Community Stories
The strength of the Koeksister Programme lies in the people and communities that bring it to life.
SPIRIT OF ENDEAVOUR DOORINGBAAI, EBENESER, PAPENDORP AND LUTZVILLE
“What started as a walking group became a movement.” Women On The Go Langebaan
Eight fisherwomen, inspired by the late Aunt Solene Smith, turned exercise into enterprise. Today they manage 10 income streams fresh vegetables, homemade jam, knitted items, baked goods, fish biltong, pickled mussels, pickled fish, homemade atjar, and rollmops. They run a soup kitchen, knitting classes at school, the Silver Tree Elderly Club for intergenerational care, a neighbourhood watch for community safety, and a free flea market sponsored for the community. Four members completed Basic Business Training and now peer-educate the rest of the group.
“We call ourselves Women On The Go building resilience, sharing knowledge, and creating opportunities one product at a time.” Women on the Go Langebaan
SPIRIT OF ENDEAVOUR DOORINGBAAI, EBENESER, PAPENDORP AND LUTZVILLE
“What started with 5 women is now a living network of 30.”
Spanning four communities along the West Coast, this group built 10 distinct product lines, traditional ocean-based foods, catering services, pickled mussels, pickled fish, ornaments from recycled materials, knitted and sewn items, organic vegetables from backyard farming, wild fig jam, aloe vera and medicinal plant products, and art and craft products made from mussels. They have empowered 20 young people across multiple locations through skills transfer. They participated in the DWOB court case action in Cape Town and the South African Human Rights Commission food investigations. Even without a formal facility or equipment grants, they keep going sewing and knitting in their homes, farming in backyards, and imagining partnerships that could sustain their work.
“It’s not flashy, but it’s real and it’s working.” Spirit Of Endeavour Dooringbaai, Ebeneser, Papendorp And Lutzville
ARNOLD MATTHEUS – DOORINGBAAI
“From craftsman to mentor to environmental defender.”
Arnold is one of the few people still making traditional fishing nets by hand, a craft requiring patience, precision, and deep knowledge of the sea. Through Koeksister, he shifted from selling his craft to teaching youth how to make and repair nets, craft leather finger laps, and tie essential maritime knots including the sheet bend, clove hitch, bowline, and reef knot. In 2026, he joined the DWOB court case in Cape Town, standing up against offshore oil and gas development. His work is cultural preservation, mentorship, and a quiet act of resistance against the loss of traditional knowledge.
Real Communities. Real Change. One Project At A Time.