Seventy-three-year-old Ms Munzhedzi Mashau from Mukondeni village fell in love with pottery at an early age and she still relies on her skills to turn vumba (clay) into beautiful and useful ornaments to make ends meet.
Ms Mashau digs up the clay from the riverbanks and mountains at her village and then moulds these into beautiful African clay pots and other decorative items. With this valuable skill, passed on for generations, she can beat the scourge of unemployment and sustain herself and her family.
"Pottery is a traditional Venda craft dating back many centuries," she said. "Those who say clay is dirty are the people who are too lazy to use their minds to improve their situation. Our community never succeeds because of laziness. I had a burning desire to improve the standard of my own life and that was why I started making clay pots."
Mashau was taught the art of pottery by her own mother a long, long time ago. "My mother used to ask me to soften clay for her when I was young - and I enjoyed it, not knowing that she was equipping me with special skills I would use when I grew up," she said.
The money she makes from her clay products also enables her to take care of her children's education. She teaches the younger people more about pottery and visits neighbouring villages to encourage other woman to form support groups among themselves. "Now is not the time for women to wait for their husbands' salaries to come in. It is time to work, so that they too can enjoy the fruits," said Mashau.