By Agiza Hlongwane
Sand sculptures - a recent fine, if impermanent, addition to Durban's seaside attractions - amuse and delight locals and visitors to the city.
Foreign tourists, in particular, have been blown away by the beachfront artists who earn a humble living from the tips they get for shaping everything from sharks and mermaids to lounging lions.
It all seems so innocuous. However, the sculptors who ply their trade, mostly at Dairy, North and Bay of Plenty beaches, have spoken out of their constant fear of reprisals from the police. Their crime? The city bylaws, seashore regulations to be exact, view sand sculptors in the same way as they do beggars and loiterers - as law breakers.
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| 'They're encouraged to talk to the sculptors politely' |
Although the sand sculptors say there have been no visits from the police in recent weeks, instances in which they're arrested and their work demolished are not unheard of.
Thabani Mhlongo, from Mayville, says about two months ago two policemen arrived with their motorcycles and demolished an elaborate lion design which had taken him hours to carve. Together with a friend, Mhlongo said he had been arrested and held for seven days.
Acting Deputy Head of Parks, Leisure and Cemeteries, Teddy Adams, denied knowledge of any instances in which the police had been instructed to arrest the sculptors or demolish their work.
"They're encouraged to talk to the sculptors politely and ask them to leave the area," she said.
"There's no formal strategy in place to deal with them at the moment, but their presence at the beachfront is against seashore regulations. But for some time now, we've let them be."
| Mhlongo expresses his bitterness about his demolished sculptur |
And while the council seems to have relaxed its stance against the sculptors, focusing on other "priority areas", for people like Mhlongo and fellow sculptor Michael Mofokeng, the show goes on.
With festive holiday activity at a peak and tourists numbers swelling, there's hardly any space for them to exhibit their fickle, yet attractive wares at the main beach, so they're forced to move to less crowded areas.
Whereas some people simply look at the artwork and walk away, others take photographs but contribute nothing.
The sculptors are unanimous about their motives: all they're trying to do is earn an honest living. "We try to encourage people to show their appreciation by throwing money. During the year we make very little, about R10 or R20 a day. But at the moment it's quite good, between R70 and R90 sometimes," says Ngwenya.
"The authorities need to understand that we're not stealing or doing anything bad. Instead we're trying to put food on the table. It's unfair for us to get arrested because we're also adding value to people's visits to the beach. Most people love what we do, especially overseas tourists," says Mofokeng.
And while his colleagues lament the city's tough stance against them, Mhlongo expresses his bitterness about his demolished sculpture the way he knew best - by designing a caricature of one of the police officers - and those who know the police captain say the sculpture is the spitting image of him.
Visiting Rustenburg resident, Lesego Mdlalose, found the work irresistible and gave the sand police officer a kiss.
- This article was originally published on page 9 of Tribune on December 19, 2004
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