Eleanor Douglas-Meyers
In a world that often rewards loud ambition and polished pitches, Mbukwashe Zwide has quietly built one of Gqeberha’s most recognisable fashion brands by doing the exact opposite. She started small, stayed intentional, and learned to step outside of her comfort zone when it mattered most.
The founder, owner, and creative director of Hombakazi Vintage Cabin recently found herself doing something she usually avoids. Speaking publicly.
“I always shy away from public speaking,” she admits with a laugh.
But as she approaches 40, Zwide is leaning into discomfort in a new way by accepting an invitation to speak at a women’s circle and reflect on the journey that began not in a boutique or business incubator, but in her mother’s garage in 2014.
A Vision That Didn’t Fit the Job Description
Born and bred in Gqeberha, Zwide studied at UPE and Pearson before entering the IT sector in 2004. What followed were four years in tech and seven years living in Johannesburg. She now describes this period as professionally successful but personally stifling.
“I hated it. I felt boxed in,” she recalls.
Even her time in corporate sales, including a two-year stint at HP selling storage solutions, never quite aligned with what she truly wanted.
“Those Monday meetings taught me a lot of lip service,” she says with a laugh.
But while her career ticked the right boxes on paper, her passion was elsewhere. This was shaped early on by a mother who dressed her and her twin in carefully styled outfits and nurtured a love for fashion from a young age.
The First Auction
While living in Johannesburg in 2011, Zwide began thrifting vintage clothing initially for herself. Eventually, she bought a bag of second-hand pieces and decided to auction them on Facebook.
She made R10,000 from that first auction.
By August 2013, after being asked in a job interview where she saw herself in five years and realising the answer was not in tech, she took a leap of faith and became self-employed.
“I didn’t have a plan. All I knew was that I wanted to do fashion.”
Pop-Ups, Packed Rooms and Purpose
Moving back to Gqeberha, Zwide began hosting pop-up shops while styling and modernising vintage pieces as her unique selling point.
Njoli became an early testing ground for the concept.
“One day it was so packed the neighbours thought there was a funeral,” she recalls. “We made R20,000 that day.”
She took the model on the road too by hosting travelling pop-ups in Cape Town. On one occasion she generated R50,000 despite pouring rain.
Each year, she committed to doing a vision board, grounding her business decisions in what she calls Kingdom Entrepreneurship. This is a faith-led approach to building with purpose.
From Westbourne Road to the Beachfront
Eventually, Hombakazi Vintage Cabin grew into a showroom space on Westbourne Road. With that growth came overheads, rent, and new pressures, but also momentum.
When Boardwalk Mall opened, Zwide made another leap of faith.
In April 2022, the business officially moved from her mother’s garage to a beachfront retail presence and now operates from Shop L28C at Boardwalk Mall in Summerstrand.
Today, the brand has grown into more than an online store. It is a nostalgic, urban-vintage fashion movement that curates pieces inspired by bygone eras while maintaining a contemporary, wearable edge for the modern woman.
When It’s Not Always Rosy
Like many small business owners in Nelson Mandela Bay, the journey has not been without setbacks.
In 2024, the rising cost of rent threatened the sustainability of the space.
“We couldn’t afford it,” she says candidly.
But giving up was not an option.
“I believe God pushes you when you walk on purpose.”
That same year, the brand recorded R820,000 in sales, including a R300,000 sales record month at Boardwalk.
Starting Where You Are
Now employing staff and mentoring others in her space, Zwide’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is simple:
- Start with what you have
- Be intentional about what you begin
- Have a clear vision
- Remember you do not have to do everything
- Delegate when you grow
From auctioning thrifted pieces on Facebook to building a vintage-inspired fashion brand rooted in faith and nostalgia, Mbukwashe Zwide’s story is a reminder that purpose-driven business does not always start with a business plan. Sometimes it starts with a garage, a good eye, and the courage to quit what no longer fits.
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