SNEZAR Timepieces are wooden watches designed and assembled by Sinekhaya Manciya. The company was founded in May 2016. The name SNEZAR is a creative combination of his name Sinekhaya and the abbreviation of the South African currency – ZAR – which makes SNEZAR. The Watch is more than a fashion item, it is the epitome of SNEZAR; which is to showcase the culture of entrepreneurship within Youth in South Africa and more specifically, in African communities. In Sinekhaya’s words; the vision behind the business is to “make the youth realise the importance of time and pursuing our dreams”
Sinekhaya says that he had always seen wooden watches, but they were always too expensive and thus inaccessible to the everyday person. This gap in the market allowed him to create a product that would be accessible to the African community and make it relatable as well as affordable. In his own words, “I want to tell their story through this type of time piece”.
Sinekhaya was born in the Eastern Cape and grew up in Daveyton. His passion for entrepreneurship started with humble beginnings from selling snacks and sweets at school, what he calls “selling smaller nyana hustle on the side”. His passion for entrepreneurship was inspired by seeing his mother being as a business owner herself while he was growing up. She had a tuck shop while she worked. Sinekhaya says: “my mom and her entrepreneurial spirit allowed me to grow up with the experience of seeing different ways of doing business”. Sinekhaya says that for him entrepreneurship is a passion, not so much a talent.
South Africa notoriously has high levels of unemployment, in fact the highest in the world. According to Stats SA, “South Africa’s unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2023 was recorded at 32,9 %, and is among the highest in the world”. This has necessitated alternatives to formal employment. The president [Cyril Ramaphosa] has encouraged citizens to start their own business and be employers to curb the long standing rate and effects of unemployment.
Sinekhaya believes that if there could be a curriculum that teaches entrepreneurship from an early age, it could help kids to have that entrepreneurship passion, or what some may see as a talent [& develop it more]. He believes that information about how to start a business, designing a business plan, knowing what kind of business you want to start, knowing why you are starting a business are all essential elements of entrepreneurship. Furthermore, knowing your vision and mission, things like your target market, marketing strategies, how to raise capital (which is a big challenge when starting a business) and lastly understanding how you are getting your product to people. These are all elements which need to be taught to anyone who would like to start a business.
Over and above, Sinekhaya believes that “at this level that I am in right now, I look back at what I was doing back in high school and primary school and I sort of wish I had the knowledge I have now because when you are doing these things… there is this stigma when you are selling sweets and snacks, it is like uyahlupekha [you are poor]“. Those are the negative interpretations you get from your peers when you are growing up. Interestingly, this becomes a paradigm shift because having a business is seen as an achievement as you get older.
As a startup, he marketed his company by attending social markets, starting social media accounts such as Facebook and Instagram. He also collaborated with other creatives to promote the brand to a wider audience. The business itself was doing well, selling 50 watches in 6 months. Despite any challenges that he had come across he says that he keeps pushing himself. Sourcing for capital funding and obtaining information from government and private sectors remains notoriously tough for startup businesses.
SNEZAR showcases that having passion to build something, with the right skills is the best combination to building a unique and thriving business.
To get in touch with SNEZAR timepieces and view his product catalogue, visit his various platforms at:
Facebook: Snezar Timepiece
Instagram: @snezar_timepiece
Website: www.snezar.co.za