Beauty and a brighter future can be hand-stitched from the most unlikely materials. One creative Mpumalanga has proven this by using her crochet hook and discarded plastic to provide for her son’s uniform needs.
Mpumalanga, South Africa (16 January 2026) – For the Re.Bag.Re.Use team, celebrated for transforming clean, soft plastic into stylish, functional products; some days, running the small social initiative can feel overwhelming.
“The hours are long, the plastic keeps coming, and the work carries on without pause. In those moments, you can find yourself quietly reflecting on why you chose this path in the first place,” shares Regine le Roux, who started the initiative during the COVID-19 lockdown.
But then, something amazing happens. A message arrives from Mpumalanga, bringing with it a renewed sense of purpose.
Hlezipi Mnguni, one of the Re.Bag.Re.Use crocheters based in KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga shared that the bags she recently made enabled her to buy her son, Mlungisi Gift, new school shoes and trainers!
Not a luxury. A need. A moment of dignity made possible through her hard work.
“That message was the reminder I needed. This is why we do what we do. Every bag made creates pocket money for the women who crochet for Re.Bag.Re.Use. They are paid as soon as the plastic is cut and the products are completed,” Regine says.
A grateful Hlezipi shares it best herself, saying:
“I would like to thank Re.Bag.Re.Use for giving me the opportunity to crochet. I am now able to buy my son’s school uniform with the money I earn from Re.Bag.Re.Use. Thank you to the team and the customers.”
Re.Bag.Re.Use is an initiative that started as a hobby where empty bread bags were repurposed and crocheted into beautiful shopping bags. It has successfully built momentum in Hout Bay, Cape Town, and is now expanding its footprint to even more areas in the country, significantly impacting families working to make ends meet.
As beautifully illustrated by Hleziphi’s story, a sale is never just a bag or product. It is a child walking into school with confidence. It is dignity. It is purpose stitched into plastic.
Sources: Re.Bag.Re.Use
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