Born and raised in Pretoria’s Soshanguve Township, Nichole Nyalungu spent her childhood navigating the vibrancy and challenges of city life. Nichole’s path took her from a Christian primary school to Pretoria High School for Girls, where she matriculated in 2005. In 2006, she set off to Johannesburg to study public relations at the University of Johannesburg, eager to carve out a future in the corporate world. But life, as it often does, had other plans in store for this petite and vibrant go-getter.
In 2008, Nichole made the bold decision not to continue her studies and instead entered the workforce. A job at Standard Bank as a call centre agent gave her the means to move into a Westdene commune, giving her the independence she needed to stand on her own two feet. “And then fate intervened,” she laughs. “A group of guys moved into the vacant house next door, and one really stood out. His name was Nick. He was tall, with a striking mohawk and a presence that was impossible to ignore. He bummed a smoke, we shared a conversation, and unknowingly, we began an adventure that would change everything for the rest of our lives.”
Nick and Nichole started out as friends, then partners, and soon enough, the couple were building a life together. After two years in Johannesburg, they grew tired of the city’s relentless pace. “In 2010, we moved back home, me to Pretoria and Nick to Mbombela,” explains Nichole. “A visit to see him in Mbombela became permanent when I realised how much at home I felt. I never wanted to leave. At the time, I was pregnant with our first child, Afrika. I soon found work as an administrator and for the time being, life seemed stable.”
Soon after, a work opportunity with British American Tobacco popped up for Nick, which took the couple to eMalahleni. Nichole secured a position at the Kusile Power Station, and once again, life settled down. In 2013, Nick and Nichole welcomed their beautiful daughter, Kenya, into the world. As is so often the case, the winds of change are never quiet for long, and a few years later, a shift in perspective changed everything. “Nick’s desire to do something purposeful led him to an unconventional idea,” explains Nichole, “to craft bags from inner tubes. His childhood dream of cleaning up the planet had never faded – in fact, it had intensified – and now the perfect time had come to act on it. I was exhausted from all the long hours at work and not being able to spend enough time with my family, and I was ready to make the leap. With the children only five and thirteen years old, we left behind our corporate lives in Witbank and moved back to Mbombela to pursue our bag-making and planet clean-up adventure!”
To hone their craft, Nick and Nichole sought mentorship at Mashile Leatherworks in Bushbuckridge, where the late Andrew Mashile trained them in leatherwork over three months. They received their first big order, 30 small bags for The Grove Spar, followed by keyholders for Nutting House Lodge. Encouraged by this promising start, they secured an investor who helped them set up in Hazyview. Unfortunately, their investor fell into financial troubles, leaving the couple without funding or equipment.
Desperate to keep going, they searched Hazyview for someone who had a sewing machine to lend them. “We found an old man at the taxi rank with a manual shoe-patching machine, and with a bit of luck and a lot of determination, we crafted enough bags to sell at Perry’s Bridge, where Nick worked as a shop attendant,” she says. It was here that they met a German couple who, inspired by their story, bought the couple their first machine. “In March 2018, we moved back to KaBokweni, working from my mother’s garage and selling at flea markets. A chance encounter with Louis van der Merwe at Casterbridge led to our first retail store, which we ran for two years.”
By 2020, however, the couple were feeling restless. “Owning a store kept us in one place, so we decided to close it and take our bags on the road, travelling between the Johannesburg and Cape Town markets. The world was our oyster and we couldn’t wait! But as life would have it, just as we hit our stride, the world shut down. Covid-19 changed everything.
“With lockdowns and income losses, we were evicted from our rented home. It was then we realised we needed our own land, somewhere we could never be displaced again. The idea of tribal land emerged, and after discussions with Chief Tikhontele Dlamini, we were granted a hectare in front of Shiyalongubo Dam.”
In early 2021, the pair began clearing the land, fencing the property and constructing a temporary shelter. The rules were clear: build within a year, or risk losing the land. By October, the young family had moved into their makeshift home, and in November, they started laying the foundation for their permanent house. “We chose an unconventional method,” Nichole explains. “Earthbag construction, an ancient building style using soil-filled sacks. Without prior experience, we relied on YouTube tutorials and guidance from an expert, Shalav Ben Israel. The process was gruelling. The structure collapsed twice, testing our resilience and our patience. Volunteers from across the country came to help, including Luzuko Madonci, who ended up staying for over a year.”
Nichole laughs as she gazes up at Nick, the respect and affection between them as bright as it was when they met. “The most rewarding part is seeing our home stand tall, built by our own hands, with zero formal training, just sheer determination and grit,” she smiles. “The biggest challenge? Navigating family doubts and societal expectations. Our move to the mountains was unconventional, and not everyone understood it,” she says, “but we held firm in our vision. Our journey isn’t just about bags or home-building, it’s about forging a life of independence, sustainability and adventure. Nick and I run the business together, and our children are involved every step of the way. From carrying buckets of soil for construction to learning the trade, they are growing up with hands-on experience in resilience and creativity. And they love every minute of it!”
As a family, Nick, Nichole, Afrika and Kenya have built not just a home, but an empire rooted in purpose. Every perfectly placed stitch in their bags tells a story of struggle and triumph, of city streets and mountain air, of failures that led to successes. The most recent of these is winning the Mpumalanga Green Innovation Challenge. The top 12 finalists of the 2024 competition pitched their green businesses in front of a panel of judges, and when the dust settled, Nic & Nic walked away with first place, a prize worth R100 000 to put towards their dream of a more sustainable future, one bag at a time.
For those wondering whether to take a leap of faith, Nichole smiles as she says their story is proof that with determination, anything is possible. “Build with your hands, lead with your heart, and never be afraid to start over. As we look ahead to 2025, with our house nearly complete and our business thriving, we know that this is only the beginning.”
