Our History
History
Afri-Expo Textiles (PTY) LTD was registered in Lesotho in 2012 with registration number I2012/307 by Mr Teboho Kobeli, Mrs 'Mabokang Kobeli and Mr Lenka Mphafi as shareholders in March 2012. Mr Kobeli, the Managing Director and majority shareholder for Afri-Expo Textiles, began his career as an entreprenuer by buying clothes from wholesalers and manufactures in The Republic of South Africa and retailed them in Lesotho both at home and from the boot of his car. In 2000, he registered a company named Kobeli Business Services, from which a formal retail entity for retailing clothes emerged and at its peak included three shops, onership of a mega store at Pioneer Shopping Mall. Further, in 2005 he opened an office in China where He sourced most of his merchandise that included shoes,protective clothing and other various types of clothes, including the supply of Police Army Uniforms and many others.
While operating within the industry, his love for clothing and desire to expand and operate outside the box or normal boundaries gave birth to Afri-Expo Textiles, hence its registration in 2012.Afri-Expo Textiles as a business began manufacturing operations in April 2016 at the Maseru Industrial Area,employing 120 persons at full capacity in a 340 square metre cross floor area facility. The initial production was various types of jeans for the South African market. The operating model followed is Cut, Make and Trim(CMT), and thus the first recorded Basotho to have invested in this industry and sustained beyond three years, which had for long been dominated by the Asian FDI Community. By October 2015, L.N.D.C had completed the Tikoe Industrial Factories Shells and Afri-Expo Textiles was allocated 2000 sqaure meter space in an effort to expand its manufacturing operations. Afri-Expo Textiles was able to increase its staff complement from 120 to 510 persons, making it one of the largest single employment entities for an indigenous Mosotho. The increase in operational space enabled Afri-Expo to take on larger orders. In 2019, Sekhametsi Investment Consortium acquired 30% shareholding at Afri-Expo Textiles and that made them the fourth shareholder.
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