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Ms Johanna Mudau of Mukondeni village has found solace in making clay pots. Not only does this trade allow her to be creative, but it also enables her to make a living for herself in a time when poverty is rife – especially in the rural areas.
Taking matters into her own hands, Mudau taught herself this skill until she became the full-fledged clay pot maker she is today.
“How could I sit around and watch my children live in poverty? We are all gifted in some way or another, but some people are just too lazy to use their brains to make ends meet,” she says. She explains how she suddenly found herself in the clay-pot industry. “I initially thought of buying flowerpots to sell, but I did not have money to start up. It quickly came to my mind that I can make my own flowerpots to sell, and that is where my clay business originated from.”
Mudau makes flowerpots, bowls, containers, and many other items. The trick, she says, is knowing where to get the clay and how to prepare it. She carries the clay, which she collects from the bushes several kilometres from her home, on top of her head, as she does not have another means of transporting it. Using the traditional method of making and baking the clay, she starts the slow process of kneading the clay, coiling it into pots and shaping it.
“After making the desired products, I collect firewood and cow dung from the bushes for heating the clay products. I heat them for the whole night in a special hole that I dug at my home. I then wait for it to cool down before I do the final touches with paint.”
This might sound simple enough, but Mudau says a lot of patience is required. The industry itself, she says, has its own challenges. “This is an informal business that does not guarantee any income. I sometimes go for two months without a single customer.”
As things stand, she is looking for someone to help her market her products, so that people all over the country can get to know her work.
Those who wish to support her business can call her at 072 875 3374.
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Johanna Mudau of Mukondeni with her beautiful, sturdy clay pots. Photo: Kaizer Nengovhela.
By: Kaizer Nengovhela
Kaizer Nengovhela started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror in 2000. Prior to that he had a five year stint at Phala-Phala FM as sports presenter. In 2005 Kaizer received an award from the province's premier as Best Sports Presenter. The same year he was also nominated as Best Sports Reporter by the Makhado Municipality. Kaizer was awarded the Mathatha Tsedu award in 2014.
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