16 April, 2025
For years now, the Sewing Café Training Centre has quietly stood as a beacon of dignity and opportunity. This community-rooted initiative has been changing lives - stitch by stitch - in Masiphumelele and Ocean View. Now the founder plans a sewing machine rental initiative so women can produce their own product lines and offer them to the public.
Since opening its doors in 2013, The Sewing Café (TSC) has offered professional training through its six-month sewing programme. Each year, 40 unemployed women are selected to receive not just technical skills and formal qualifications, but mentorship and basic business skills - for free. TSC is a Not for Profit organisation and social enterprise.
“Our mission has always been about more than thread, fabric and profit,” says Athene Knemeyer, the founder and managing director, “it’s about creating independence for people.” Lithakazi, 29, says she couldn’t find work even as a domestic worker: “Now I earn a salary, I work with pride, and my children are secure which is the most important thing to me.”
Graduates leave with SETA-accredited certificates. Some are employed full-time at the Sewing Cafe’s Cut, Make, Trim (CMT) manufacturer which produces high-quality clothing for local schools, brands and businesses.
Now, TSC plans to create space for entrepreneurship. A place where graduates can begin their business journey. Through a machine rental initiative, women who wish to start their own businesses but lack the resources, will soon be able to rent space and equipment for a low fee. This access will allow graduates to launch their own products in a safe and mentoring environment. This hub will also double as a place where products are tested for marketability and sales.
“We found that for many of our graduates, what kept them from becoming self-sufficient where
reliable sewing machines and space, and we want to change that,” says Knemeyer. Her plea: “Instead of purchasing clothing made in Asia for your brand, school or company - please come to us. Every order helps us continue to grow and expand our reach.”
Knemeyer is also hoping that people will sponsor a sewing machine or resources required to launch this platform: “Whether you're a donor or a client of TSC, we welcome anyone to support this initiative.”
Visit www.thesewingcafe.co.za to learn more, place an order, or sponsor a machine.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Athene Knemeyer
072 295 7074 / 063 695 7266
info@thesewingcafe.co.za
Debbie Combrink
083 631 0721
debbie@positano.co.za
