A R10 000 grant by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) has brought new hope for weavers in the Wesley area of the Eastern Cape. There are an estimated 1000 trained weavers in the Wesley area, which has been hit with widespread unemployment due to the closure of weaving companies due following an increase in price of raw materials, which has priced their carpets out of the market. Former employer Sakkie Le Roux was approached by the community to help find a solution. Working with Pierre Leppan from the ECDC, Le Roux approached a local textile manufacturer who has provided enough waste cotton for six months production at a nominal charge. The cotton will keep 20 people in full time-employment. In the first phase of the production of cotton carpets, small hand looms made by Le Roux for R400 each are being installed in the homes of the weavers. Leppan says if the pilot is successful, the project may be expanded to other areas of the province. This will also complement the efforts by ECDC’s Trade Promotions Unit to develop rural crafters and link them to marketing organisations. Le Roux is also costing the project in terms of material and labour and his sales agents are testing the carpet market to determine the size of the market for hand-woven cotton carpets. Raw materials will be supplied by Le Roux, who will purchase and market the finished products. He says there is no reason why waste from textile mills in other provinces cannot be accessed. Leppan says that the success of the pilot project will be measured in terms of whether: The carpets can be produced of a good enough quality, appearance and at a fair market price; and consistent sustainable supply of carpet raw material can be obtained. Should it be found that the speed of production is too slow, more expensive looms will have to be considered. These could be housed in a local vacant factory.