Etete township ceramic lady

Potter and artist Jabulisile Ndlovu (33) from Etete makes her living doing ceramic painting.

Ndlovu hopes to one day open her own pottery and ceramics factory.

However financial constraints mean that she struggles to buy the materials to make her own pottery.

She says building her own kiln (ceramic oven) would cost about R14 000 and for now that remains a distant dream.

So instead, she is forced to buy bisque products (half finished ceramics).

After she has worked on the bisque product, she takes it for firing.

“It causes a delay in my work. If I was doing the baking at my own home the job would be much easier,” said the enthusiastic mother of four .

Many people ask her to make special products for them.

“They come and explain the kind of ceramics they want and I will do it for them.”

Most of the time couples come and ask for a dinner set or mugs with their names painted on,” said Ndlovu.

The Qoqulwazi Secondary School matriculant said she is grateful for Tongaat resident Sindi Cele’s help in getting her going.

“I did research and I met Cele who used to work at a ceramics company, and visited her working place where I saw how pottery is done.”

Her first products were mugs and after receiving a good reaction she decided to start her own business.

Ndlovu is one of the Ilembe Chamber’s Entrepreneur competition finalists this year.

She is grateful for the knowledge she has gained through the competition.

“I am learning how to market my product and how to choose my target market,” she said.