About Us
About Ilithalomsa Craft from Waste
Ilithalomsa Craft from Waste began as a humble beach-cleaning initiative led by a group of over twenty women. Every day, we cleaned for eight hours, covering the stretch from Long Beach to Cape Point. We collected piles of plastic bottles, bottle tops, discarded oil containers and thick ropes — most of it washed ashore, much of it labelled in unreadable foreign languages. Along the way, we also looked after the sea creatures we encountered, calling in environmental experts whenever we found one in distress.
The initiative was founded by Vali Musa, the former Tourism Minister in 2002. It was created with a simple but powerful goal: to provide employment opportunities to women who had never worked before, regardless of their education level or literacy. Many of us were hired on two-year contracts, but as time passed, we realized the need for a sustainable solution beyond temporary employment.
Our turning point came when a woman named Monique Fagan visited our group. She encouraged us to create a safe space to share our stories, our backgrounds and cherished memories.
Mama Yandiswa Mazwana, driving force behind Masi Creative Hub and Ilithalomsa Craft from Waste
Monique Fagan, talented artist and waste activist, with a wall hanging made from recycled bottle tops
From those conversations, ideas for products were born. Monique guided us in refining and presenting our work — teaching us how to transform what others see as waste into beautiful, meaningful pieces.
She later introduced us to a local shop that sold sculptures. We were nervous and lacked confidence, unsure if anyone would value creations made from what we once called “dirty junk.”
To our surprise, the shop owner loved our work and soon we were surrounded by buyers praising our creativity and telling us how clever and talented we were. That day changed our lives — we found confidence, pride and purpose. We have never looked back.
Since then, our story has been shared through documentaries, featured on Top Billing, Headwrap and various magazines. We have showcased our work at Design Indaba, met international buyers and taken part in global exhibitions.
Thanks to our craft, we go to bed each night with food on the table. Out of this journey, the Masi Creative Hub was born — a space dedicated to honouring where we’ve come from and the beauty we’ve created together. Ilithalomsa is more than just a craft collective. It is a story of resilience, sisterhood and turning waste into wonder.