The MEC for the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture, Nonceba Khontsiwe, alongside NMBM’s MMC for Economic Development, Tourism, and Agriculture, Cllr Bassie Kamana, and NMBM’s MMC for Infrastructure and Engineering, Cllr Buyelwa Mafaya, visited the Wool and Mohair industries at The Exchange today.
Mr. Weza Moss, a board member of the Mohair Empowerment Trust, officially opened the event and welcomed stakeholders.
Marco Coetzee, General Manager of Mohair Industry SA, provided an overview of the Mohair industry, covering its structure and key roles in production. He highlighted that 73% of South Africa’s Mohair comes from the Eastern Cape, with a total production of 350 kilograms. Of this, 41% is exported to China and 32% to Italy.
Manager of Mohair Industry SA, Beauty Mokgwamme presented on farming production processes and the journey of Mohair through factory processing. She also discussed the initiative of providing Angora goats to farmers through an interest-free loan over five years. The MET farmers contribute approximately 25,000kg of Mohair annually, with MET’s Mohair production reaching 20,034.40kg in 2023 and increasing to 24,019.70kg in 2024.
Challenges facing the Mohair industry:
- Heartwater
- Stock theft
- Land carrying capacity
- Capital constraints
- Electricity supply issues
Deon Saayman, CEO of Wool Industry SA, provided an overview of South Africa’s wool industry, its structures, and the role of Cape Wools within the global value chain. He emphasized the industry’s significance and Cape Wools’ position as a key player in the sector.
He noted that South Africa has around 8,000 commercial wool farmers and approximately 45,000 communal farmers, the majority of whom are based in the Eastern Cape. He stressed the importance of fostering collaboration with the government to enhance the industry’s impact and support commercial farmers.
Over the past two decades, efforts have been made to train and improve infrastructure for communal farmers, enabling them to shear and harvest their wool effectively. Training has also focused on wool classification and ensuring access to markets. Additionally, sustainability remains a priority, particularly in terms of traceability, ensuring that wool can be tracked back to its farm or shearing shed of origin.
