Young Entrepreneurs Launch Two Clothing Brands & Take A Stand Against Gangs.
OMW – Overule Manaba Way and AntiGang Apparel Clothing now on display and available for sale to the general public at Cresta Shopping Centre until 30 August 2021.
Growing up in extremely adverse circumstances, two young entrepreneurs and change leaders from Growing Champions NPO have risen from that hostile environment and are taking a stand against gangs with the production of their inspiring new clothing brands; AntiGang and OMW – Overule Manaba Way.
Cresta Shopping Centre in Johannesburg has kindly given these two budding entrepreneurs, Roemello Shembe and Sonti Alpheus Lebopa, an opportunity to showcase and sell their brands from a stand in their centre for the month of August.
The clothing stand is on the Lower Level at Cresta Shopping Centre, near Capitec Bank, until 30 August 2021.
The public are encouraged to go through and meet these engaging young men as they sell their brands, ranging from T-Shirts, beanies, tracksuit sets, warm winter jumpers and more. All with their distinctive AntiGang and OMW Manaba branding that carries their strong positive community messages.
Roemello Shembe (21) is the creator of AntiGang and a Growing Champions change leader. AntiGang is the brand of the new nation for people with vision, people of action and people with class.
Says Roemello “We the AntiGang nation say NO to gender-based violence, crime and abuse. We are fearless and determined to change our future. Join us and wear AntiGang with pride and become the change as we work together to build a crime and violence free nation.”
Roemello’s dream is to be a professional Fashion Designer.
Sonti Alpheus Lebopa (20) is the creator of OMW – Overule Manaba Way and a Growing Champions change leader.
Says Sonti: “OMW Manaba is a brand built to set you free. It empowers you to conquer hate and overrule bullies. Lay the pathway to your dreams with the stories thrown at you and rise.”
The Manaba brand extends a hand to you and helps you step out of the shadows to take centre stage in your life.
Sonti is a budding poet and wants to be a teacher.
Founder of Growing Champions NPO, Samantha Toweel-Moore had this to say about this opportunity given to these change makers;
“We are super excited to see incredible people like the Cresta Centre Team getting behind the voices of our youth who are doing the hard work to uproot the sick and plant a new garden of delicious fruit we can all feed off and enjoy.“
When asked about this opportunity both Roemello and Sonti were animated in their responses.
“It’s a dream come true, like I stated in one of my poems – impossible is possible – and it’s a great platform for us to grow on as young entrepreneurs” said Sonti.
Roemello added;
“It’s an amazing opportunity that can help me make my dreams come true through hard work and give much hope to my community. I am doing it, so you can, too.”
Follow AntiGang and OMW Manaba on Social Media:
AntiGang Apparel
OMW Manaba
About Roemello Shembe
Roemello Shembe, 21, lives in Kersiedorp ‘Candle Town”, Eldorado Park, Ext 9. The part of Eldorado Park that was the last to receive electricity. It is infested with criminal activity and criminal rings. From a young age, he witnessed violence and crime and it disturbed him deeply. He joined Growing Champions NPO to pursue a different life and a healthy identity. He wanted to still his world, bring colour and light.
At 11 years old he told Samantha Toweel – Moore , Founder of Growing Champions , that one day when she can no longer help the people and do what she does he will do this work and help her too. It was the start of a deep passion to create a nation that lifts each other rather than buries each other. He has witnessed domestic violence, rape, stabbings and shootings.
He has watched his peers become part of criminal rings and been mocked, beaten and isolated for not doing the same. He stood alone. But he was unshaken.
Reomello has always loved fashion and had a great sense of style, so as he grew he decided to use this to create a new nation of youth who embrace the identity of service, commitment to feeding a healthy future. He founded AntiGang Apparel that has a clear identity of standing against crime and violence.
Roemello hopes to develop a clothing line where he can employ people suffering under gender-based violence or reform themselves as offenders and move the country forward. He wishes to be part of the solution and is excited to collaborate with like-minded people.
Roemello says, “We all want to feel safe. We all want to keep what we have earned. Violence and crime hurts all of us and it can only be changed by all of us. I invite you to become part of the new nation.”
About Sonti Alpheus Lebopa
Sonti Alpheus Lebopa, 20, lives in the Growing Champions change leaders home in Northcliff. He came from Limpopo and settled in Windsor, Randburg. He endured hate and bullying and found the way to make life bearable was to join a gang and be the one inflicting the pain. He was soon involved in criminal activity and his mother was called into school repeatedly for his fighting or stealing behaviours. He realised that being involved in crime isn’t as powerful or lucrative as it seems as you are selling your soul for things and watched people dying.
He joined the Growing Champions Football Club and started learning about a new way to live, a way that empowers. He started to share his feelings through poetry and began healing his pain. He went on SABC2 Each One Teach One to share his story of transformation with the youth and got a positive response. He learnt the power of sharing with others and the need of the hurting youth pressed on him. He looked for ways to assist and realised he wanted to be the hand that extends to others and he never hand that helping hand when he was younger.
He developed the OMW Overule Manaba Way brand. A Manaba is a hater, a person who pushes you down. He wants the youth of the nation to know that they are filled with greatness and will find it inside themselves not from others approval.
Sonti says, “I am so happy to be able to talk to people and share the brand, so they know that those bricks that are thrown at them can be used to pave the way to their dreams.”
Sonti wants to become a teacher to help youth when they are most vulnerable and encourage them to find their greatness.
About GROWING CHAMPIONS NPO
Samantha Toweel-Moore, Founder of Growing Champions NPO, is the daughter of boxing legend and Hall of Fame inductee; Willie Toweel and niece of World Champion Boxer; Victor Toweel.
Growing Champions NPO grew from their legacy, in honour of the principles they taught and the values they laid down, that helped her and her team to form a healthy model to lift people up, especially the youth. Ten years ago in 2011, Samantha established Growing Champions NPO to continue to “fight the good fight” and continue their legacy outside of the ring.
Growing Champions NPO is a youth mentoring programme in the business of changing lives based in Northcliff and Soweto. Their passionate team of professionals volunteer their service, to provide the scaffold for children born into the depth of poverty, criminal rings, addiction, violence and abuse to rise and free themselves of the shackles of their inheritance.
They provide a 7 step program which involves education, sport, trauma therapy and personal development with spiritual growth. The Growing Champion chooses an identity of one who progresses and overcomes any opponent he faces.
As they grow they look back at what they have overcome in these areas. They use the cultivated values and the tools they’ve developed to help the next person up. The ripple effect builds the nation.
To learn more about Growing Champions NPO, follow them on Facebook or on Instagram or head to their Website.
Growing Champions NPO is self-funded and heavily reliant on the support of their community and the kindness of the public.
Would you like to help?
Head to their website for ways to donate or volunteer your time and/or skills.
Otherwise, please consider loading Growing Champions on your My School My Village My Planet card through the Woolworths initiative.
“We write the story of Victory, together.”
