How eThekwini's trading programme changed young woman's unemployment to entrepreneurship
A young Mariannhill woman who turned unemployment into opportunity has become a shining example of how eThekwini Municipality’s informal trading initiatives are helping to tackle joblessness and stimulate local economies.
Mandisa Gwexa, 26, an Environmental Management graduate, from Mariannhill, west of Durban, is now an award-winning businesswoman and employer. After struggling to find work following her internship in the private sector, she decided to chart her own path by responding to an advert from the Municipality offering informal trading spaces.
“I realised that my lack of employment wasn’t the end, but rather the beginning of something new,” Gwexa said.
MANDISA Gwexa, owner of Mandisa Nailed It, taking matters into her own hands at her nail bar salon in Mariannhill, west of Durban.
Image: eThekwini Municipality
MANDISA Gwexa, 26 who likes to display the offerings of her Mariannhill-based beauty salon business, from nail treatment to hair, through herself.
Image: Supplied
In 2021, she opened Mandisa Nailed It, a beauty salon in Sthundu Hill in Mariannhill, specialising in nails, hair, and eyelashes. Her business gained momentum after she was allocated a formal trading stall through the City’s Informal Economy Support Programme.
“Securing that space was a game changer. It gave me dignity, stability, and the confidence to grow my business,” she said, adding that the Municipality’s ongoing support including business compliance training, mentorship, and access to funding, has been instrumental in her growth.
“The Municipality doesn’t just give us space, they equip us to succeed,” she added.
OWNER of Mandisa Nailed It from Mariannhill, west of Durban, Mandisa Gwexa, 26, in front of her beauty salon business that she started through eThekwini's informal economy support programme after a period of unemployment.
Image: eThekwini Municipality
Today, Mandisa Nailed It employs eight people; six full-time and two part-time, and has trained over 40 aspiring nail technicians, many of whom have since launched their own businesses.
Gwexa’s success was recently recognised when she won the Youth-Owned Informal Business Award at the 2025 eThekwini Municipality Informal Trade Awards.
“Winning this award has further elevated my business and shown me that hard work truly pays off. I encourage other young people to apply for the opportunities that government provides,” she said.
Chairperson of the City’s Economic Development and Planning Committee, councillor Thembo Ntuli, praised Gwexa’s achievements as proof of the impact of municipal support for informal traders.
“When small businesses thrive, communities thrive. That is why we will continue to support small, medium, and micro-sized enterprises,” said Ntuli.
The Municipality confirmed that applications for new informal trading stalls are currently open and will close on Friday, October 24, 2025.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE