Durban - Making African grass mats was the only way to feed her family, so Thathephi Skhakhane, now 98, dropped out of school to learn and then sell her craft.
Now her means of escaping poverty is being passed on to her son’s partner, 49-year-old Khethiwe Mdletshe, from Mansiya, Hlabisa, in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Mdletshe started making the grass mats in 2021. She was unemployed when she began learning how to make the mats from the self-taught older woman.
The visually impaired Skhakhane can no longer make the mats but told the “Independent on Saturday” that her aim was to pass on the skill to Mdletshe.
Skhakhane began thatching grass mats when she was a young girl, during her primary school days.
After suffering from meningitis she decided to leave school and focused on making grass mats so she could put food on the table.
The widowed mother of six sons and one daughter took care of her children with the money she made while she was still the grass maker.
Mdletshe now makes a variety of unique designs. Prices for the mats start from R250 each, and go up depending on the size and designs.
The now self-employed woman thatches 10 grass mats in a month and hopes to increase the number she produces once she is able to conquer the challenge of not having enough material.
“I sell my products to Nazareth church members who usually call in to make orders. Other customers are in the area I live in. The support I get from them is really amazing and that is how I am able to put food on the table,” said Mdletshe.
“My main aim is to spread the skill to the unemployed female youth. I strongly believe that training them would have a very strong impact in eliminating poverty and unemployment in our area,” she said.
Mdletshe also produces beaded traditional accessories and female Zulu hats (isicholo).
The Independent on Saturday