Initial thoughts of Fair Trade in South Africa
My last visit to South Africa was over ten years ago and involved me spending four out of five weeks of my visit there in a compound house with the family friend I was staying with during my school summer holidays when I was sixteen. The other week was spent in Kruger Park witnessing the relative freedom experienced by the ‘Big Five’ in contrast to my feelings of being a caged animal in the compound home. While understanding the reasons for compound living I have always been keen to learn more about this beautiful, diverse and fascinating country. When the opportunity to visit South Africa to engage with some fair trade training organised by Shared Interest Foundation as well as opportunities to visit a number of producers, both fair trade and those wishing to move towards this, I appreciated the chance to return.
From the plane my view of Cape Town was breath taking. The clouds parted to allow a fantastic view and the first image to greet me was Robben Island, as ‘home’ to Nelson Mandela for many, many years this was an instant reminder of the history of this nation. Table Mountain also stood proud seeming to observe all below it, there is an understanding in South Africa that Cape Tonians are the most relaxed because they ‘have the mountain’.
Our first day of visits to producers looking at becoming fair trade gave me an initial insight into the movement in South Africa. There was much discussion around ‘We are fair trade already we just need to get certified’, ‘I’m not so sure what is involved but I think we do it all anyway and our buyers are asking us to become fair trade’. So many of the projects we heard about were already taking opportunities and turning them into real actions for disadvantaged groups to transform their own lives. The first, a women’s group called Equip, working to empower the women of Diepsloot, a township outside Johannesburg, with sewing, craft and beading skills. Waste 2 Wow, a bag producing company who use advertising banners and turn them into bags which currently employs ten staff but has the capacity to grow and employ a hundred and more. Thandi, a fair-trade wine producer, who are committed to growing their market in South Africa and in Europe show determination to develop themselves.
Overwhelmingly there were thoughts that fair trade was something which was beneficial and would bring better times to those who have had such a divided and difficult history. Fair trade seems very closely connected to the black empowerment movement in South Africa with certain percentages of black ownership required. Although these difficulties are still present there is a feeling of hope and determination to empower, to enable development, with fair trade considered a component part of this path.
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