April 3, 2003
By Bongani Majola
BEADS are so beautiful, says an organisation that has been empowering and training women from Alexandra Township in the art of making useful and decorative objects with beads.
Since August last year, South African Jewel has uplifted more than 50 unemployed women from the sprawling township, and given them the skills as well as a lifeline from the proceeds of sales of the beads to international tourists, local and international embassies, companies and parastatals.
Run by two women, Kholofelo Mabusela and Dianne Wolter, South African Jewel trains women to produce beaded jewellery, logos, key rings, name tags, beaded South African flags, gifts for corporates, ties and tapestries, some selling up to R1 000 each.
With the South African Breweries' (SAB) corporate social investment programme announcing a sponsorship of R80 000 last week, to supply beads and refurbish the company's Marlboro workshop and production centre, South African Jewel has now set its sight on conferring Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) certificates on the current group of 30 women trainees in August 2003.
"For the first time," says Mabusela, "beadcraft is going to be recognised as a professional technical skill in the country." Together with CreateSA, the national Department of Labour's implementing and training authority for the creative industry, South African Jewel documents the work and training now taking place, with a view to a training manual, and eventually "a training curriculum", says Mabusela.
Caroline Makakaba, one of the trainees, is thrilled to be part of the country's first craft learnership programme. "I was unemployed and knew nothing about beadwork, but now I can make necklaces, ribbons, serviette rings and name tags with my hands."
"The skills programme has so far taught me various stitches of beadwork like daisy chain, chooka, iveni, sefani and umhlangani. So I am learning and also able to bring food home from the beadwork that people buy," she says.
"We are proud to be associated with the community of Alexandra, particularly the women, as part of our gender empowerment partnership with South African Jewel," says SAB corporate affairs manager for Gauteng, Philani Shezi. "We believe that not only are these women going to get dignity and self-respect out of this training, but the rest of the community will thrive under this example."
