KHUBVI – Many people will never touch clay, because they do not want to make themselves dirty. A courageous mother and her daughter make the dirty clay their best friend, because it provides them with food.

Ritherithe Randima (54) and her mother Matamela (77) of Khubvi village, north of Thohoyandou, make beautiful sculptures out of clay which they sell to the public to make some cash. “It only rests upon our shoulders to establish a small business that will put some food on the table. Those who say clay is dirty are people who are lazy to use their minds to improve their lives. Our community never succeeds because of laziness,” explains Ritherithe, who said her mother taught her the clay sculpting many years 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.”

Ritherithe says the clay business has changed her life for good and she has three grown children who have gone through school as a result of the clay sculpture sales. Ritherithe and her mother get the clay from Mangondi, approximately 60km from their home.

Ritherithe’s mother, Matamela, explains how she and her daughter make the sculptures. “We soften the clay with water and put it on a flat stone before making the sculptures. We then use a special oval stone, called khulungo, to turn the clay into an oval shape. After making the desired sculptures, we put them in the sun before heating them with fire. We then sprinkle them with a special mixture, called phomo or paint, for decoration.”

Matamela and her daughter sculpt flowerpots, plates, cooking pots, khali, ndongwana, zwidudu and madzhomela. Their products vary between R10 and R150, depending on the size desired by the customer. Although they are well-known in their village, the pair says they want people who can assist them to market their products across the globe.