A certain kind of imagination and creativity is needed to make a genuine, sturdy clay pot the traditional way, which, especially in deep rural areas, almost seem to come naturally to the locals. The fact is that knowledge of this handcraft is passed on from generation to generation, with the older women teaching the younger ones. This beautiful, authentically African handcraft has sustained many locals for decades because it has always been, and still is, such a popular attraction for tourists.
Elisa Rambela from Mukondeni is among the ones who have mastered this skill. While many people do not wish to pursue pottery because they do not want to get their hands dirty, this courageous mother has made clay her best friend as it provides them with food.
“Although I also thought it was a dirty job at first, I had no other alternative because I had a burning desire to improve the standard of life in my family,” she says. Rambela started to take the matter seriously when she realised that her family was becoming too big for her to sustain.
Elisa’s colourful artifacts range from flowerpots to cooking pots (big and small), ceramics, lovely bowls and decorative spoons. She says she is very thankful and happy that the local community supports her small business. “My products are sold to local communities around the Elim and Hlanganani area. Tourists also form part of my customer line-up, and this encourages me to work hard because the demand increases all the time.”
Her clay wares sell for anything from R30 to R600. “Life has changed for the better for me since I decided to start my pottery business. I had no one to rely upon and had to make the right decision in order to support my family. Now the money I make from selling my wares is deposited directly into my bank account,” Elisa said.
“It is better than just staying at home without a job. Life is tough these days if you don’t have a job.” She encourages other unemployed people to take a chance on using something they are good at, or a skill they can learn, to provide an income. “The State cannot provide all the unemployed people with jobs, but if we could address certain challenges, such as the skills gap in our societies, people would be empowered to start their own businesses and create jobs for other people,” she said.