204 The Pterocarpus angolensis DC. based woodcraft industry in the Bushbuckridge districtINTRODUCTION
In many parts of South Africa a diversity of forest and woodland species have
long provided the raw material for the production of wooden household items
(spoons, bowls, mortars and pestles, agricultural implements) and artefacts of
cultural and ceremonial significance (sticks, drums, head rests). In more recent
years, particularly in areas of high tourism potential, this traditional practice
has expanded into an important income generating activity (Newton 1998,
Steenkamp 1999a, b). One of the largest growth areas in the country for the
woodcraft industry is the lowveld^3 region of Mpumalanga and Limpopo Province
bordering the Kruger National Park (KNP). Although commercialisation brings
welcome economic opportunity to otherwise isolated and remote rural areas, it
also results in increased pressure on the resource base. This ultimately threatens
both the sustainability of the resource and the livelihoods of the craftspeople
dependent on it (Arnold and Ruiz Perez 1998). The impacts are especially profound
where slow growing hardwoods like Pterocarpus angolensis DC. and Dalbergia
melanoxylon Guillemin & Perrottet are favoured. This paper addresses some of
these issues through a detailed description and analysis of the woodcraft industry
in the Bushbuckridge district of the Limpopo Province lowveld.STUDY AREA
The Bushbuckridge district (31°0'–31°35' E; 24°30'–25°0' S), corresponding to
the Mhala and Mapulaneng areas of the former Gazankulu and Lebowa
homelands^4 , covers an area of 2,417 km^2 (Figure 1). Approximately 23.7% of
this territory is under state owned plantation forestry and conservation and
inaccessible to local residents. This leaves an area of 1,843 km^2 , of which
84.9% is designated as communal grazing land (about 1,564 km^2 ), 8.7% is rain-
fed crop production, 2.9% is irrigated agriculture and 3.5 % is residential.
There is a strong gradient of decreasing rainfall from west (1,200 mm per
annum) to east (500 mm per annum) across the district. Erratic rainfall and
frequent droughts (once every four years) coupled with shallow, nutrient poor
soils and land scarcity severely limit arable production and force most of the
population to seek alternative means of livelihood. The natural vegetation is
open woodland (subtropical dry forest, according to the Holdridge Life Zone
system). The distribution of P. angolensis and other favoured carving species
varies across the region, with higher densities found in the wetter western and
southern parts of the district. The soils are mainly cambisols and regosols.
Projections from a detailed demographic study estimate the population at
about 660,000 (Tollman et al. 1995). Population density is high at approximately
150 people km-2 in the east and 300 people km-2 in the west. Annual population
growth rate is about 2.4%. Average household size is 6.2 people (Tollman et al.
1995). Unemployment runs between 40% and 80% (Pollard et al. 1998). There
is a heavy reliance on the cash economy and on state grants, mainly old age
pensions. Approximately 50% of the adult male population and 14% of women
engage in migrant labour (Pollard et al. 1998). Average household incomes
range from R178 to R1,131 per month, with most households living below the
poverty line of R700 per month (Tapson 1996). Informal sector activities such
as woodworking are generally entered into out of pure economic necessity.12SAwoodcarving.p65 204 22/12/2004, 11:05