The manufacture and decorative use of wire in Southern Africa dates back to the first millenium AD. With advancements in telecommunications, a new tipe of wire - multi-colored plastic-coated copper wire, often referred to as telephone wire - has become widely avaible. Starting in the late 1960's, Zulu night watchmen started weaving scraps of this wire around their traditional sticks. This new material was also applied to making izimbenge - beer pot covers - that had been traditionally made from glass and palm. Today, there is a wiade variety in the creative use of this wire, and telephone-wire weaving has grown from a rural craft to an internationally recognized art form.