The Mandela University Africa Hub was established in 2024 to drive youth entrepreneurship and social innovation, starting with our Entrepreneurship and Incubation in Action students and young township entrepreneurs in Gqeberha and expanding this to the Eastern Cape, South Africa and ultimately to other countries in Africa. In the past year, the Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator (CfERI) at Nelson Mandela University has incubated 42 small businesses over the past year, creating 96 jobs.
“On a daily basis I have to hustle to survive and that’s why I started my thrifting Black Poplar range,” says Ndaba, who is in the third year of his BSc in Construction Economics at Mandela University. He joined the incubation programme at the beginning of this year.
“Thrifting is basically about selling pre-loved clothing that is in a good condition and I also go for top brands like Levis, Prada and Tommy Hillfiger.”
Ndaba came up with the enigmatic name Black Poplar when he was at home in his village in the Eastern Cape.
“I would see these attractive trees along the river and I asked what they were, and was told they’re black poplars,” he explains.
“The name appealed to me and so I named my brand Black Poplar.”
Thrifting not just for poor people
He launched it as a student, initially at the Central University of Technology in Bloemfontein.
“I needed money and a friend introduced me to thrifting,” he explains. “It was new to me, and I mistakenly thought it was for poor people, but he explained that it’s a big trend and that people from all socio-economic backgrounds buy thrift garments, especially if they’re good labels and in fashion.”
He started Black Poplar with R500.
“I sourced clothing in downtown Johannesburg at large outlets that get in big bundles of pre-loved clothing from overseas, which I would sell at pop-ups in Bloemfontein. I’m very specific about what I pick, and initially I focused on vintage denims and clothing from the ‘70s and ‘80s, as retro styles were in fashion.”
Getting ahead
He moved to Nelson Mandela University to continue his degree and was selling at pop-ups in the Central precinct of Gqeberha when a fellow student and incubatee told him about the incubation programme. “It immediately resonated with me and I went to the Hub office and got registered. I saw it as a platform that could help me a lot, as it is not easy to do things on your own as an entrepreneur.”
He says he was fortunate to have some basics as his father, Mpakamiseni Ndaba, was an entrepreneur, selling livestock and vegetables from his farm, and he also had a security company. “The incubation has taken me a step further as I wanted to meet and network with other entrepreneurs and learn how to improve my business.”
Keeping up with current trends
Ndaba sells Black Poplar online through Instagram, rents a container on the Summerstrand South Campus and is expanding his range to keep up with current trends, including soccer jerseys and baggy jeans.
“One of my key learnings from the incubation is financial management,” he says. “I still have a way to go as my dream is to have a number of outlets and to inspire other young entrepreneurs to push forward with what they have.”