WHEN Nelson Mandela Bay’s beaches were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Siyabonga Duma, the sand artist, almost starved and could barely support his two young children.
As soon as President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the reopening of beaches, this talented artist couldn’t wait to get his hands back in the sand to create captivating pieces of artwork and earn an income again.
Siyabonga Duma (32), originally from Durban, has been creating sand art at Hobie Beach for the past few weeks. While others were swimming, tanning and just enjoying the view of the ocean, Duma experimented with different artworks, ranging from a sea horse to a mermaid and dolphin, using only sand, seawater and his hands.
He can also customise personal messages for beachgoers on a 3-dimensional heart shape in the sand.
“When the beaches closed it hit me very, very hard. Just finding something to eat was a challenge because I don’t have any other job. I had no money for rent and couldn’t send money to my children back in Durban,” Duma explained.
Apart from his sons, who are eight and 14 years old, he also has two siblings back in Durban that rely on him for financial support.
“I cannot explain how happy I was when I heard that the beaches were reopening.
“I told myself that I’m going back to the beach to make money to send to my family,” he said.
Duma said he first realised that he was good at art when he was at primary school.
“I started drawing but later used sand and clay, and I then realised that I could actually create something from it. I started doing it for an income in 2007, because I had to leave school and look for a job after my parents passed away,” Duma added.
“All I did was just practise a lot at the beach and I realised that I could make anything. If someone had to come and say I should recreate a new car model, I would be able to do that too,” he said proudly.
Duma said that residents should keep an eye on the beach as he will be creating the big five soon.
