Chapter 12
The Pterocarpus angolensis DC.
based woodcraft industry in the
Bushbuckridge district, South Africa
Sheona E. Shackleton^1 and Charlie M. Shackleton^2ABSTRACT
Commercial carving and furniture manufacture using indigenous species, in
particular Pterocarpus angolensis, harvested from communal lands has been
a household activity in the Bushbuckridge district for several decades. It
provides an important source of income for approximately 130 households in
an area where the unemployment rate often exceeds 75%. Carvers produce
utility items such as bowls, spoons and walking sticks that are marketed outside
of the district through curio outlets and informal markets. Furniture makers
produce mainly tables, chairs and benches for sale at the roadside in urban
centres as far afield as Pretoria and Johannesburg. Production contributes
approximately 75% to total household income. Incomes are extremely variable
ranging between R4,416 and R14,328 per annum. Wood scarcity is fast becoming
the greatest constraint to continued production and growth of the industry,
despite P. angolensis being subjected to various controls as a protected species.
Access to alternative sources of wood is essential, and efforts must be made
to involve producers in managing the resource. New skills, products,
organisational structures and perspectives are required to develop the sector
further and bring local woodworkers into the mainstream craft and curio
industry. This is particularly so in light of the strong competition from imports
from other African countries and the formal sector.Common names Part of the Management Degree of Scale of Geographic
resource used transformation trade range
Kiaat, African teak, Wood Wild Medium National Large
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