Made in Eswatini Brands Get Umhlanga Platform

By: Nkosiyabusa Nsibande

As Eswatini prepares for the Umhlanga Reed Dance, local businesses are being given an opportunity to position their products within one of the Kingdom’s most prominent cultural occasions.

A Peculiar People, in partnership with Creative Ideas and a collective of local skin and hair care brands, has curated and presented a Made in Eswatini Care Hamper to Her Royal Highness Princess Sakhizwe, who serves Their Majesties as Inkhosatana of the Imbali Regiment.

The hamper was presented by A Peculiar People Chairman Melusi Zox Dlamini and Creative Ideas Director Philile Mabuza at Emafini Country Lodge.

The presentation was made as a gesture of appreciation for Her Royal Highness’s continued support and encouragement of local products and the ingenuity of Emaswati. The occasion was also attended by Marc Ward, Director of Emafini Lodge and President of the Hospitality and Tourism Association of Eswatini (HOTAES), and Thobejane Magagula, Founder of the Babukisi Foundation.

A Royal Challenge

Her Royal Highness received the hamper and expressed her appreciation for the gesture.

She also challenged A Peculiar People to expand the initiative beyond her, calling on the organisation to work towards ensuring that every member of the Imbali Regiment has an opportunity to receive and experience a Made in Eswatini Care Hamper in the future.

The challenge has given the initiative a broader enterprise dimension, creating an opportunity to expose more consumers to products produced by Eswatini entrepreneurs in the beauty, skincare, haircare and wellness sectors.

For local businesses, increased exposure can help create opportunities for consumers to discover and experience locally produced products while strengthening confidence in domestic brands.

Local Brands at the Centre

The hamper brought together a selection of local businesses, including Queen Bee, Sponono, Dvumisa Creatives, Luna Hair and Body, HIGI, Mimis Organics, Vital Tissue, CrownKaire, My Coils, Bits & Bags, Mongi Botanicals and Titan Self Care.

Explorers Smash Burgers also supported the occasion by sponsoring meals and health shots.

The participating businesses reflect the diversity of Eswatini’s emerging local product ecosystem, particularly in beauty, personal care, wellness and lifestyle products.

Their participation also points to an expanding group of entrepreneurs seeking to build brands that can represent Eswatini beyond simply supplying the local market.

Linking Culture and Commerce

The initiative highlights the potential relationship between Eswatini’s cultural calendar and local enterprise.

Umhlanga is a major cultural celebration that attracts attention from across the Kingdom and internationally. It brings together cultural, social and economic activity, creating opportunities for businesses operating in areas such as hospitality, tourism, food, fashion, personal care and other consumer markets.

A Peculiar People says the economic value generated around cultural moments should create opportunities for the people who make products, employ others and build businesses in Eswatini.

The organisation sees the initiative as an opportunity for local beauty, skincare, haircare and wellness entrepreneurs to gain greater visibility and support.

“What began as a small gesture has given us an even greater responsibility. We all want to see a future where our cultural celebrations become meaningful platforms for local enterprise – where our people do not simply participate, but also benefit from the economic opportunities that surround it,” said Dlamini.

He added that the vision is to see Made in Eswatini become synonymous with “quality, trust and opportunity.”

Building Confidence in Local Brands

The initiative also places consumer confidence at the centre of the local enterprise conversation.

A Peculiar People says the future of local enterprise depends not only on producing quality products, but also on creating opportunities for consumers to discover, trust, experience and choose those products.

The Made in Eswatini Care Hamper is expected to form part of a broader commitment to build confidence in local brands and encourage greater participation by businesses in important cultural, social and economic moments in the Kingdom.

For small and emerging businesses, such platforms can provide an avenue to introduce products to new audiences while strengthening the visibility of local brands.

The challenge from Princess Sakhizwe could therefore provide an opportunity to develop a more sustainable initiative linking cultural occasions with local enterprise.

A Peculiar People says it will work with its partners and the local business community to explore how the challenge can be transformed into a sustainable initiative that allows more members of the Imbali Regiment to experience products made by Eswatini entrepreneurs.

The broader significance of the initiative lies in whether cultural moments such as Umhlanga can consistently create opportunities for local businesses to showcase their products and build stronger connections with consumers.

In this context, Made in Eswatini represents more than the origin of a product. It is being positioned as a statement about what local entrepreneurs can create and the opportunities that can emerge when Eswatini chooses to support and celebrate its own businesses.