Morumotsho Charcoal has been going for eight years
Matatiele, South Africa (15 July 2024) — Eight young people from a small village in the Eastern Cape are making a living producing and selling charcoal from invasive trees.
Morumotsho (“Black Forest”) Charcoal was started eight years ago by Atang Ramabele, from Nkasele, 18 kilometres from Matatiele. After an unsuccessful trip to Johannesburg to look for work, he returned to the village and invited some friends to help him set up the charcoal business.
The group works Monday to Friday, cutting down silver wattle and black wattle trees and burning the wood in 350 litre barrels. The charcoal is packed in 25kg bags and they produce about 400 bags a month, which they sell from house to house and to supermarkets in Matatiele.
For the last ten months they have been paid R1,800 each by business start-up company Avocado Vision. Project coordinator Mpho Monyai said the contract was to have come to an end on 31 May but was extended to the end of June.
“The idea behind the stipend is to assist small businesses to pay the employees for ten months so that the business can be sustainable,” said Monyai.
The group now hopes to find other supporters and to expand their business. They have a single chainsaw and say the demand for charcoal is such that they could sell more if they had more equipment.
Nthabeleng Olifant, the only woman in the team, has been there since last year.
“I am doing almost everything that the male colleagues are doing beside the chainsaw, which I am unable to operate, and carrying the barrels because they are too heavy. I am now taking care of my two children,” said Olifant.
Her colleagues Potlako Lepheana and Kamohelo Masoana say they are grateful to Ramabele for approaching them.
“I couldn’t say no, because should I say no, who will give me money at month end? The little I am getting here is helping a lot,” said Lepheana.
Kamohelo Masoana says through this work he can take care of his family of six. No-one else in the family works and Masoana had to leave school after grade 11 to work on a farm.
Thabiso Letula, advisor to chief Nkasele Lepheana, says the trees are on the chief’s land and the team has been given permission to use the wood.
“We are always encouraging young people to open job opportunities, especially here in the rural areas. We have enough land here. We encourage youth to look into farming as well because not everyone will get a job in the urban areas,” said Letula.
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