Mdukatshani - Fifty Years of Beading

Some donations are made in kind, like the eggs collected for the beaders by the 1st Dundee Scout Troop in 1999. The boys organised the Egg Drive by posting themselves with trolleys at various supermarkets in the town, an annual Easter activity to help the needy. For Khonjiwe Dladla collecting the eggs meant the treat of a rare trip to town, which included lunch at the Wimpy. Photographed with her are(Back Row): Benjamin Marais, Benjon Petzer, Jonathan Durham, Mark Holliday and Creina Alcock, the Mdukatshani secretary. Sitting on the tailgate are Timothy Marais, Carl Pieterse, and James Marais.

OUR FUNDERS

Some time in 1969 we cleared out the hay loft at Maria Ratschitz to provide a sleeping space for a group of Anglo American executives. It was the only accommodation we had, and we were nervous. Our visitors were accustomed to the comforts of the city. What would they make of the ablution facilities – buckets of hot water delivered to their door in the morning? The visit had been arranged by Paul Henwood, secretary of the recently established Chairmans’ Fund of Anglo American and de Beers, which in time would become known as “South Africa’s Second Government” funding developments neglected by the apartheid government, including hospitals, schools and technical colleges for blacks. When members of the Fund visited Ratschitz, however, it was still early days. They had come as much for discussion as to take a look at our work, thoughtful men, full of questions, trying to see the road ahead. The weekend was easier than we expected, and not long afterwards a letter from Paul arrived in the post. It included a tariff card from the Carlton Hotel (then the most expensive hotel in South Africa) and a cheque. He wanted to thank us for the weekend, he wrote, but there had been one problem. Although they had looked everywhere, they couldn’t find a tariff sheet with the cost of their accommodation. The Carlton offered equivalent comfort, and they hoped we would accept payment based on the Carlton’s tariffs. It was an act of grace we would never forget, and the start of a long friendship with Paul, and an enduring relationship with the Fund. The Fund would help us purchase Mdukatshani, and without its backing there might never have been a project for beads at all. Although a youth group in Johannesburg gave us R 150 to buy that first box of beads, it was a considerable outlay at a time a bag of mealiemeal cost R3,30, the staple for a family

for a month.* Nobody saw any promise in beads. They were “a passing fad” said Interchurch Aid, rejecting our application for help. We were struggling when Chairman’s Fund came to the rescue, first with two grants of R 1000 in 1970, and a year later with a further R 3,500 to help us create a revolving fund for the crafts. And that would not be the end of their help over the years, for despite the use of volunteers, the project would seldom break even. Our funders were always better at counting costs than we were. Transport costs, audit fees, bank charges, tax, the telephone. Overheads have to be deducted from sales, which reduce what the women earn. There are also the costs of emergencies, illness, injury, death. The mark-up on beadwork is small. Without the support of funders, could we ever have offered help? It would be impossible to list everyone who has helped to fund the project over 50 years, but we would like to make a special mention of the following: • The Chairmans’ Fund of Anglo American and de Beers • The Africa Development Trust • The Raimondo Charitable Trust • The Clem and Nancy Ramsden Educational and Charitable Trust • The Harry Brunskill Educational and Charitable Trust • The Masibambane Trust • Phyllis Mittlestead and St. Catherine’s Anglican Church, Canada • Mignon Charrington • Joan Herring • Ken and Carol Deane * In 1969, l pound of beads cost R1,00 and 1 pound of mealiemeal 6 cents. In 2019, 1 kilogram of beads cost R360 and 1 kilogram of mealiemeal R7,00.

Mdukatshani – Fifty Years of Beading

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