Pensioner turns leather craft into lifeline

SATCO – Twenty-eight years ago, 76-year-old Maria Koper decided she would not become another pensioner struggling to survive solely on her old-age grant.

That decision led to the establishment of the Satco Leather Tannery Project on the outskirts of the Grünau settlement. Together with six fellow senior residents from the local settlement – five women and one man – she began manufacturing and selling leather products, including velskoene, belts, wallets, purses and key holders, to supplement their income in an area plagued by unemployment and poverty.

Reflecting on her journey, Koper told New Era that her late cousin, Josef Rooi, trained and inspired her to enter the leather manufacturing business. Today, she serves as chairperson of the community project.