidance I got from government-backed initiatives like BEDCO and CAFI because they helped me grow from nothing into a sustainable business,” Molupe said last Thursday.
- “I am very grateful for the opportunities granted to me through CAFI and the growth I acquired while in the programme and after it,” he said.
Seabata Mahao is a general news reporter with special focus on Business and Sports. Started working at Newsday in 2021. Working in a team with a shared goal is what I enjoy most and that gives me the motivation to work under any environment leading to growth.
