South Africa, July 6 -- For Thembeka Dube, founder of KwaDube Essentials, entrepreneurship wasn't initially about building a luxury lifestyle brand. It was about survival.

"To be honest, it all started because I was a student and I was broke," she laughs. "I needed another source of income, but I also wanted to build something that I genuinely loved."

Today, KwaDube Essentials has become synonymous with handcrafted home fragrances, elegant decor and intentional living, earning Dube recognition through the Woolworths Youth Makers 2026 programme while positioning her brand as part of a new generation of South African businesses redefining what local luxury can look like.

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Building luxury fr...