Traditional skills of
KEEPING OLD SKILLS ALIVE TAKES COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION. SPOKE TO A CRAFTSMAN WHO BELIEVES THAT THERE IS STILL A PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY FOR THE OLD-FASHIONED COBBLER
CLARKE
ILIZ
F YOU look back at history, cobblers were as much part of Dickensian London as barrow boys selling fruit. Yet today, the cobbler’s skill is almost forgotten – except in Hillcrest, that is, where the tradition is very much alive and well.
And for most of us, shoes are a vital part of our lives. They protect our feet from the weather, the ground and the things we don’t want to step on.
A cobbler, also known as a shoemaker, repairs and restores footwear, and is a member of one of the world’s oldest professions. Originally, cobblers made custom shoes. Today they spend their workdays repairing, restoring and improving shoes, boots, sandals, clogs, moccasins, loafers and stilettos. Fixing zippers, belts, luggage, gloves, handbags, buckles and other leather products is also common work for cobblers
In a recently upgraded part of the village, you will find a special corner with an arch bearing an iconic gold Cobbler’s Shop sign.
Under the arch turn, you need to turn sharp right. That’s where you will find cobbler Jabulani Ngwene, a 35-year-old craftsman who is quick to tell you how proud he is to continue his grandfather’s tradition.
In every corner of his tiny shop, the shelves are jam-packed with wellworn shoes and boots of every size and description, each item awaiting his special touch and skill, to give them a new life.
On a narrow table you will find all the tools of his trade, from lasts to thread, the awls that punch holes and the special needles that are used to do repairs.
We manage to find an unoccupied corner to take time out for a chat.
“My grandfather was Maxwell Dlamini,” explains Ngwene.
“Everyone knew him. He opened his cobbling shop more than 60 years ago, just a few metres from here. It was vacant land then, but he was allowed to build his own shop to start his business. It was only pulled down a few years ago when it became unsafe.”
Ngwene says he was about five years old when he first took note of what his grandfather was doing.
“Our family lived in Mariannhill on a small farm. At the weekends, my grandfather would bring home a bag of shoes that needed repairing. In those days everything was done by hand. He used to let me hold the special string while he made holes in the leather. Then he had a special tool that he used to stitch the leather. I learnt so much from him.”
In turn, this family man is teaching his own children how to repair footwear and stitch leather.
“One day they must also keep this tradition going.”
His grandfather, he points out, was an important part of the village in the very early days.
“When the first people came here to live, they often only had one pair of shoes. There were no shops and it was far away from any city or big town.
The roads were rough so there was always plenty of business.”
These days, the demand has changed. Instead of repairing leather shoes, replacing heels and stitching, there is an increasing demand for repairs to motorcycle and off-road biking boots.
“To buy them new, they are very expensive,” says Ngwene. “I can repair them and make them almost new again for a fraction of the cost, which makes a lot of sense. But getting people to understand that they need not throw away their old boots is difficult. “I like to give things a new life.” Unlike the predominantly handcrafted repairs, Ngwene has machinery that is able to do the finer things like filing and smoothing the edges of the new soles and heels.
“In the olden days, repairs used to take several days. Now it takes me a few hours to do the same thing. When shoes and boots come in battered and go out nearly as new, that makes me proud. I hope my grandfather is proud that I can carry on with his work.”
One would think his grandfather would be proud – very proud.