The City of Cape Town, in partnership with Mosaic Work, is giving youth from Manenberg and Gugulethu an opportunity to showcase their mosaic artwork on the facades of the new housing units.
The inspiring artworks, next to the Housing Estate office in Manenberg, face Govan Mbeki Drive and will be visible to the wider community. The artists, aged between 18 and 30 years, were selected from the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) database and included two community members with hearing impairments.
The City’s mayoral committee member for transport and urban development, Brett Herron, visited Manenberg on Tuesday April 17, to see the artwork of the young artists involved in this project.
The purpose of the project is to add creative detail to the current housing development in Manenberg, and to train Manenberg and Gugulethu residents mosaic art.
Beneficiaries of the project in Manenberg, where the murals are located, were actively involved in the designs that are beautifying their neighbourhood. They worked closely with the artist that designed the murals.
The artwork is the brainchild of the team that created the mosaic art installed at the entrance and exit doors to the Cape Town Civic Centre in 2016.
Three ladies from the original project, who showed great promise and enthusiasm, have subsequently been included by Mosaic Works on several new private commissions.
The new job opportunities have increased their skill levels and provided an income for the artists and their families. Murals for the second phase would be done once the construction for the rest of the houses had completed.
A total of six murals measuring about 60m² that were created in several panels, would be installed as part of the project.
“Through this initiative, we have invested in both this new neighbourhood and in the young people from the area. The mosaic murals, made with love by fellow community members, define and beautify our new housing project. The artworks are visible from the nearby Govan Mbeki Drive and pay tribute to the history and heritage of the neighbourhood. While creating these murals, the young artists are empowered with new skills that can help them in the future. As an added bonus, the murals need little to no maintenance once installed,” said Mr Herron.
