Northern Mozambique
A great spot to examine and buy local Makonde woodcarvings as well as locally made basketry, shawls and cosmetics.
Must-see shopping in Southern Africa
Gateway Theatre of Shopping (Gateway Mall)
Durban
The mother of all shopping malls is popular with Durbanites. It's reached via the N2 just north of Uhmlanga Rocks.
Victoria Falls (town)
A great little store specialising in Zimbabwean and African music, stocking CDs from a range of genres and eras.
Malawi
Senga Bay has a few strips of craft stalls, but the longest is a few kilometres out of town on the Salima road.
Cape Town
Daley Muller's super-cute graphic designs are the art for cards, wrapping paper, stationery and kids T-shirts.
Malawi
With a few design shops and an excellent bookshop, Uta Waleza is a good place to buy presents and souvenirs.
Lilongwe
Excellent for sculpture, woodcarvings, sarongs, cards and jewellery, as well as T-shirts and bags.
Feira de Artesanato, Flôres e Gastronomia de Maputo
Maputo
Batiks, woodcarvings and other crafts at stalls spread throughout the Parque dos Continuadores.
Lilongwe
Pleasant boutique selling vivid African paintings, masks, bags and jewellery by local artists.
Windhoek
A reputable shop in Windhoek for buying both raw and polished minerals and gemstones.
Victoria Falls (town)
Good range of Shona arts and crafts, with proceeds assisting disadvantaged locals.
Eastern Cape
This shop on the main drag has a good selection of quality African handicrafts.
Johannesburg
A bustling collection of mostly Indian-owned stores selling everything from spices to cheap watches to cookware. If you need your mobile phone fixed, this…
Cape Town
Cape Town's first plastic-free grocery store is a haven for all that is vegan and organic. It's a good place to stock up on fresh veggies, plus they have…
Cape Town
Stocking a quality selection of pre-loved kids’ clothes, toys and furniture. The selection of stuff for newborns to 10-year-olds is impressive.
Cape Town
‘Ability rather than disability’ is the creed of this admirable organisation that creates meaningful employment for physically and mentally challenged…
Western Cape
Based in Rondomskrik, 3km north of the town centre, this community craft project serves as both a youth centre and a way for teenagers to earn some pocket…
Cape Town
This long-running, community-based health organisation operates several projects in the townships, including a weaving factory in Khayelitsha’s Site C…
Cape Town
Browse the booths in this compact arcade, offering a range of antiques and bric-a-brac, and you’re likely to find something of interest, from dusty old…
Gaborone
You wouldn’t cross town for it, and like the Mall it inhabits it has a neglected air, but this bookshop is worth dropping into for its excellent range of…
Simon's Town & Southern Peninsula
This quirky trove of crafts and African tribal artefacts, from tin-can planes made in KwaZulu Natal to old Ethiopian silver and Coptic crosses, has been…
Harare
An informal set-up in a private residence, Verandah Gallery is a good spot to purchase original pieces by Zimbabwean artists. It's also popular for…
Simon's Town & Southern Peninsula
This outlet of the Kalk Bay Co-op gathers together fashions and accessories by local designers (mainly for women, with a few pieces for men). Across the…
Simon's Town & Southern Peninsula
Hunt for collectibles, vintage items and arcane treasures at this indoor market, held from noon to 4pm on the last Saturday of every month (except…
Franschhoek
An empowerment program gave the two local guys who run this chocolatier a leg up and now people are raving about their confections. There are daily…
Cape Town
Serving the many artists who are starting to take up studio space in this industrial area. If you have any kind of art project in mind then this is the…
Malawi
Has a pharmacy, an electronics retailer, a gift shop, a stationery store, a bookshop and branches of Game and Shoprite supermarkets.
KwaZulu Muti Museum of Man & Science
Johannesburg
This quirky, highly photogenic venture – always ask permission first – is the most accessible of the downtown muti (traditional medicine) stores. Amid…
Stellenbosch
This place was on the Stellenbosch map before Stellenbosch was on the map. It’s an unashamedly touristy general dealer but still worth visiting for its…
Cape Town
New and secondhand LPs, CDs, DVDs, books and comics are bought, sold and traded at this reputable shop that features in the award-winning documentary…
Cape Town
Vegetable-dye tanned hides are used for the quality leather products such as belts, bags, wallets and book covers made by these artisans. Find them in the…
Lesotho
Elelloang Basali (Be Aware Women) makes hand-spun mohair rugs with geometric patterns, as well as tapestries and other items. Find it in a building made…
Cape Town
This flower market, where sellers have gathered since 1860, is an explosion of colour along Adderley St. The stalls are open long hours and the sellers…
Cape Town
Masks, jewellery, bargain CDs, pottery and the satirical, anticorporate T-shirts of Laugh It Off are just some of the finds at this market, held in…
Simon's Town & Southern Peninsula
David Bellamy is the designer behind this cornucopia of beautiful imported fabrics and items made from them, such as cushion covers. The fabrics are block…
