Fair trade souvenirs from South Africa: gifts that create jobs where they come from

At the end of a trip to South Africa, the same question often comes up: what do I take home? For myself, for the family, for the friends who stayed behind.

Many souvenirs are made cheaply, often far away from the place they are meant to remind you of. After a few weeks they end up in a drawer. We think a souvenir can do more. It should remind you of the journey, have a purpose, and give something back to the people who made it.

What makes a souvenir fair

A fair souvenir is made where it comes from. The people who make it have steady work and are paid fairly. And it is made so that you want to keep it.

There is an organisation for this: the World Fair Trade Organization, WFTO for short. Its members follow ten principles, from fair pay to good working conditions, and are checked regularly. What the ten principles mean is explained on our Fair Trade page.

How to recognise fair souvenirs

• Ask where it was made. A maker who works fairly is happy to tell you which workshop made it, and who.
• Look for fair trade memberships. The WFTO directory shows whether a maker is a member.
• Buy from the maker. In the workshop, in their shop or in their online shop.
• Choose something you will use. A souvenir you use every day does not end up in a drawer.

Sonnenglas: Sun Jars from Johannesburg

Since 2013, all Sonnenglas products have been built in Johannesburg. In our Fair Trade factory at Victoria Yards, every Sun Jar is made by hand. The jobs there are steady and fairly paid, in a region where more than 60 % of young people have no work. Sonnenglas is a member of the World Fair Trade Organization.

The Sun Jar charges in the sun by day and glows warmly at night. And you can fill it with your own memories: sand and shells from a beach at the Cape, a photo from your safari, a find from the market. That turns the jar into your own keepsake. More ideas are on our gifts page.

Ngwenya Glass: animals made from old glass

In Eswatini, the small country on South Africa's north-eastern border, the Ngwenya Glass works has been running since 1979. It makes African animals from glass, mouth-blown and only from recycled glass: old bottles and jars, melted down and shaped anew.

Our Light Figures are made together with Ngwenya Glass: elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, giraffe and more, each animal inside a Sun Jar. A lovely gift after a safari, for everyone who has seen the animals for themselves. And for fans of the penguins of Boulders Beach, there is the penguin in a jar.

Swazi Candles: candles from Malkerns

Also in Eswatini, in the Malkerns Valley, Swazi Candles has been making candles with colourful patterns since 1982. It started in an old cowshed. The wax is dyed, cut into strips, layered into patterns and then shaped by hand.

According to the company, Swazi Candles has 45 permanent employees, shares its profits with them and pays a living wage. It is a founding member of SWIFT, the fair trade association of Eswatini. If you are in the area, you can watch the artisans at work in the Malkerns workshop.

After the trip

Glass and candles in a suitcase are always a small risk. Many fair makers also sell online. You can order the Sun Jar, the Light Figures and the penguin in a jar here in our shop when you are back home: for yourself, as a memory of South Africa, or as a gift.

For more ideas, from rooibos to shweshwe, see our list of the best souvenirs from South Africa. And for more about the penguins many travellers visit at the Cape, read the story of the penguins of Boulders Beach.

Sources: World Fair Trade Organization (member directory), Swazi Candles, Ngwenya Glass.