Zizamele
Art in Cape Town

Zizamele Ceramics is about making art that makes a difference.
Zizamele Ceramics is an SMME that trains previously unemployed artists in ceramic creation.

She studied at Michaelis School of Fine Art (UCT) where she majored in Ceramics and History of Art. She taught high school art for 15 years and then became a ceramics lecturer. She has 3 daughters (two of whom work part time in the business) and lives in nearby Noordhoek. Signoria is the most mature member of the team and has been involved with clay since She is married and has 3 children: her youngest daughter was born in Signoria has a brilliant eye for colour and usually the brightest items at Zizamele will be made by her. Vuyelwa has built her own home in the courtyard at Signoria's house and lives with her partner and her daughter who is 13 years old and who starts high school next year. She also does the electric lamps and porcelain lights. Her loyal clients clamour for these products and in 2011 she made 300 of these single-handedly for USA client Homegoods. Sisanda came to Cape Town specifically to do the learnership in craft production at False Bay College in 2006 as she knew she had an aptitude for art. This is where she met Toni Burton who was her lecturer and who now heads the Zizamele Ceramics team. In 2007 Sisanda won an award at the Ceramics National Exhibition for one of her early Bambanani Bowls in red clay. She also won an award at the same exhibition in 2009 for her 12-lady Bambanani Bowl in red clay with metallic finish. This show stopper (as seen in her photo) was subsequently bought for the Corobrik Collection which is housed in Pretoria. Sisanda has two young daughters and has built her own home in Masiphumulele after two devastating fires burnt down her earlier shack and all her belongings were destroyed. Joyce is one of the original artists who trained with Toni in She left briefly but returned following a bad taxi accident. She has developed her own product which is the range of platters. She is also tasked with firing and glazing the ceramics so she fulfils a critical role in the business. She lives with her 5 year old daughter who attends the pre-school on our campus. This is made possible by the Staff Development Fund. A talented modeller of clay, he went on to hone his skills in the Noordhoek Pottery Village with a 6-month ceramic skills course in He creates all the slip-cast animals and he has recently begun throwing our smaller bowls on the wheel. He has been able to build his own house and he recently became a father. He is currently learning to drive through the Staff Development Fund and we hope he will do all the deliveries in the future! She is responsible for throwing all the Bambanani Bowls on the pottery wheel. She lives in Hanover Park with her two adult children and has a number of part-time pottery jobs around Cape Town. One of which is at Herschel School where she teaches pottery. Elaine has years of experience in the ceramics industry and we look forward to her visits as she is a consummate professional.