Bella Liphapang

Bella Liphapang







She is an African woman, child of God, mother, wife and a hard worker. Business woman Bella.




She is the mother of two beautiful young teenage girls, her two daughters do not live with her they are in boarding school. This gives her a chance to do her work which is also her passion. Her family means the world to her and holidays are the best time for her because she gets to be with the family. They love taking family holidays as often as they can
Because she works long hours, so for her the more time she spends with her family , the more she can work. She has a very strong support system, which is important for anyone doing anything, more so business that require a lot of time.

She loves Matatiele for her business, because this is where she started, there where a few resources so she came with her own ideas and could nurtured them into something great. The community have supported her and her business. She says that Matatiele was a great place to start this business, because she grew at her own pace and had no real competition, she wouldn't have done it anywhere else.
Bella had a passion for this business, she had no formal qualifications for decorating, but she went to a course over a weekend that taught her all the basics of decorating. This proves passion can be all it takes. She has came up with new ideas as she grew and she learnt as she went along, listening to what her clients wanted and she learnt from them and she is still learning.


I asked her why she started this business and she told me as a “makoti” ( new bride) she was required to attend a lot of events and she was not to impressed with some of the tents she would be sitting in, so she decided to start by buying two tents . She also started to decorate the tents, she used her own curtains from home and some of her own decoration like flowers she had at home, she would listen to what her clients wanted and she grew from there. She tells me that she did not have money to start her business, but thanks God for her husband who supported her and gave her starting capital. Her husband did not like the idea of borrowing money from the bank.
She has worked in a number of places, Mthatha, Durban, Underberg, Swartberg and the market she really would love to crack into is JHB.
She tells me of the importance of humility and staying humble when you are a person in business and a person on the height of success. “I thank God for who I am”
"In business you have to know how to deal with people,people are demanding and you have to be able to communicate with them", Bella builds relationships with her clients, she believes that clients are the most important people for your business and the best way to advertise your product, people know people and if you provide them with value for their money, they will talk about you and even refer people to you. She stays in touch with her clients and builds friendship with them, she give first class treatment to everyone coming through her doors.
She would love to share her knowledge of the business with the younger generation, teaching them the skills and tricks of this trade. She would love to open a school of décor. I asked her what she does to relax. Bella loves reading, she spends around R200 on book a month, she love music and spending time with her family.




Hard work, discipline, humility, Bella does not compete with anyone but herself. This a great recipe for success, be you, don’t try to be anyone or compete with anyone. Be humble and disciplined. RESPECT PEOPLE.


She would love to mentor kids, give them work experience.
She is one of the most successful business women in Matatiele and yet she is the most humble woman I know.
Thank you Bella Lephapang for this great feature.