Lihle Lamola on building a brand that embraces identity and purpose
As Lamola reflects on her journey, she shares insights into the origins of her business, the challenges that shaped her, and the values that continue to guide brand into the future.
Speaking to Saturday Star, she also opened up the lessons she's learnt, and how staying rooted in her vision has enabled the brand to thrive, even through adversity.
How did your journey of entrepreneurship start, and how has it evolved over the years?
My entrepreneurial journey began a decade ago when I made the bold decision to leave the corporate world to pursue my passion in an uncharted territory. With a background in business development and further studies in financial and business management, I was well equipped to take the leap. That foundational background gave me the strategic insight, financial discipline, and customer service ethic needed to build a unique luxury eyewear brand — and that's how Freckle Eyewear was born.
Describe some of the difficulties you have faced and the things that have enabled you to continue.
One of the early challenges was rapid expansion. After launching Freckle Eyewear in 2015, we experienced fast growth and began opening multiple branches and diversifying into new industries. What I didn't fully grasp at the time was how aggressive scaling can strain cash flow. Some of those decisions were hard and costly lessons. I learnt that steady growth does not mean stagnation; it's strategic precision. In 2020, like many businesses, we faced our toughest challenge yet; Freckle Eyewear had to shut down for 6 months at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. With no sales during that time, we had to be extremely prudent with our limited resources. Resilience and adaptability helped us survive and emerge even stronger.
As you continue to dominate the female entrepreneurial space, what are some of the lessons you have learnt?
I have learnt the importance of staying true to my values. Trends may come and go, but your vision and integrity will keep you steady through the toughest seasons. It may sound like a cliché, but always remember why you started. Also, never feel intimidated in a boardroom full of male counterparts. Know your business, own your space, and back it up with strategy, leadership, and innovation. Embrace technology, be future-forward, and compete boldly, locally and globally.
What inspired Freckle Eyewear to be created, and how has the company expanded over time?
I've always been drawn to fashion, and I've followed international trends for years. When I started my entrepreneurial journey, it felt natural to gravitate toward an industry I love and understand. Growing up, I was often teased for my freckles, but instead of hiding them, I decided to embrace them. I wanted to create a luxury brand that resonates with authenticity, uniqueness and rarity, and that's how Freckle Eyewear was born. Today, through a strong omnichannel presence and strategic brand collaborations, we've expanded our reach and cultivated a loyal, fashion-savvy customer base.
What do you intend to achieve with your brand and journey?
I want Freckle Eyewear to be a gateway, a channel that gives aspirational and luxury consumers access to global, high-quality eyewear and offers luxury experiences that are defined by world-class customer service. Beyond the brand, I am passionate about empowering and mentoring the youth.
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za
Saturday Star
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Maverick
11 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Triumph in a teacup — Covid took his job, but this Langa farmer is brewing a herbal success story
Losing his job during Covid led Mzi Mashicili to a life pivot. Now the Langa small-scale farmer dreams of becoming a big player in herbal teas and dried herbs. 16 on Lerotholi in Langa, Cape Town, is a vibrant space with a gallery at the front and a vast garden at the back. As part of the immersive experiences at the 2025 Food Indaba conference, farmer Mzi Mashicili hosted a breakaway event called 'Tea with a Farmer' in his garden in Langa. He offered his home brew of lemongrass tea mixed with other aromatic and herbs packed with health benefits. Mashicili (35) lost his job during Covid-19 in 2020, which he says left him feeling a kind of depression and stress. As the days passed his mom asked him to join her in a garden she had started on a patch of land, and this set him on a different course of self-discovery, passion and success. Mashicili took the garden so seriously that he has helped expand it, taken courses to advance his knowledge, helps feed himself and his family and now hopes to supply herbal teas to the booming, tourist-rich retailers in Cape Town. 'It started at the time of Covid, so most people lost their jobs during the Covid. I was one of those victims who lost their job and I grew up in the household where we were exposed at a very young age to how to farm, because at the backyard my mother used to have spinach, carrots; we didn't buy a lot from the street vendors, we were always like having something at home. So that was the culture that was introduced at a young age. But because of the stigma in the township of the youth it was not in my mind that I want to become a gardener or small-scale farmer,' he says. Mashicili was devastated after he lost his job, which he had had for six years. 'Covid showed people flames, it showed a different type of life. So because there was nothing to do, just staying at home, doing nothing, was stressful, closer to maybe depression.' After his mom convinced him to join her in the garden, he realised she and the lady she gardened with needed a lot of help because the garden wasn't fenced and they fetched water from a nearby hostel with 20-litre buckets they put on their heads, there were barely tools to work with, and no proper storage facilities for them. As he was working and recruiting other young people in the neighbourhood to join he was approached with an opportunity to study farming basics in a short course offered by Abalimi Bezekhaya, a nonprofit organisation that supports micro-farmers on the Cape Flats and in townships to grow vegetables organically. Its website says this enables individuals and groups to start their own vegetable gardens at home, or community or institutional gardens, to encourage food security and create livelihoods. Now, four people work on the garden, including Mashicili's mom and a seasonal person. They sell the vegetables from the garden and also sustain themselves from it. Mashicili says there are challenges because a lot of unemployed people or people on grants come in and ask for help because they cannot buy vegetables and need something. Because of this he says he is still looking for ways to be truly profitable and sustainable. Mashicili says he learnt a lot in the month-long course, including co-planting and pesticide-free planting. 'I didn't know that there are plants that you have to plant with other plants and there are plants that don't like to be planted with other plants. We call it companion planting. 'As an organic gardener you have to prove that by creating your own compost and own ways to deal with pests. Now… if I want to chase away the insects, I know that I can plant some marigold, you know, if it's around like cabbage or spinach or cauliflower, yeah, I can plant some marigold so that it can chase away the insects.' Mashicili has had a hunger to learn since grabbing the opportunity with both hands in 2021 and studying for two years at the South African Food and Farming Trust. That included an internship with hands-on experience on a farm, and from that he discovered a love of herbs and making teas. He is currently part of the Agrihubs support programme run by the South African Food and Farming Trust, which primarily deals with the production aspects of being a farmer. Its website states: 'Core components of an Agrihub practical support includes input-side services, e.g. nursery, extension support, tool hire, farming inputs, etc. 'Value addition for farmers, e.g. sorting facilities, pack houses and processing infrastructure. Knowledge generation to share good technical practice but also to collect and disseminate local knowledge and practice and a coordination market agent function of availability and order fulfilment to assist with market access.' Mashicili adds: 'What attracted me a lot through that learnership was the importance of herbs because I already know vegetables, because as I said, I grew up in a household where we didn't buy a lot of vegetables because my mother grew a lot of what we needed.' He believes his Mzi's branded herbal tea has a big market in Cape Town because people are generally health conscious in the city. 'I am very passionate about herbs and creating these brews,' Mashicili says, jokingly adding that he is leaving the vegetable farming to his colleagues. 'There isn't always a lot of money in this but we have received help, as you can see – we now have a fence, water, an irrigation system… and other tools. You need to be passionate and persevere. I know it will work out in the end, we have the knowledge and the work ethic now… even if it means packing all your products and delivering by taxi all over Cape Town, I do it, because it is the only way to success.' DM
IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Tourism stakeholders reject eThekwini Municipality's proposed levy
A helicopter view of the Durban beachfront Image: File The eThekwini Municipality's recent proposal to introduce a tourism levy has sparked significant opposition from local tourism bodies, highlighting the challenges and complexities facing Durban's tourism sector. The city's Economic Development and Planning Committee recently recommended that Durban Tourism initiate a comprehensive feasibility study on the potential introduction of a tourism levy in eThekwini. According to the City, the purpose of the study is to explore the practicality, structure, and potential impact of such a levy before any final decisions are made. "The proposed levy aims to establish a dedicated, ring-fenced funding mechanism to support the marketing of Durban as a tourism destination of choice both locally and internationally, and to drive tourism-related innovations and initiatives. "The ultimate goal is to reduce reliance on municipal funding and improve long-term financial sustainability within the tourism sector," read a statement issued by the municipality. Durban Tourism has been tasked to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including the national Department of Tourism, South African Tourism, local tourism boards, industry associations, community organisations and the private sector. Following this it is expected to present its findings and recommendations to the committee. Brett Tungay, chairperson of the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA) for the east coast, said they were opposed to the idea. He said most hotels were already paying a 1% Tourism Marketing SA (TOMSA) levy, for travel services in South Africa. "We will definitely not allow this to happen. The City has not engaged with the private sector in a meaningful discord yet regarding this. KwaZulu-Natal as a tourism destination is yet to recover to post Covid levels. We are still 20% down on pre-Covid levels. The foreign numbers into the province is still about 80% down. It is not as if we are in a flourishing tourism environment that has excess profit that we can throw at the city," he said. Tungay said any new levy would have to be borne by the properties. "It will affect the bottom line of all the hotels and resorts in Durban. In an environment where we are trying to grow and trying to encourage employment this is not what we need. "I would rather see the City improve on its water billing and rates collections," said Tungay. He said cities around the world that charge a tourism levy have functioning municipalities. "The City needs to look at how they can tighten the belt first and get everything running properly. They must realise that tourism marketing benefits the entire city," he said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, CEO of the Tourism Business Council, also cited the TOMSA levy, adding that imposing another levy would be unfair on the sector. "There is no other sector that has a levy, so it will be unfair to impose a levy on tourism when you don't impose a levy on anybody else who operates in any different way within the municipality. "We all pay rates and taxes and other dues, why introduce something that is targeted to one sector and not targeted to others? Why impose something to say it's the basis for destination marketing?" questioned Tshivhengwa. He said there were many municipalities with functioning tourism bodies. "What the municipality needs to do is fund destination marketing and make sure they realise the benefits. If they fund it, the return on investment is far greater. "There are many other models out there that are very successful. Cape Town Tourism has a different model where it's not necessarily funded directly through the municipality," he said. Tshivhengwa said the municipality needed to fix its infrastructure to attract tourists. "Fix the beaches and make sure there is no sewage going into the beaches and ensure it's a safe place. There will then be more economic activity and those in the tourism sector will derive benefits and be able to create employment. But to say you are going to impose a statutory levy and not do it for any other industry, is unfair. "Durban has not been getting the lion's share of tourists and the problem is infrastructure. You can go and market all you want, but if the beaches and water is not clean and we don't deal with issues of safety and security, no one is going to go there," he said. SUNDAY TRIBUNE
The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
Tourism surge: R4.2 billion spent on SA hotels in second quarter of 2025
Figures show more is being spent at South Africa's hotels and guesthouses, but industry experts say more innovation is needed. South Africa's tourism industry is maintaining its post-Covid comeback with record revenue in the accommodation sector. Accommodation income generated in the second quarter of 2025 increased by 10.5% from the same period last year. Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) released the figures this week in its quarterly report on the tourist accommodation sector. Recovery sustained The numbers are compiled from a monthly survey of hotels, guesthouses and other commercial accommodation owners of tax-registered private and public enterprises Stats SA's report shows the healthy recovery of an industry that was decimated by the global health panic of 2020. Seasonally adjusted income from accommodation at current prices first reached pre-covid levels in Spring 2023 and has exceeded that level for every quarter since July 2024. 'Seasonally adjusted income from accommodation increased by 3.8% month-on-month in May 2025, following an increase of 3.1% month-on-month in April 2025,' stated Stats SA. However, seasonally adjusted occupancy rates have yet to breach the 40% mark, having sat at roughly 45% in January 2020. In the last quarter, hotels earned R4.2 billion, while caravan parks and guesthouses and farms earned R186 million and R337 million, respectively. 'Other' forms of accommodation accounted for R2.7 billion, with the R7.5 billion total excluding food and beverage sales. Industry insights The accommodation industry generated R35.3 billion last year, with the industry sitting on R14.3 billion for the first five months of 2025. Southern Africa Tourism Service Association CEO David Frost said that the country's natural attractions provided a solid foundation from which to build, but required the industry to continually adapt. 'We cannot afford to be complacent. To stay globally competitive, we must continue to diversify and meet evolving traveller expectations,' said Frost. 'True growth lies in how we innovate around these assets. We need to move beyond what we've always done and develop experiences that appeal to a broader range of global travellers.' Frost highlighted areas outside the 'Cape Town-Kruger' corridor as needing extra representation, but explained the 2024/25 cruise season generated R1.32 billion. National Chairperson of the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa, Rosemary Anderson, agreed with Frost's sentiments on evolving the industry. 'That's now changing, thanks to Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille, who has introduced a new model where government and industry work together in dedicated tourism workstreams. 'For the first time, ideas are not only being developed jointly, but action plans are being put in place. This shift has the potential to be a game-changer for tourism in South Africa,' Anderson concluded. NOW READ: Could tourism be the answer to SA youth unemployment?
