--- title: "Mask factory helps flatten the jobless and Covid-19 curves" description: "Out of hard lockdown, a business was born in Alexandra that is helping 25 people put food on the table for their families." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "PHOTO ESSAY" author: "Shiraaz Mohamed" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/shiraazmohammed/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-07-06-mask-factory-helps-flatten-the-jobless-and-covid-19-curves/" published: "2020-07-06T00:52:15" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 528 --- # Mask factory helps flatten the jobless and Covid-19 curves > Out of hard lockdown, a business was born in Alexandra that is helping 25 people put food on the table for their families. By Shiraaz Mohamed · Published 6 July 2020, 02:52 SAST ## Content Grace Mabuya worked at a stationery shop but lost her job shortly after the lockdown began. Like thousands of other South Africans, she fell victim to the pandemic — not from a health perspective, but financially. ![Grace Mabuya, right, Austin Mashale, centre, and Paulos Komane, left, in Shikweni's garage which acts as their factory. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/OQd7_MfIOKCgRo7qXwpFzlgkWDE=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/inset-1.jpg) *Grace Mabuya, right, Austin Mashale, centre, and Paulos Komane, left, in Shikweni's garage which acts as their factory. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)* “I was worried. My husband is unemployed. We have two kids. We did not know where we were going to get food,” Mabuya said. ![Temperatures are taken daily. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/4W0dgOR73_6UldVmyu3J8YAyVqc=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/inset-2-1.jpg) *Temperatures are taken daily. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)* But despite the unemployment figures soaring in the country, Mabuya found work at a mask-making factory right on her doorstep in Eastbank in Alexandra, Johannesburg. ![Ponani Shikweni records the temperatures of her staff in a register. The mother of three is cautious when it comes to the safety of her kids. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/k1Z4Xz0Mv1zf1-0ZGGBJlYrKgt8=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/inset-3.jpg) *Ponani Shikweni records the temperatures of her staff in a register. The mother of three is cautious when it comes to the safety of her kids. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)* “Now that I have a job, I am able to help out in the house. It is winter, I am able to buy warm clothing for my children and also put food on the table.” ![Grace Chauke prepares the masks for packaging. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/5URu-KE88aQdOlnaKzetco1EQvY=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/inset-4.jpg) *Grace Chauke prepares the masks for packaging. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)* Ponani Shikwene, 32, is an entrepreneur who sold blankets before the lockdown. She had an established business, supplying the Netcare group with pillowcases and going door to door selling blankets. ![A view from above of Ponani Shikweni working on her sewing machine. The self-taught Shikweni provides training for her staff. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/yAwnCjGVHOyW4-RKmoszy7OUww4=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/inset-5.jpg) *A view from above of Ponani Shikweni working on her sewing machine. The self-taught Shikweni provides training for her staff. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)* The hard lockdown effected by President Cyril Ramaphosa in March saw Shikwene’s business dwindle, but she saw an opportunity to help herself, others, and help flatten the Covid-19 infection curve. ![Ponani Shikweni inspects a mask. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/8CtvKb091-mKo2q3I9Qx9D2QU6I=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/inset-6.jpg) *Ponani Shikweni inspects a mask. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)* “After the president announced the lockdown, I thought about the vulnerable people in the community. I thought about those without masks. They need to protect themselves. When you wear masks, you protect me and I protect you from this corona. I later found out about a few ladies that lost their jobs because of the lockdown. I was sad,” Shikwene said. ![Ponani Shikweni, left, and Paulos Romane, right, trim the strings of the masks to ensure they are of equal length. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/61sJkWbURf3HMTS_fEeV-HMpFGE=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/inset-8.jpg) *Ponani Shikweni, left, and Paulos Romane, right, trim the strings of the masks to ensure they are of equal length. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)* Shikwene assembled a team of 25 people to work from her home. They were given hands-on training, from the correct handling of scissors to the cutting of fabrics — and also on the use of sewing machines. ![Paulos Romane, who was unemployed, can now buy himself basic necessities. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/eVsXWMHowvHG2aURAoPLAV3IUFQ=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/inset-9.jpg) *Paulos Romane, who was unemployed, can now buy himself basic necessities. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)* ![Grace Mabuya, right, and Austin Mashale, left, pack the masks. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/Ym2FEoY-lvKTLBhaM5O2lqb1-1g=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/inset-10.jpg) *Grace Mabuya, right, and Austin Mashale, left, pack the masks. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)* Today, working in shifts of two teams, they produce between 1,000 and 1,500 masks a day, working only when there are orders. Paulos Komane, 28, who was unemployed before he began working for Shikwene said: “I sat around doing nothing. It was frustrating, I was struggling to buy food and clothing. Now I am able to provide myself with what I need in order to survive. I feel good to be here. I am happy that I am working and I am happy that I am able to also help society by making these masks and protect our fellow South Africans.” **DM**