Sand artists struggle to stay afloat
After losing both his parents at a young age, Siyabonga Ndiweni ended up on the Durban streets where he lived for 10 years.
Tourism has been among the most hard hit industries during the Covid-19 lockdown. Among those struggling to eke out a living are Durban’s sand artists who once thrived on the golden mile, creating art for the many visitors found on the promenade. In a monthly series, the Berea Mail’s Danica Hansen will interview several sand artists to find out more about their struggles.
“SOMETIMES I arrive in the morning and find the sand sculptures have fallen down- it’s a lot of work for nothing.”
These are the words of Siyabonga Ndiweni, a sand artist who creates sculptures near the Bay of Plenty.
“It is not easy to sculpt sand. Everything we do with sand is not easy. The sand keeps falling down. We have to use a certain skill to make it hold. It wasn’t easy to learn this,” he said.
After losing both his parents at a young age, Ndiweni ended up on the Durban streets where he lived for 10 years.
“My parents died in a car accident when I was 11,” said 28-year-old Ndiweni.
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He has been working as a sand artist for two years with mentor Michael Mofekeng.
“I usually come here at 7am or 8am in the morning. The time I stop work depends on when I have enough money for food and shelter. Usually it will be around 8pm or 9pm. I work a long day because it’s quiet, so I am trying to make something,” he said.
Ndiweni said his earnings have decreased by more than 50 per cent since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.
“Most of these days I make about R80. Before I could make about R300 to R400 in a day. The shelter costs R50 per night,” he said.
“People are no longer supporting us the way they used to. Before lockdown, I could make a living, but now, if I buy food, that’s it for the day. Some days it’s bad, especially on Mondays – it’s very quiet,” added Ndiweni.
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“If there are any job opportunities, I would rather get a job, because here I am stuck- I am just doing this to get by. I would take any job that comes my way,” he said.
The sculptor hopes to earn a qualification and find an office job.
“I would appreciate a chance to study. I would like to study to work in human resources, but I never had that opportuniy,” he said.
Ndiweni charges R20 to create a happy birthday sand sculpture and sand sculptures with proposal messages are priced according to size. When the Berea Mail dropped by a scultpure of the Big Five was among his work.
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