The People behind our Business

Our employees are the heart and soul of Ibenstein Weavers. All of them have learnt their trade in-house.

Eva Nou-Gawases (spinner)

Eva belongs to the population group of the Dama (or Damara). Born in 1958, she grew up on a farm near Nina in the vicinity of Ibenstein. She has never been to school. In her younger years she was a domestic worker in Lüderitz and on various farms. She came to work for us as a spinner in August 1990. Here at Ibenstein she met and married weaver Frans 'Sultan' Otto. They have four children.

Isaak Blomtze (weaver)

Born on a farm near Dordabis in 1957, Isaak grew up without any formal school education. Until the age of 19 he got by with casual work on various farms. In December 1976 he joined Ibenstein Weavers and was trained as a weaver by Berenike Gebhardt. Isaak is very talented. He weaves the most wonderful animal themes and landscapes and has a gift for choosing harmonizing colours for his works of art. He enjoys weaving but is a farmer at heart. One day he would like to work a plot of his own together with his wife Maria.

Isaak 'Ensiep' Gameb (weaver)

Ensiep was born on a farm next to Ibenstein in 1957 and went to school in Dordabis until he turned 16. Under the guidance of Berenike Gebhardt he started to work at Ibenstein Weavers in 1973 and went on to become one of the quickest and most diligent weavers by far, held in high esteem by the entire staff. In his spare time he is actively involved in the Stefanus congregation in Dordabis and he is a passionate trombonist. On his initiative it became a custom many years ago that the trombone band visits neighbouring farms at Christmas to play festive music for the farmers and labourers. Isaak married his wife Anna in 1987 and has seven children.

Likius Ananias (weaver)

Likius was born in 1966 in a small village in the Oshana Region in Namibia’s far north, formerly known as Ovamboland. He left school after completing grade 8 and set out into working life. Earning his livelihood mostly on construction sites he got around quite a bit. Likius joined Ibenstein Weavers in July 1992 and soon turned out to be a very talented weaver. As he loves a challenge he did not need any convincing to retrain when fabric production was introduced. On our electric loom he now weaves the most beautiful fabrics from natural materials. Likius and his common law wife live at Klein Ibenstein with their six children. He loves football and boxing – and will be glued to the screen whenever 'Manchester' or a boxing match is on.

Betty Blomtze (fabric quality controller and spinner)

Betty, a Nama, was born in 1965 on a farm near Dordabis. She is a younger sister of weaver Isaak Blomtze. After working as a cleaner in households in Dordabis, Rehoboth and Windhoek for some years she joined Ibenstein Weavers in September 2003. She quickly learnt the art of spinning and soon stood out for delivering excellent work. As demand for wool has dropped we retrained Betty. She now controls the quality of our woven fabrics and ensures that they are flawless.

A small village depends on Ibenstein

Our company employs a total of 17 weaving staff. They and their families live in cottages close to the weaving workshops - over the years a real little village has sprung up there. Our employees are very proud of their colourful cottages and their gardens. Many grow vegetables and keep chickens and ducks. In their spare time they get together in the community lounge to watch TV or they go to the soccer field for a football match. A few years ago they started a trombone band which plays at festive events and at church services in Dordabis. For the little ones a crèche is available in the village. Older children can go to school in nearby Dordabis up to Grade 7 and only then have to leave for boarding school in Windhoek or Rehoboth.