“It has always been my dream ever since I was young to be a civil engineer.” These are the words of a young engineer after he had constructed a small town at his home, using recyclable waste and cement.

The 23-year-old Mulalo Nego Negondeni from Mukula is a level 3 civil engineering student at Vhembe TVET College and has recently completed his six-month project. The project consists of a hand-built shopping centre, a bridge, a residential zone and a Soccer City look-alike stadium.

His town, Nego City as he likes to call it, has been attracting a lot of attention in the neighbourhood. “People used to laugh at me, saying that I am old but I still play with mud. Now they can't get enough of the final product and they want to know more about it,” he said. “People come to take photographs as if it is some sort of a museum.” 

He said that when he was still young, he was dreaming about manufacturing things. “I remember when I was in Grade 4, I lost all my books and I took a brick and put it in my bag. I wanted to use the brick to make a culvert bridge. I will never forget that day as my mother whipped me,” he added laughing.

He said his mother at first didn’t understand his talent and she always told him that his project was making her yard dirty. “Now she is my biggest fan. She even gave me money to buy some of the material I used to finish this project.” he said. “My siblings also support me and whenever they come home, they take a picture in my little city.” 

He said that he was still planning a second phase in the development of his city. “I still want to develop this place to become a museum in future. I also want to add another residential zone, a resort and maybe a few hotels and industrial zone there on the left.”

Besides being a young engineer, Nego is also a vocalist in a rap group called Retro-vibe. People who want to know more about Nego and his art and his music can phone him on 082 834 5693 or send him a friend request on Facebook at Nego Retro Vibe.