Ukuthunga Handmade started in 2017 with six ladies crocheting bunnies, and has now grown to more than 60 ladies from three communities, with the group’s range of animal creations now taking pride of place at The Parks Shop in the Kruger National Park’s popular Skukuza Rest Camp.
Supported by Tourvest, Ukuthunga Handmade was hosted by South African National Parks for a special day, where they enjoyed a five-star breakfast at Nkambeni Safari Camp before departing for game drives with Echo Africa Safaris and Transfers and a Christmas lunch at Nkuhlu Picnic Site.
Tourvest’s Group Chief Sustainability Officer Judi Nwokedi and SANParks Senior Enterprise Supply Manager, Hilda Mthimunye, both emphasised the importance of working together to see that the group’s products continued to be part of the retail offering in the Kruger Park’s shops.
Speakers talked about their commitment to Ukuthunga to scale and potentially diversify the businesses , through both financial support and most importantly market access.
For Leah Mavimbela, one of the original six ‘crochet queens’, the day was a very special occasion.
“When we started, some ladies didn’t even know how to hold a crochet hook and wool, but we taught them and seeing what we’ve created today is something I am so proud of.”
A real turning point for Ukuthunga was receiving a request from Tourvest for their handiwork, but not for the original bunnies, rather for designs of animals found in the Kruger Park, including elephants, rhinos, giraffes, leopards and monkeys.
“No problem, we said,” laughed Mavimbela. “We just changed the faces and made a few other changes.”
Today, Ukuthunga has an order list worth close to R1 million (€49 000).
“Tourvest has played such an important role in the growth of this organisation,” said Ukuthunga Director Samantha Brander. “COVID-19 put a spanner in the works for a while but Allison Graham, CEO of Tourvest Destination Retail, came along with a real lifeline. She asked if we could produce 2 000 items in three months and we said ‘we don’t know until we try’ – and the ladies put their heads down and we made it. These ladies will crochet night and day as it’s what puts food on their tables and pride in their hearts.”
SANParks Transformation Practitioner Solly Shakwane emphasised the importance of working with such organisations.
“It’s ordinary people doing extraordinary things that make the magic happen,” he said.
