ERMELO – Residents may have seen Trust Sibande (34) under the trees near the intersection of West and Buhrman streets when they drove by.

But, who is Sibande and what is he up to?

Currently, the Sun City resident works as a wire sculptor. He sits in this spot most of the time, creating pieces to sell.

He relies on these handiworks to feed his family back in Zimbabwe.

He said it takes him up to three days to make a sculpture using only wire, bolts and varnishing gloss, depending on the size and design specified for each customer.

According to Sibande, he learned this craft in 2020 during his time in Limpopo.

Given the difficulty of finding employment, sculpturing was a chance for him to earn money while doing something he loved.

“I learned this by looking at other self-made sculptures, and I must say, I truly enjoy doing art and having to make a living through my work, it’s really wonderful.”

Sibande travels to nearby towns in search of customers who can help him grow his business and has asked a local family to store his sculptures for him due to the distance he walks daily from the location to town when coming to sell his work.

He currently sells at Standerton, Bethal, and Morgenzon.

“For me, making these sculptures means doing what I enjoy the most.”

Highvelder paid Sibande a visit and was astounded by the sculpture of an impala horn he was working on for a customer.

Read the complete article on Highvelder newspaper.