Weaving hope amid hard times
The decades-old Mapusha Weaving Cooperative was on the brink of collapse when a non-profit organisation stepped in and helped it modernise and find new markets. Its members weave, spin, knit, sew and crochet to provide food for their families in an area p
Lindy Molimo, Regina Hlabbane, Anna Mbetse and Gertrude Mbetse are all more than 70 years old, but they clamber with apparent ease onto a huge scaffolding to work on a massive weaving loom. They are weaving a carpet for a local decorator in nearby Hoedspruit, and the money they earn will feed their families.
These gogos are part of the Mapusha Weaving Cooperative in Rooiboklaagte, a rural area on the border between Mpumalanga and Limpopo. They have been weaving for more than 40 years, ever since the co-op was started.
In the adjoining room, a group of women are spinning wool and working on smaller looms to make rugs and runners. Alongside them is a long table where others are sewing, knitting and crocheting.
Mapusha’s members are all women – except for one guy who learnt to sew this year and is making cushion covers, place mats and laundry bags for a local lodge.
Situated on the edges of Acornhoek, Rooiboklaagte is a poor area where living conditions are rough. Most homes lack running water and electricity. There is a high HIV prevalence and high unemployment.
Thousands of people lost their jobs during lockdown – one private reserve retrenched over 600 people – and the impact hit these communities hard.
Precious Monareng, a mother of three, lost her job as a chef at one of the private game reserves and has learnt to weave and sew as a way of earning an income. At least this is something, she says, and she has learnt a new skill.
In the 1970s, a group of Sotho and Shangaan women from the Mapulaneng area (Mapu and Sha became Mapusha) came together and, with the help of a German mission, were trained to weave, spin, sew and dye.
A studio was built, looms constructed and more women trained. In the 1980s, the co-op employed 26 women who created tapestries with biblical designs for sale, mainly in Germany.
When Spanish priests replaced the German priests in the 1990s, more energy was devoted to building churches than to supporting self-help projects. For nearly a decade, the weavers struggled on their own, with their numbers dwindling along with the co-op’s ability to pay salaries.
In 2002, only six women came daily to the studio. From there, they walked 5km to a paved road, carrying heavy rugs on their heads, where they sat for the whole day, hoping to make a sale.
In that same year, an American living in Hoedspruit, Judy Miller, connected with the weavers and managed to get donations to build a centre called New Dawn, which still houses the weaving co-op today. She helped the weavers get going again by introducing more modern weaves and designs and selling them in the US.
A group of women are spinning wool and working on smaller looms to make
rugs and runners, and alongside them is a long table where others are sewing, knitting and crocheting