Bringing hope to fledgeling entrepreneurs
"When I was young my mother would teach me how to make baskets. It was our only source of income of the time."
HLENGIWE Vezi sits on her linoleum floor of her tiny shack, unaffected by the cold draft blowing in her front door. Her hands work feverishly as she bends and shapes pliable reed into a basket shape. She forms the slath, the foundation of the basket base and lines up the four slitted pieces so that they form a cross shape.
The whole design is done from her head. There are no patterns to trace, instructions to follow or computer help to design the intricate shapes. The skill of basket weaving is transferred from mother to daughter for generations. And in Hlengiwe’s case, it’s no different as she talks to the Northglen News about how the tradition of basket weaving has been passed down from her mother.
“When I was young my mother would teach me how to make baskets. It was our only source of income of the time. We would take a taxi from Ndwedwe to uMgababa and stop off at the market stalls near the Shell garage. We would sell the baskets for R3.50, which seems like very little but for us it meant some food on the table,” she said.
The baskets are labour intensive and time consuming. It takes Helngiwe an hour and a half to complete a basket.
“The people at the market would buy our baskets and then sell them for more to make a profit. Now the baskets cost R65. I’m now able to buy clothes and food for my son,” she said.
Hlengiwe, who lost her leg after it had to be amputated is part of the micro-entrepreneurs that form part of the Grace Church’s Hope Market.
The 42-year-old was the victim of a stray bullet that her struck her leg at her Cottonlands homes a number of years ago. The market offers an opportunity for a select group of micro-entrepreneurs to learn, grow and get a taste of business.
“It’s helped me gain a lot of experience. I was nervous giving change and working out what I owe the customer, and the training from the market has been invaluable to me. At the first market I brought 30 baskets and they sold out in an hour. It was fantastic,” Hlengiwe said.
“The Hope Market is a platform for fledgling entrepreneurs. The primary goal is to help Hlengiwe and many crafters like her gain valuable skills and exposure; to enable them to become sustainable in the long-term,” says Grace Aid member Dimitra Nicolau.
The NGO organises the market which is now in its second year.
“Selection of the crafters at the market, is based on the criteria that their products are locally hand-made goods, and that they earn under R100 per day and are running their own businesses,” Nicolau explained.
