Ms “Ma-shoe-ne” walks the talk
Ms “Ma-shoe-ne” walks the talk
Ms Felicia Eva Mashoene with her shoe designs
Selina Rapulane
A successful woman has walked into her little girl dreams by graduating from the Centre of Footwear Entrepreneurship (CoFE) at Vaal University of Technology’s Southern Gauteng Science and Technology Park.
Ms Felicia Eva Mashoene was born in Phokeng, Rustenburg and now resides in Centurion. She attended Mothotlung High School in Brits, North West where she obtained her matric. She had high hopes for her future and she knew that to become something in life, she had to acquire a tertiary qualification. She enrolled at UNISA and graduated with a BCom Business Management. She is now a SAP FI consultant and an interior decorator.
However, just like every other child, she had a dream that she carried with her into adulthood. Since childhood, she’s had a love of shoes. She said that she realised her passion when she was a teenager. “I always bought shoes which were different from the other kids. I would choose the shoes myself even before my teens. I love beautiful things,” she said.
But, the roots of her dream were probably inspired by her grandfather who was a shoemaker.
“My grandfather used to make shoes. Each time I took my shoes for repairs, I would see the glue in the orange tin and that reminded me of him. He used to wear a Samson denim overall and a leather apron when making shoes. All those memories are very dear to me, they are very sentimental,” she said, explaining why at this stage of her life she has decided to pursue her passion for footwear.
She was introduced to SGSTP by a director of PMC Group of companies, Mr Holger Stutz, after she mentioned that she had long wanted to make shoes and continue her grandfather’s legacy.
The CoFE is an initiative of the Technology Station and provides a curriculum for certificates in footwear training for occupations such as Footwear Cutting/Clicking Machine Operator; Footwear Closing Production Machine Operator; Footwear Bottom Stock Production Machine Operator as well as Footwear Lasting & Making Production Machine Operator.
Ms Mashoene was in the programme for six weeks, where she learned the technicalities of shoe making: “I made a few pairs of shoes from scratch and it felt very rewarding,” she said.
When she was asked how the skill that she has acquired is going to play a role in her life she answered: “I’ll be hands-on in the business. I’ll also be able to train other people and make a difference in their lives by creating employment.”
With the qualification she obtained, the design experience she has, and the recent shoe training, Ms Mashoene has the potential to greatly impact the footwear manufacturing and contribute to the economic growth of the country.