It’s a bird’s life: Members of the Mpumalanga-based organisation have added the Cape parrot to the items they crochet and sell.
Lucia Mkhabele didn’t know anything about the endangered Cape parrot until she joined Ukuthunga Handmade in Mpakeni, about 30km from Nelspruit. Now she is raising awareness about them “one knittie at a time”.
The remaining population of the Cape parrot, which occurs only in isolated patches of hardwood forests in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo, is about 1 800, according to BirdLife South Africa.
“The Wild Bird Trust’s Cape Parrot Project has partnered with Ukuthunga Handmade to supply crocheted male and female Cape Parrots. Funds raised through this initiative allow the project to conduct research to fill key knowledge gaps and implement conservation action, including empowering local community members”.
Mkhabele said she joined Ukuthunga to earn money and because she wanted to meet other women who love crocheting as much as she does.
“My husband and I lost our jobs at a restaurant during Covid-19. To help my family, I was inspired to join Ukuthunga Handmade. I am a mother of six children and a breadwinner to my family,” she said.
Kirsten Wimberger, director of the Cape Parrot Project and trustee of the Wild Bird Trust, told the Mail & Guardian that this collaboration was a good fit because community involvement, along with research and conservation activities such as restoring habitats, was integral to the success of their conservation action.
“When we heard about this woman-run community organisation, Ukuthunga, that is making knitties we thought we shouldn’t be getting our market things from China, we should support ‘proudly South African’ Cape parrot knitties made by amazing women,” Wimberger said.
Mkhabele said she had not heard about a Cape parrot, which does not occur in Mpumalanga, until this initiative was brought to Ukuthunga Handmade.
“I live in an area where I have never had the opportunity to be close to the Cape parrot, therefore I have never taken its importance into consideration. It was brought to my attention through knitting and I started to see its beauty and its importance, one knittie at a time,” she said.
BirdLife South Africa gave it the coveted title of the 2023 Bird of the Year because the species is at such high risk.
The main threats to the Cape parrots are the degradation of yellowwood forests, which are used for nesting, laying eggs and feeding.
Mkhabele said she is happy to be a woman who is contributing to the conservation and awareness of the parrot.
“As the human population grows, animals start to lose their habitat and they become scarce and this causes problems as they also have a role to play in the environment,” she said. “So we need to create space for these species to thrive.”
Wimberger said the partnership was not only for conservation and raising awareness but also to enable the women of Ukuthunga Handmade to make a living off of the Cape parrot knitties.
“Given that many women exclusively rely on crocheting for income, we are happy to be partnering with Ukuthunga Handmade because it will enable us to benefit numerous disadvantaged families in various communities.”
Wimberger said women are often sidelined when it comes to conservation so the fact that this initiative is being launched in August, Women’s month, and is spearheaded by women makes it even more special.
“Women bring life to communities as we have seen with the women of Ukuthunga. They are breadwinners, and at the same time they make a difference in their communities through these conservation initiatives. It’s phenomenal,” she said.
Lesego Chepape is a climate reporting fellow, funded by the Open Society Foundation for South Africa.