HOW STITCH WISE HAS GROWN

This year marks the magic 11th year that Stitch Wise has been in business and we thought we would remind (and surprise you) with some interesting facts about the incredible growth we have seen in the company!

• In 1996 when the company was first formed, it was able to employ 2 people full time. Today we employ 166 permanent staff.
• Last month was a record month for knee guard orders, with about 15000 pairs leaving the factory
• Over 100 people have completed some form of higher learning through Stitch Wise
• The number of products we make has grown from 3 to 12 … and by next year we will be marketing around ten times this amount.

With growth like this, just imagine where we are going to be in another 5 years!

WEBSITE

Our new look website is up and running and we are very excited about what it will be doing for Stitch wise business in the future! Come and visit us at: www.stitchwise.co.za. The website is being run with new technology that allows us to update the site on a weekly, daily or hourly basis, so should have something new to offer you every time you visit!

NEW PRODUCTS

We are also on the brink of launching the This is a shoulder protector that we have recently patented and it will form part of our rapidly expanding and reputable Personal Protective Equipment range. Amadillo

April 2007

APPOINTMENTS

There have been a couple of new appointments at Stitch Wise over the past 3 months. The biggest news is that we have 2 new company Directors.

MARK ASPELING has been the Financial Manager of the company for several years and has now been appointed Financial Director. Congratulations Mark, we know that we will all benefit from your management experience and your calm, rational approach to business management.

JONATHAN HENDEY (who is so busy we haven’t managed to photograph him) has been the company’s attorney and legal advisor for many years and as a newly appointed non-executive director of the company. He brings with him invaluable expertise and an intimate knowledge of our company’s mission and values.

We also welcome Alwyn Botha to Paragon

Other Staff news:

• Willy Bembe and his wife became the proud parents of a twin, Sipho and Nosipho, on 27 February.
• Natalie and Tim Killassy’s daughter, Jodi, passed her matric exams with flying colours and is now enrolled at North West University where she is studying business science.
• Beryl and Norman Sellwood (Natalie’s Mom and Dad)

who worked at Stitch Wise for many years, have both gone on pension and we wish them a healthy and productive retirement!

• Lucia Fukweni our cheerful and efficient front office lady turned 21 on 6 February. Congratulations Lucia.

On a very sad note – Isaac Mogorosi was tragically killed last month. Our deepest sympathy goes to his mother, Lena Gabantate and the rest of his family. We will remember him as a very special man .

MEET YOUR COLLEAGUES:

Shaleen Gadu is a new comer at Paragon, where she has been working for the past 3 months as an Admin clerk - a perfect job for someone who loves paper work and organisation.

Shaleen initially started at Paragon in the net division, but management saw her potential and rapidly moved her into the office, where she now works. Shaleen is a local, through and through – born in Randfontein and now living in Westonaria, she was raised by her grandmother and her aunts after her parents both died when she was very young.

She has one son, Mxolisi who is three years old Shopping is something that Shaleen finds relaxing and enjoyable when she is not at work and she loves listening to Gospel and Jazz celebration music. Her love of music extends to singing in the church choir, too. Now sit back and prepare to be surprised and impressed… this independent and feisty young single mother is also a qualified bricklayer!

“I saw an advertisement for people to learn stone work and I thought it was to work underground sorting out rocks. I applied and got accepted and then found out it was a course in bricklaying! I decided to go for it anyway and really enjoyed it – and now I am qualified!” A good manager is how Shaleen sees herself and her dream is to own her own construction business: “I will be good at it,” she says. “I am good at managing people and have good admin skills which are important when you have your own business. Right now I am very happy at Stitch Wise though, and learning new things all the time”. Good luck Shaleen. An entrepreneurial spirit is something that is always encouraged and nurtured in our company!

Shaleen Gagu
 “My integrity is non negotiable.
My pride and enthusiasm unsurpassed,
..our differences celebrated.
I work at Stitch Wise.”

Another entrepreneurial employee is Mosala Maine, who also works at Paragon. Mosala has been working at Stitch Wise for 3 years as a stitcher, following a fall of ground accident a few years ago.

Why do we say entrepreneurial? Well, in his spare time and when he is at home in Lesotho with his family, Mosala knits for an extra income. He says that most of his jerseys end up being given to his family, but we did manage to get him to take an order for an Amakhosi jersey which he will be knitting for a young supporter on his next trip home!

Home is in the hills of Lesotho, where his wife Mantshidiseng and children Tlalane (21) and Katlego (2) eagerly await his visits. Mosala says that getting around in Lesotho when one is in a wheelchair isn’t easy because none of the paths or roads are very accessible, but he manages with the help of friends and family.

One can’t help but notice the constant smile in Mosala’s eyes: this is clearly a man who enjoys life and wants to make the best of everything. But it is when you mention sport that the smile becomes broad and his eyes shine that little bit more. His favourite sports are wrestling, cricket and – top of the list- boxing. All time favourites? Mike Tyson and Baby Jake.

Mosala has seen a marketing opportunity that he hopes to take advantage of one day. “There is a big demand for car seat covers in this country” he tells me. “Fancy ones and the washable ones. I want to start a business sewing these but it will be a while before I can afford to buy the equipment and the material to start”.

Mosala Maine

BUSINESS TRAINING

For the past 8 months, Natalie has been running evening training workshops for 20 Basotho men at Kopanang mine in business basics.

It started when Natalie was approached by a couple of mining personnel who had unsuccessfully ploughed most of their savings into a business enterprise based in Lesotho. They had hoped to operate this business as an additional income for now, and some form of security should they ever need to leave the mining industry.

Unfortunately the men were not as well informed as they should have been, in terms of the practical side of running their business and their cash flow and business was soon in serious trouble. Rather than lend financial aid (“Which is always the easy way out”, says Natalie), she decided to invest her time into equipping these men with the skills which would ensure that they would develop the necessary knowledge and skills to prevent them ever making the same mistakes again.

The response to the course has been so overwhelming that Natalie has decided to formalise the course by writing the material, having it published and running it as an accredited training program.

The course is not easy. Natalie throws the participants in at the deep end and within weeks they have mastered the basics of cash flow, reading and understanding financial statements, tax and marketing.

At the end of the course, it is expected that each course graduate will become a mentor for at least 10 other people, spreading their skills and knowledge in communities that do not have access to training. An entrepreneur’s day will be organised in the hostels so that the team can practice their new-found skills.

TRAINING

Our training centre at Western Deeps is boasting 10 brand new computers. These have been provided for ABET training as well as training in basic computer skills. Training Manager Helen Janneke says “it is just wonderful.”

wonderful.” “This is going to make a big difference to training in general – especially when all the satellite centres have computers to learn on. We call it e-learning and it makes training much faster and more modern. Everyone can work at his own pace and the facilitator can easily check on everyone’s progress.”

Sixteen people have completed their NQF 2 and 20 new people have started their NQF 1 training in Clothing manufacturing processes. Upcoming courses being presented at Stitch Wise will include AID, Sawareness and telephone skills.

Louis and Lebo are studying through UNISA and Damelin respectively this year, and we are all expecting good results from them – which we will print for everyone to see! Overall, there is an even greater emphasis on skills training in the company this year, and in line with everyone’s personal assessments, all employees will be offered training specific to their needs and the personal goals that have been set for them by management.

Zola Tshazi (better known as Bin Laden) gets ready for his first computer training session.