Local artist captures the spirit of the Comrades in vibrant mural

SIBUSISO Duma is the 43rd artist showcasing his work on the Woza Moya Artists’ Wall. His work will be featured for the month of May to celebrate the Comrades Marathon 2025.

The concept behind the Woza Moya Artists’ Wall and Artists’ Cards is to create and showcase the work of artists who have been hard-hit by Covid. Each month, a different artist is paid to paint a 1.2m x 1.2m wall panel which is displayed on the wall outside the Woza Moya Hillcrest Aids Centre shop.

Woza Moya is the economic empowerment project of the Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust and assists the artist by marketing their work for the entire month.

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A greeting card is made of the painted wall panel and sold in their shops so the artists can earn an ongoing passive income. This has worked well with artists earning from R200 to R1000 a month from the sale of the cards. The Woza Moya Artists’ wall thanked the 100% Foundation for their ongoing sponsorship and for making this a monthly event.

About the artist

Duma is an established artist and is represented in various galleries and collections locally and overseas. This painting titled ‘Comrades Marathon’, 59cm x 42cm, was painted with acrylic paint on a canvas. The painting celebrates the Comrades Marathon and was commissioned by Woza Moya to celebrate all Comrades runners. The Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust is a charity of the Comrades Marathon and has more than 60 runners running to raise money for the 24-bed respite unit.

Duma was born in Mbumbulu, Durban, where he still works and resides. He started drawing with crayons and colour pencils from an early age. His talent was noticed and nourished by his school teachers and the late Trevor Makhoba through his Philange Art Project in Umlazi.

Duma has built on his own style and visual language with his original vision and his sometimes challenging subject matter. He uses familiar iconography such as the human figure in a rural landscape. There are often contradictions between rural and urban themes but his passion and love for the rural landscape and tradition is always present. His paintings often use humour and satire, helping in the understanding of present social conditions.

The use of personal iconography and metaphors harvested from everyday life manifests a fine balance between fantasy and reality. His work is typified by his treatment of the surface, subject matter, composition and the use of space and colour, which collectively create touches of mystery and intrigue. His work has been collected by multiple galleries and museums locally and worldwide.

Duma said he loves and enjoys watching the race as he picks up on how all shapes and sizes of runners finish the ‘ultimate human race’.

The artwork is for sale and people can bid for the artwork online: htttps://www.wozamoya.co.za/auctions. Bidding starts at R1000. The auction starts on May 10 and ends on June 10 after the Comrades Marathon.

If anyone would like to sponsor one of the HACT runners and make a difference to the respite centre, you can do so via the Comrades Marathon website.

Shop opening times:

Woza Moya is based at the Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust, 26 Old Main Road, Hillcrest, and is open from Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 16:00, and from 09:00 to 17:00 at the Woza Moya Windermere Centre. On Saturdays, the HACT shop is open from 08:00 to 14:00 and from 09:00 to 14:00 at Windermere.

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