Artist introduces Nkomazi to the world through beading

PHIVA – In her garage in rural Nkomazi, local artist Nomcebo Dlamini has been creating hand-made beaded accessories that have been displayed across the world.

Her business, Mzamose Arts and Crafts, has exhibited at the India International Trade Fair, Maison et Objet in Paris, Home Decor & Giftware in Nigeria and Decorex in Cape Town.

Earlier this month, she was one of 60 local craft entrepreneurs from across South Africa to be featured in the #rhythmoflife exhibition at Decorex Joburg.

Dlamini is based in Phiva and, since its establishment in 2005, Mzemose has grown to include three full-time employees. They create their exceptional beaded products in the workspace Dlamini has created in her garage.

Dlamini explained that her crafting skills were instilled at a young age, when she used to help her mother make Swazi necklaces. The family; which consisted of her, her mother and three siblings; lived in Barberton.

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When she got married, she moved to Phiva and made beaded ties for her husband. A colleague spotted her talent and put her in touch with an employer. This employer helped nurture her talent and eventually helped register Dlamini’s company.

Dlamini explained that she managed to survive and grow her business through her children’s social grant, loans and hard work.

She has four children. The youngest is in grade eight, the next two boys are in matric and the eldest is doing a diploma in tourism. Dlamini explained that her business helped her look after her kids, send them to school and build them a home.

Mzamose’s main product is necklaces and the simplest pieces can take up to four hours to complete.

She says she is always looking for the year’s hottest colours and trends. Nature inspires her and she uses elements from it in both her traditional and contemporary designs.

One of her challenges is a shortage of raw materials, as the pace of production depends on how much raw materials she has available. “Sometimes I run short of material, but designs come to my mind every day,” she said.
Mzamose is in the databases of the Department of Trade and Industry, as well as the Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency (MEGA) and the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA). This enabled her to qualify for various markets, fairs and exhibition events, like Decorex.

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“It is a great experience because it grows the mindset in terms of designing. Decorex is a platform to make businesses sustainable. To draw customers, you need to design a unique product that will draw attention, something that they see for the first time. All our products are hand-made and manufactured at Phiva, so it is not a challenge to penetrate the market,” Dlamini said.

At Decorex, she received orders from shops who would love to stock her products. “Surprisingly one of my customers is also from Malalane, but she had to travel to Johannesburg to find me,” she stated.

Dlamini’s products can be found locally at the curio shop at the Kruger National Park’s Crocodile Bridge, as well as the Mercure Hotel, near i’langa Mall, in Mbombela.

For more information, send an email to mzamose.arts@gmail.com.

She urged other artists from Nkomazi and Mpumalanga at large to register at the relevant institutions. This will give them access to training and tools to grow their businesses.

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“Most of our colleagues don’t like to attend training, they only focus on markets. But knowledge is power. You will never grow business-wise if you don’t have knowledge. Register companies and submit returns every year, because it is taxpayers’ money that is used to sponsor us.”