SA's First Commercial Cashmere Success Story

Not only is indigenous iMbuzi goats’ hair used to produce cashmere at the Ivili Loboya production unit near Butterwoth, but local smallholders are also empowered. Siyanda Sishuba reports.

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South Africa’s first commercial cashmere production facility is capitalising on the fine hair of the indigenous iMbuzi goats in Ibika, near Butterworth, in the Eastern Cape.

Cashmere is produced from the soft, fine inner hair of a goat’s coat. Originally, the term was applied only to goats’ hair from the Kashmir region of the Indian subcontinent, but has since been broadened to include all similarly fine and soft goats’ hair.

Cashmere is renowned for its soft, ultra-lightweight durability and intense thermal properties compared to other wool types. It is in great demand for use in luxury fabrics ranging from clothing to upholstery.

The owner of Ivili Loboya, Dr Vuyo Mahlati, is the current president of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA), and a national planning commissioner in the Presidency.

According to Mahlati, the enterprise is a vertically integrated wool-processing hub, which offers wool sorting and scouring services, as well as producing hand-spun yarns used in the manufacture of textile products.

The plant is currently the only cashmere scouring plant in South Africa. It also produces energy-saving insulation products that have sound absorption qualities for homes and industrial use, as well as inner soles for footwear, she says.

The Butterworth facility was recently expanded and Mahlati has invested in new technology and engaged specialists in the sorting and classing of wool and cashmere to deliver high quality woven and non-woven textiles.

IMBUZI GOATS’ HAIR