GQEBERHA – Local creator and Design and Technology teacher Ndandu Khavhadi, who lives in Gqeberha Central, has been named one of the three winners in the 2025 Brights Women in DIY Excellence Awards.
Known online as “Just a Mom with a Drill,” Ndandu has built a strong following thanks to her practical, budget-friendly DIY projects and her approachable teaching style. Her work blends everyday home improvement with a focus on creativity, confidence-building, and helping others, qualities that caught the attention of this year’s judges.
The Awards celebrate South African women who are making a meaningful contribution to the DIY community through their ideas, projects, and the way they share their skills with others. Ndandu’s work stood out for its hands-on practicality and her commitment to using DIY as a tool for upliftment.
A Recognised Voice in Accessible, Real-World DIY
Ndandu’s DIY journey began with a simple goal: learning to handle home repairs independently. From there, she started sharing tutorials, tips, and project walk-throughs that encouraged others especially women to try their hand at basic DIY without needing expensive tools or professional help.
As a Cambridge IGCSE Design and Technology teacher, she blends her educational background with her DIY passion, making her content relatable and grounded in everyday experience.
Her work has reached audiences beyond Gqeberha as well. She has been featured several times on the international home and design platform Apartment Therapy and was a finalist in their DIY Awards, recognition that reflects the authenticity and practicality of her projects, rather than large-scale production or professional filming.
A Community-Focused Approach
What resonated most with the judges is Ndandu’s focus on using creativity to make small but meaningful improvements in people’s lives. Whether it’s transforming a neglected corner of a home or showing viewers how to build simple, functional items from affordable materials, her message remains consistent: DIY is achievable, accessible, and empowering.
Each of the three Brights winners receives a R5 000 voucher and a R5 000 product hamper to support their future projects
