Turning glass into art
Although she is a talented individual at heart, she unfortunately had to drop out of school in Gr 11 but did not let that stand in her way.
POLOKWANE – 33-year-old Dinah Baloyi from Makgofe near Seshego, wants to share her creativity with the world. The wife, and mother of three, is a craftswoman who makes artifacts from glass bottles.
Even though glass is her main focus point, she is able to work with other materials too.
Baloyi and her in-laws collect empty bottles around their neighbourhood and she then decorates them.
She quickly realised that without an education, she would be limiting herself as well as her capabilities.
“In 2012, I went to ABET and did my level four which is equivalent to a matric certificate. I just realised that I cannot get to where I want to get without an education. I’m currently studying marketing administration at Intec college,” Baloyi said.
Following the advice of a family friend, she decided to take her craft to another level and in 2016 opened her company, WZR Construction and Management.
“In the beginning, I Googled ideas of how to decorate different items and took it from there. I started working from home and later made my own designs and soon catering companies started to place orders.”
Baloyi decorates items such as centrepieces, napkin holders, table numbers and under plates with traditionally-inspired material. Her wish is to expand her business to other parts of the province, and even the world. Presently, her biggest dream is to showcase at the annual Marula festival.
“I think going to the Marula fesitval would mean that more people would be aware of my business. I also want to target people from other countries such as Ghana, or Nigeria, so that I can sell my artifacts and they can take them back home with them.”
Her items range from R5 to R175 for the more unique products in her collection. One of the biggest obstacles in her business is the fact that people aren’t fully appreciative of what she does. She says people sometimes place their own prices on her items which is discouraging at times.
Baloyi says her message to the people out there is pretty simple. “People must know what they want. Dream big and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Nothing in life comes easy, but it is all worth it,” she concluded.
