Coast KZN

Sthembiso Mthembu (41) said he has been creating sand art at uShaka Beach since 2008. Hailing from Mtwalume on the South Coast, Mthembu now lives in Durban at a government shelter.

“Before I used to work in a carwash. It closed down and I had some friends here who gave me some tips on how to make sand art so I ended up joining them. At that time the money was good,” he said.

He said he made a living designing sand sculptures for marriage proposals, birthday messages and business logos which could rack up a few thousand rands.

“Sometimes you get donations. You can make R600-R700 in a good day when it’s busy, but not now with Covid-19. Not many people have money. Now it’s very bad. It’s quiet. The beach is empty. People from outside KZN are not allowed in the province. It’s better when the beach is open,” he said.

“We are still here, we are still trying. We hope people will come and support us,” he added.

Still, the artists challenges himself to create new designs.

“When you do sand art, you need to change it and do something never done before,” he said.

He bases his designs on current affairs and events. While his most popular sculpture is a sunbathing woman, Mthembu prefers to create sculptures based on interesting facts.

“When this lady is not around, people, especially men, say ‘bring her back and then we will support you.’ They give her different names, like Kim Kardashian. I like animals, like sharks. If I get a chance, I like to watch National Geographic. If I create a shark, I’d like to write the meaning of the sculpture, but I don’t have that much space. In 1991 South Africa was the first country to protect the Great White shark- to make sure it would not be killed or harassed. I always do research,” he said.

“It depends what’s happening around us, what we see on TV. We made a 6 m wide Nkandla (sculpture), then when there was Rhino awareness- to stop poaching, we made a rhino sculpture,” said Mthembu.

He is currently working on an idea to create a sculpture to reflect the Covid-19 pandemic.

High coastal winds present the biggest challenge as a sudden gust can erase detailed designs.
“You can’t see the teeth of the shark,” said Mthembu of a recent sculpture that was blurred by the wind.

“I prefer rain- light rain. If it rains in December, during holidays, most people don’t care about the rain, they will come to the beach anyway. What I don’t like is the wind. In August and September there is too much wind,” she added.

As he approaches, 50, Mthembu is looking for a steady job.
“This is not easy work to do as you get older,” he said.