My name is Mafuthe Mfetane, I was born in Mabalane in the Maribe ward. I stay alone in my yard in Sikwane. I was diagnosed with cancer in 2006, which lead to the amputation of my left leg. I’m a weaver, I weave chairs and stretchers using DuBose strapping. My uncle taught me how to weave ‘maselo’- flat basket mats in 1957 when I was staying with him at the lands. In our culture, flat basket mats were used to remove chaff from grain: winnowing, these days the process is done in milling factories. My inspiration to start weaving chairs came after I got my disability because the technique of weaving flat basket mats needs one to have two legs.
I buy my material from construction workers, sometimes I get it for free. When making these chairs, clients bring the metal frame and I weave the base and the back to make a complete chair. The process of weaving chairs take 3 days to complete and it takes a week to weave the stretchers.
Mafuthe Mfetane
