Meet Mosiuoa Zachariah Palime, the Founder and CEO of Mohlomi™ Footwear. He was born in Ha-Rantuba, along the Mohokare (Caledon) river but currently resides in Pretoria. After losing both his parents he then became the head of the family since he was the eldest of the six siblings. Growing up for him was very challenging as his father was a miner who did not fulfil the headship role in the family to support financially, emotionally and spiritually. His mother did her best to support them financially, selling livestock offal, working at the farms and shoe factories, to make sure they attend school and matriculate.
Moreover, she instilled Godly principles and supported them emotionally so they can have better coping mechanisms in life. Mosiuoa excelled academically and was awarded a scholarship after matric to pursue his studies in veterinary science up to postgraduate level. He used his scholarship stipend to take care of his siblings.
Please share when did you commence with MOHLOMI FOOTWEAR and what inspired you to go for it? “The inspiration came from Wiseman Chief Mohlomi, who survived between (1720 – 1816), and my mother who worked at a shoe factory for five years. I and my siblings would help my mother to sew pieces of shoes together that she brought home from work. The more shoes she sew the more money my mother was paid”.
What challenges you faced when you were trying to get your sneaker business off the ground and how did you tackle those? “After approaching a number of shoe factories locally and internationally for the production of Mohlomi™, the major challenge was the amount of money required to produce the sneakers. Moreover, there were no interested investors or government departments or even banks to fund Mohlomi™. I had to revisit my business plan so that I can fund Mohlomi™ from my own pocket. What really helped me to get Mohlomi™ off the ground was my passion and the desire I had to break generational curse, so I can leave the legacy”.
What makes your sneakers stand out? “Mohlomi™ reminds us that it is fine for our wisdom and insights to be entirely original and African. Our sneakers are not only comfortable but also good quality and fit any outfit”.
Your highlights thus far? “Getting positive and negative constructive feedback from customers and social media police have been very instrumental to be where we are today”.
Lastly, where do you see MOHLOMI FOOTWEAR in 5 years-time? “In the next five years the brand will be at most malls, shopping centers in Africa and beyond African borders. We want to create more than 10,000 jobs as we own the product chain and distribution channels”.