Siyabonga Duma is a sand sculptor from PE. His sculptures help support his family, he hopes it will inspire others to be creative with jobs instead of begging.
Siyabonga Duma and his brother Sizwe wake up early every morning! The head down to the beach and start collecting beach sand and water. The duo then sculpt the sand into various forms.
Siyabonga feels its a unique art that is very cheap. The sand sculptures need to be redone every day because of the elements. Wind and waves usually destroy the previous days work.
“To master it you need to be dedicated and committed. I take time and effort to carve these products.”
“Port Elizabeth is an amazing place because the people here are friendly and they are willing to learn this skill,” – Siyabonga
Siyabonga and his brother survive thanks to donations made by visitors. People will give them money, food and clothing.
“That is how we make our living I don’t promote begging or soliciting visitors for money and food,”
“Some visitors pay a donation to be photographed standing on the sand artefacts that we create. We are getting good responses from visitors.”
Siyabonga and his siblings lost their parents when they were very young. They didn’t have money to continue with school so they dropped out.
“I and my two siblings dropped out of school when we were young after our parents passed on. I dropped out in Standard 8, while Sizwe continued for some years before he abandoned school in Standard 5. There was no money for school fees and uniforms.
“I started to frequent beaches around Durban, where in 2003 I eventually learnt the skill of sand art.”
“We came to Port Elizabeth last year and discovered that the beaches around the city offer a great opportunity for sand art, especially in summer time when the weather is good and people flock to the beaches.”
As for what the future may hold, Siyabonga has a few idea’s.
He hope to use this as a platform to work at other places such as Jefferies Bay and St. Francis. He believes this is an honest living and he won’t let his background be a barrier to his progress in life.
“Instead I would like to use my poor background to inspire me and my brother to achieve a better future. This will also motivate other youngsters who are in the same situation.
“People should not only look to government for jobs. Let us try to be creative and make jobs ourselves.”
He hopes to teach the skill to other unemployed individuals so they too can make an honest living by creating and showing their art to the public.
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