The annual Cape Gift Market, on at the Sea Point civic centre until Sunday November 13, is a two-week event that requires a year of planning.
“There are things you will get here that you won’t find anywhere else in Cape Town. We have items coming from Vanderbijlpark, George, Hopetown and Pretoria. We have anything you can think of from jewellery to kiddies toys, puzzles, perfume, wine, but not fresh made food,” says organiser Hestelle Fourie who lives in Belville.
The handmade goods are delivered to Ms Fourie and her team, which includes university students and family members, who manage the sale of the goods.
“We have pensioners that make stuff and send it to us, you know people are struggling. People have been retrenched and they rely on us to put their items on display and to sell it.
“The employees are students that are helping us out and they getting experience in this retail business, we have eight students as well as my husband, daughter and mother in law,” she said.
Ms Fourie’s NPO, Gifts to the needy, is contributing to the schools in the area as well as schools in Parow.
“For every R100 that the parents of school-going kids spend at the market we contribute R5 to a school like Sea Point High. There is a school and an old age home in Parow that we also contribute to and we donated toys to a farm school as well,” she said.
Ms Fourie says that the market has been operating for 21 years and that she took over 10 years ago.
“During the pandemic we did not have a market, but we donated to the Groote Schuur hospital as well as Panaroma hospital. Last year when the market returned we had an increase of 40% so we are positive that business will pick up again this year,” she said.
