What others consider to be trash sometimes becomes another's treasure. At least, this is how things are for Tshilidzi Liphadzi, who uses discarded floor tiles and other waste building materials to decorate the beautiful flowerpots she makes.
Every day she pushes her wheelbarrow to the local dumping site, situated about five kilometres from her home, and although she encounters a few dubious stares, this, for her, is an important daily routine as this is where she finds all kinds of unwanted material she can use to turn trash into cash.
Liphadzi (45), who lives at Matangari Tshiumoni village near Makonde, had been unemployed for 25 years before she drew inspiration from one of the villagers, Fulufhelo Mutele, who survives by making and selling flowerpots. "I went to visit her one day and found her making beautiful flowerpots. Since I was unemployed, she encouraged me to try my luck with it too, so she taught me the basics on how to do it. In October 2020, I started making my flowerpots and I am happy to now be able to put some food on the table."
Liphadzi also uses decorative stones, building sand, cement and tylon (tile adhesive) to finish off her flowerpots. "I swallow my pride and push my wheelbarrow to the local river to collect decorative stones and building sand. Some people who have leftover building sand also call me, and I proudly push my wheelbarrow to go and collect it from them. The reason I use my wheelbarrow is because I cannot afford to hire a vehicle. The little profit I make goes into buying cement and basic necessities at home."
She has great plans for the future. She would like to have a bigger workshop one day, from where she can teach her skills to other unemployed local community members who battle poverty. "Workspace is a big problem. I work outside in the open in front of my house, so when it rains it means I have to stop. The lack of water, on the other hand, is also a problem. In my area, we sometimes go without water from our taps for three weeks at a time, and I have to push my wheelbarrow to the local Mudaswali River to fetch water to mix sand and cement for my flowerpots," she said.
"Although people are buying my flowerpots, I still need assistance to realize my potential further. If I can get some funding to buy material to erect a proper workshop, I will be able to make a very huge difference in my community."
Liphadzi is making a plea to local communities to recycle their waste materials. "Please, when you have leftover materials, especially floor tiles, don't throw it away. If you do not have any use for it, call me and I will gladly push my wheelbarrow to come and collect."
Liphadzi can be contacted on Tel 072 888 6355.