Meet The Makers
Meet Leanne Dickinson
Lumela Afrika Founder
I worked in the corporate world for quite some time and on my commute to work each day I saw women, with their children, begging for money at the traffic light corners. This is a common sight in South Africa and it got me thinking of how I could try and help these ladies obtain a sustainable living.
Around this time sanctions were dropped against SA and I had the idea of creating and hand painting naïve art pieces to export abroad. Initially my mother-in-law joined me in the business and together, with 2 ladies, we began painting wooden trinket boxes, pencil cases and some decorative ceramic plates all by hand.
30 years later our range has expanded in leaps and bounds, and is now sold across borders and includes an exclusive range of hand painted enamelware, wooden musical and educational toys as well as a host of other bright fun gifts and accessories.
Lumela Afrika was born from a simple question: how can we create sustainable jobs for women in South Africa?
At Lumela, we are more than just a brand. We are a job creation project, empowering single mothers and men from Sharpeville, Sebokeng, and Orange Farm through sustainable employment. Every piece is handmade with care, meaning no two items are identical — each carries its own story, love, and character.
Bright, bold, and proudly local, Lumela is about craftsmanship, community upliftment, and African creativity. When you choose Lumela, you choose to make a difference.
Craft with Heart, Create with Purpose
We Care
Every Lumela product is more than handmade – it’s a symbol of hope.
At Lumela Afrika, we believe business should be bold, fun, and responsible. While our designs celebrate funkiness and functionality, our purpose goes deeper — to create meaningful change in South Africa.
Most of our products are lovingly hand-painted and crafted in our Vereeniging, Gauteng factory, where we provide employment opportunities for unskilled individuals and empower single mothers and artisans from local townships.
Through our Lumela Pay It Forward program, we regularly donate to children’s charities, ensuring every product made also shares joy beyond our factory walls.
For us, being socially responsible and ethically driven isn’t an option — it’s who we are. Because while we know we can’t help everyone, we believe that everybody, including Lumela, can help somebody.
