POLOKWANE – Born in Zimbabwe, the 31-year-old said he has always known that whatever career path he would take would involve making children happy.
He began taking jobs as a clown in 2008, while he was still in Zimbabwe and does shows at schools, birthday parties and road shows.
“My clown name became Donna Donna and I was very popular with the young ones. I decided to move to South Africa in 2015 because the Zimbabwean economy was not stable and I was struggling to make ends meet,” he explained.
That same year, he decided to try his hand at shows in South Africa and has since been part of the Marula Festival, the Rand Show and the Polokwane Show to mention a few.
Stanley explained although his journey to establish himself was not a straightforward one, he has finally managed to build up a loyal client base that keeps him in business.
He does face painting and balloon art where he makes different balloon shapes and animals.
He even uses his imagination and creativity to improvise several games at parties, as he explains that no party is the same.
He adds although he is good at what he does, he still faces a challenge with the language barrier because not all children are able to speak English.
“I learned to make it work. In instances where there is a language barrier, I have learnt to simply make my routines that more visually appealing to get my jokes across.
“Being a clown is something I was born to do, I can’t let something minor get in the way of my dreams,” he added.
Stanley is not only a clown, he is also a father and a businessman.
“This year I plan to grow Donna Donna the clown into a brand, and even get the opportunity to do live shows on SABC. I’m saving up to buy a Merry-Go-Round which I will put in the play centre which I’m planning to launch in the near future,” he said.
He appeals to people who can sponsor him to come on board because the play centre will work closely with vulnerable children. This is one clown who knows the value of the smiles he puts on children’s faces.
