We met Benny Mashike on De Beer Street in Braamfontein – a man who we thought to be a street artist, but soon found out that there is so much more to his story.
Mashike was sketching a portrait of Nelson Mandela.
“What do you usually draw? Is it just Nelson Mandela,” City Buzz asked.
“No, actually I’m just trying to draw Nelson Mandela so that I can go home,” he said. “I want to sell these so that I can go home.”
Home, he said, was on the other side of Gauteng – in Polokwane.
“I just had an incident yesterday. I was supposed to go home yesterday, but then I was robbed. That’s why I’ve got my bags here and my stuff, so I’m just going to use my skills here and make some money so that I can just go home.”
Asked how many he had sold Mashike said, “I’ve sold none, but I’m going to draw faster and quicker so that I can sell my drawings and go, because I don’t want to sleep on the street today.”
A talented artist, City Buzz wanted to know where he learned how to draw.
He responded, “Nowhere. I didn’t go to university or anything. I did a few tutorials online and practised.
“When I go home I’m going to start a new business, a DIY deco business. I can’t go door-to-door so I want to create a website and sell from there.”
The artists went on to explain his experiences with the late President and struggle hero, Nelson Mandela.
“I met him a few times. He came to my house. My father is SP Mashike, the founder of maths and science in Limpopo.”
“He [Mandela] was just a chilled guy, because I didn’t know who he was. I was nine years old and this man used to come to the house and there were people protecting him and I didn’t understand, but yeah, he was a cool guy – like a grandfather to me.”
