Meet Thembisa tattoo artist Kevin Khumalo chasing his dreams

My name is Kevin Khumalo (27), and I am a tattoo artist. I was born and raised in Winnie Mandela, Thembisa, and have spent most of my life here, apart from a period when I moved to Pretoria to hustle, learn and build my career.

One of my favourite memories growing up was spending time with my grandmother in Winnie Mandela.

Although life was not always easy, the love, support and sense of community around me made those years special. Those experiences shaped the person I am today and taught me the importance of resilience.

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What I love most about Thembisa is the strength of its people.

No matter how difficult life becomes, residents continue to support and encourage one another.

Thembisa has a way of bringing people together and showing the true meaning of community.

My favourite place is my tattoo studio because it is where I get to meet different people, express my creativity and do what I love every day.

Returning to Thembisa after learning tattooing in Pretoria changed my life. Opening my own tattoo studio gave me purpose and showed me that with hard work, dedication and determination, dreams can become reality.

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One of the biggest challenges I see in our community is unemployment, especially among young people.

I believe creating more opportunities for skills development and supporting young entrepreneurs can help people build better futures for themselves.

My biggest inspiration has always been my grandmother. I lost my parents at a young age, and she raised me through many challenges. She taught me to stay strong, work hard and never give up, lessons that continue to guide me today.

I would describe Thembisa as resilient, vibrant and united. It is a place filled with people who continue to push forward despite the challenges they face.

Many people do not know that I can also do panel beating. I learned this skill when I was younger while working to help support my grandmother.

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It taught me discipline, patience and attention to detail. Although tattooing is now my passion, panel beating remains a skill I am proud of because it played an important role in shaping my journey.

If I could change something in Thembisa, I would create more opportunities for young people to learn practical skills, explore their creativity and develop entrepreneurial abilities so they can build successful careers and businesses.

The best advice I ever received came from my grandmother: “Never let your circumstances decide your future. Keep working hard and trust the process.” Those words continue to motivate me every day.
Home is where I found strength, learned resilience and discovered who I am.

Thembisa is more than just the place where I was born; it is where my journey began, where I returned to build my business, and where I hope to inspire others to believe that success is possible despite life’s challenges.