WATCH: Empangeni painter turns concrete into art
We chatted to the man that is making a wall in Main Road, Empangeni a bit more appealing.
RESIDENTS might have noticed the retaining wall next to Main Road in Empangeni is getting a little bit of a makeover.
Metres from passing traffic, Mbuso Hlongwa (38) a freelance sign writer from eSikhawini has been painting the City of uMhlathuze logo and other details on the wall to make the slab of concrete more pleasing to the eye.
Hlongwa is employed by JR Signs in Richards Bay after the the City of uMhlathuze contracted the company to give the wall a make-over.
‘I have been painting since I was very young,’ he said. ‘It has always been my passion.’
He left his other odd-jobs and became a full-time painter in 2001.
‘I love doing portraits and landscapes, this is just an extra income,’ he said, pointing at eagle he painted by hand for the logo.
Mbuso does not use stencils, but rather marks the space to be painted with chalk dots before painting the lettering and images.
Originally from Durban, Mbuso has been living in the Empangeni area for almost 20 years.
‘When I was much younger, I just decided one day I was going to paint, and I have been doing it ever since. I love it.’
Check out our video below:
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