"Banana to Beauty?": Limpopo Businesswoman Lufuno Nemakonde Makes Hairpieces From Banana Plants

• Lufuno Nemakonde, founder of Funocurls Green Beauty, developed an eco-friendly hairpiece made from banana pseudostem fibre
• The product, called EcoCurls, received government funding and is currently being tested by the South African Bureau of Standards
• Nemakonde has already secured factory space in her Limpopo village and plans to create local jobs through her processing plant

A Limpopo entrepreneur is turning banana plants into hairpieces. Lufuno Nemakonde, the Managing Director of Funocurls Green Beauty, has developed a plant-based alternative to synthetic hairpieces using banana pseudostem fibre, which she has branded EcoCurls.

Nemakonde's business is based in Punda Maria-Makhuvha village in Limpopo, where banana plants grow in abundance. She saw an opportunity to use that agricultural resource to build something new for the South African hair industry.

"EcoCurls are plant-based and potentially a more sustainable alternative to conventional synthetic hairpieces," she said. "We are happy that the project is currently progressing towards commercialisation."

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According to the report, the EcoCurls hairpiece has been submitted to the South African Bureau of Standards for independent testing and validation. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition has also approved Nemakonde for funding through its Grassroots Innovation Facilitation Scheme, which supports innovators from rural and township communities.

From medical lab to beauty factory

Nemakonde's path to beauty entrepreneurship started in science. She trained as a Medical Technologist and drew on that background, alongside indigenous knowledge passed down from her grandmother, to launch Funocurls Green Beauty. The brand manufactures plant-based hair, skin and body-care products using African botanicals such as moringa, marula, baobab and Kalahari melon.

She has also represented South Africa at international trade exhibitions in Egypt, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with support from the dtic.

For EcoCurls, she worked directly with engineers to design custom machinery capable of processing banana pseudostem fibre. She has already secured factory space for her production plant in Punda Maria-Makhuvha and expects the specialised equipment to arrive soon. She said the village would never be the same once operations began and that she was determined to create jobs for her community.

South Africans celebrate the innovation

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Commenters on the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition's Facebook page were quick to show their support:

@Livhuwani Nemakonde said:

"No more plastic hair for me. 💚"

@Tankiso Sepuru wrote:

"SA women in business, we are so proud of you Ms Nemakonde. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 May God bless you."

@Dudu Lalela added:

"I am proud of you girl. All the best in your new journey."

@XShineMo shared:

"Big up my friend, wow my people are pushing, yooh."

@Dineo Nnunki Mothudi summed up the mood:

"Limpopo innovation is unmatched! Banana to beauty?? Take my money 😍🔥"

See the Facebook post from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition's full release on the EcoCurls innovation below:

More on South African entrepreneurs

• Briefly News recently reported on a Durban woman who turned a long-held dream into reality by opening her own bridal shop and beauty studio.
• A South African man sparked backlash after confronting a foreign shop owner and demanding to know when he planned to leave the country.
• A KZN shop owner was forced to shut his business after anti-immigration protesters arrived and confronted him with crowbars.

Source: Briefly News