• Esethu Khumalo started Esethu Woodworks with about R4,000 after completing carpentry training and has slowly bought more tools as orders increased.
• The 22-year-old student wants to grow her woodworking company, employ young women and prove that carpentry is not only a man’s job.
At just 22, Esethu Khumalo is building more than furniture.
She is building herself a future in an industry where young women are often overlooked.
Khumalo is a final year Development Studies student at the University of Mpumalanga who is also running her own carpentry business.
Originally from Umlazi in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, she is now based in Mbombela, Mpumalanga.
Her journey into carpentry started when she trained at the Umalume Wamakhabethe training academy in January 2026.
Just one month later, she opened her own business, Esethu Woodworks.
Khumalo said she was inspired by her trainer and wanted to challenge the idea that carpentry is work meant only for men.
“I also wanted to challenge the belief that trades like carpentry are only for men,” she said.
She did not start with a huge workshop or expensive machinery.
Khumalo started her business with about R4,000.
She used the money to slowly buy the equipment she needed and added more tools as customers started coming in.
Her equipment includes a drill and compressor.
“I kept reinvesting into the business and building it step by step,” she said.
Her first jobs involved making small, free standing pieces of furniture.
Starting small helped her improve her carpentry skills and become more confident in her work.
But recently, she took on a much bigger challenge.
Khumalo completed her first large television stand.
She said the job pushed her because she had become comfortable working on smaller furniture.
Completing it showed her that she was ready to take on bigger projects.
“Finishing it successfully made me really proud,” she said.
Building a business as a young woman has not always been easy.
Khumalo said some people do not immediately take her seriously because of her age and gender.
“One of the biggest challenges is sometimes not being taken seriously because I’m a young woman,” she said.
But instead of allowing the doubt to discourage her, Khumalo uses it to push herself.
“I use that as motivation to prove that I’m capable through the quality of my work,” she said.
Social media has become an important part of growing Esethu Woodworks.
Khumalo uses TikTok, Facebook and Instagram to show people what she can make and attract new customers.
Her online presence also allows her to make money through content creation while she continues with her studies.
She has to balance university work, customer orders and creating online content.
Khumalo’s journey comes at a time when many young South African women are struggling to find opportunities.
According to Statistics South Africa, 39.2% of women aged between 15 and 24 were not working, studying or receiving training during the first quarter of 2026.
The figure increased by 1.7 percentage points compared with 2025.
Organisations such as South African Women in Plumbing and Trades are also trying to encourage more women to consider skilled trades.
The organisation provides training, mentoring and business support and wants women to see trades as a possible career path.
Khumalo is already thinking beyond the small business she runs today.
She wants Esethu Woodworks to grow into a much bigger woodworking company.
Her dream is to buy better machinery, move into a larger workspace and eventually build a team.
She also wants other young women to benefit from the business.
Khumalo hopes to employ and train women who may otherwise struggle to find opportunities.
Her advice to young women interested in industries dominated by men is simple.
“Don’t let the fact that an industry is male dominated stop you. Start where you are, learn, make mistakes and keep improving,” she said.
For Khumalo, every new piece of furniture is another step towards turning a small R4,000 investment into the woodworking company she dreams of running.
Pictured above: Esethu Khumalo, 22, started Esethu Woodworks after completing carpentry training and wants to employ and train other young women.
Image source: Supplied.
