Klemptner believes that Babazeka will benefit greatly from the boom in online marketing that is currently happening in South Africa. According to Biz-Community, by the end of this year online spending on retail goods in South Africa is expected to have grown by more than 35% with total spending expected to reach R929 million.
Babazeka aims to tackle unemployment and the influx of cheap foreign goods into the South African market, an issue that Klemptner is very passionate about. “We want to encourage people to stay away from mass produced imports that are flooding every market and offer quality goods that are authentic and South African. There is so much awesome stuff happening in South Africa and we want to expose that,” says Klemptner.
Organizations that will benefit from Babazeka include Wola Nani. The Western Cape based NGO was started in 1994 with the aim of addressing skills development and job creation in poor communities that were plagued by HIV and AIDS. Babazeka will be selling Wola Nani’s range of Shweshwe paper mache bowls. Another of Babazeka’s suppliers is Tincity. This project is run by a group of people from Woodstock, Cape Town who create humorous hand-painted craft products from tin.
Klemptner’s deep passion and love for South Africa inspired her to start the project. “I don’t want to be another South African who complains but then does nothing to help our country.”
Speaking of her products, Klemptners says online shoppers can expect to find uniquely South African products on the Babazeka website, “They're contemporary, whilst having an African feel, or have been made using a traditional African technique. They're colourful, well-designed, innovative and unique."
Babazeka will service South African online consumers for now but plan to go international over the course of 2008.
To see Babaseka's beautiful range of products visit their official website.
