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Sheona E. Shackleton and Charlie M. Shackleton 207

traditional artefacts like carved stools and masks still form a vital part of local

culture as well as being sold commercially (Cunningham and Choge in press).

The use of P. angolensis for carvings and furniture commenced at the turn

of the last century (Shackleton, S.E. 1993). Its value as a commercial timber

was recognised and stimulated by the arrival of colonial settlers, who created

a market for it. Indeed, white traders allegedly removed large amounts of

timber from the area until as recently as the 1970s (Shackleton, S.E. 1993).

Whilst the majority of home carvers and furniture makers in Bushbuckridge

entered the industry in the last 15 to 20 years, a number have been plying

their trade for over 50 years (Shackleton, S.E. 1993). This contrasts with the

softwood animal figurine carving industry of the neighbouring district, which

evolved and grew in the early to mid 1990s.

Impact on livelihoods

High levels of unemployment combined with a shrinking job market, a lack of

land for farming purposes and increased need for cash income have driven

many households in the rural areas of South Africa to seek alternative income

earning opportunities. Involvement in woodcarving and furniture production

is one strategy that has been widely adopted in parts of the country where

suitable carving species occur (e.g., Venda and Bushbuckridge in Limpopo

Province, Mpumalanga, and the Zululand and Maputuland areas of KwaZulu-

Natal) (Newton 1998; Steenkamp 1999a).

Craftsmen tend to enter the woodcraft industry following retrenchment

(Shackleton, S.E. 1993; Moloi 1999a), some moving back and forth repeatedly

between it and formal employment (Moloi 1999a). The ability to access wood

and fashion it into saleable products is thus an important safety net and coping

strategy for the unemployed. Based on a comprehensive poverty index,

Steenkamp (1999b) found that the woodcarving industry supports the poorest

sectors of the community, the households involved being highly dependent on

the proceeds generated. Employment opportunities also are created for

assistants, traders, informal vendors and retailers. Thus, the industry provides

work for numerous people supporting a large network of dependents. It is

estimated that more than 4,000 people benefit from the woodcraft industry in

Bushbuckridge and the wider production-to-consumption system area.

Economic importance

The woodcarving industry in South Africa is small relative to other African

countries (see other case studies in this book), partly because of the limited

distribution of suitable carving species and partly because there is no strong

tradition of elaborate carving. Currently, at a national level, the economic

value of imports from elsewhere in Africa is higher than that of the domestic

carving industry (Steenkamp 1999a). Newton (1998) found that informal sector

participation in the South African woodcraft industry generates about R2.48

million per annum, whilst vendors from southern, eastern and western Africa

generate about R29 million (Table 1). In Bushbuckridge, the carving and informal

furniture manufacturing industry was estimated to be worth about R365,000

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