Our story starts on a rainy October day in 2009, Middleburg, Mpumalanga. A solitary figure, a wet 40ish African man stood at the road side hitching a lift. Something moved Judy van Deventer to turn her car around and offer him a lift on her way to work in Witbank. As they drove the story unfolded. Pastor Edmond Thakoago was on his way to a job interview as a Tyre-fitter and assessment operator in Witbank. Judy, who works in Corporate Social Investment at Xstrata Alloys (Carbon Division) and who has a great love of music, was keen to get more involved with local choirs. Numbers were exchanged, and 3 weeks later Judy went to meet Pastor Edmond’s Youth Choir in Mhluzi township, Middleburg. The church is a rundown old green corrugated iron building and doubles as a day care centre for orphans during the week, by a volunteer from the local community. Judy was moved by the poor conditions, and as the choir work progressed, an idea of an African Teddy started to form as a means to both create work for local people, and to raise money to improve conditions at the day care centre. Through her CSI work Judy is also involved with the Ikonolethu Project in Wonderfontein, Emakhazeni Highlands. “Ikonolethu” means “our talent”. There the ladies, widows of farm workers, make and sell traditional Ndebele Beadwork. They also work from a ramshackle building and run an ill equipped crèche for local toddlers. Sales of the teddies will help the Wonderfontein community to improve their crèche facility and their standard of living. During late 2009 to early 2010 the teddy was researched and designed, and is manufactured presently by Martha Mathupane and Mable Nkosi of Middleburg. Beading is done at Wonderfontein by a team of 10 to 15 ladies including Sophie Masango, Maria Mkambule and Rose Mahlangu.
Traditional Swazi Cloth worn by Silvia Mahlangu was made by Ikhono Lethu
The Emakhazeni Highlands Tourism Association has adopted the African Teddies as their mascot for Upliftment Projects in the region with a view to increasing sales for project members. Responsible Tourism involves creating and promoting work amongst the previously disadvantaged peoples, and with the Emakhazeni region being beautiful hiking, horse riding, fly fishing and rock climbing countryside, it means that we have a lot of rural people who have had little chance of education, and struggle to make ends meet. We want visitors to our region to come enjoy our lovely outdoor activities, fill their lungs with the fresh cool air of Mpumalanga’s Emakhazeni Highlands, and take home an African Teddy. (“Emakhazeni’ means “the cold place”. Our cool temperate climate and high altitude are ideal for outdoor pursuits and high altitude training.)
African Teddy
Emakhazeni Highlands region is a mere 2.5 hour drive from Gauteng, making it an excellent weekend break from Johannesburg and Pretoria, and we are en route to Kruger National Park, Swaziland and Mozambique, serviced by the excellent N4 highway. There is a full range of accommodation, from 5 Star hotels and Spas, to self catering, back packers and camping in our villages of Dullstroom, Belfast, Machadodorp and Waterval Boven and on our scenic farms in the Skurweberg, Kwena Basin and Elands Valley. For further information on our region’s attractions and on the African Teddies and our other Upliftment Projects please check our web site http://www.emakhazenitourism.com/, or contact Silvia Mahlangu, Emakhazeni Tourism Association on 076 809 2952.
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