Monkeybiz

Monkeybiz Monkeybiz is a non-profit that empowers women through African beadwork: https://monkeybiz.co.za/

The festive season is coming... and we're bringing the beads!Our Christmas collection is back, bringing a little Monkeyb...
12/10/2026

The festive season is coming... and we're bringing the beads!

Our Christmas collection is back, bringing a little Monkeybiz colour and personality to the festive season. ❤️💚

Handmade by our artists, one bead at a time, these are the decorations you'll bring out year after year.

And if you're sending a little piece of South Africa overseas this festive season, now is the time to start shopping. 🌍🎁

Explore our Festive Collection via the link in our bio

From a handful of beads to a one-of-a-kind statement piece. ✨In 2021, we were commissioned to create this bespoke beaded...
09/10/2026

From a handful of beads to a one-of-a-kind statement piece. ✨

In 2021, we were commissioned to create this bespoke beaded console for artist , in collaboration with .

But before there was a finished piece, there were the tools of the trade, plenty of beads, lots of discussion and our artists working together to bring the vision to life.

Swipe to see the journey. →

This is what happens when traditional beadwork meets contemporary design.

Interested in a bespoke Monkeybiz piece for a project, interior or collection? Get in touch through our website.

Can you believe these are made out of beads? 🧡🧡🥕Our beaded fruit & veggie collection is so full of ✨ whimsy ✨and beautif...
07/10/2026

Can you believe these are made out of beads? 🧡🧡🥕

Our beaded fruit & veggie collection is so full of ✨ whimsy ✨and beautiful details.
Available in a collection of 12 different pieces - each a wonderful collectible piece for your home.

Which one is your fave? 💛

Every artist has a signature ✨Zisiwe Lumkwana has been beading with Monkeybiz for over 2 decades! She is a Collectible A...
05/10/2026

Every artist has a signature ✨

Zisiwe Lumkwana has been beading with Monkeybiz for over 2 decades!
She is a Collectible Artist who creates her own frames by inspiration she gets from library books 📚

Zisiwe is a disabled pensioner that has poor vision in 1 eye but caries on beading everyday to keep herself occupied, keep her flow of income and to harness her creative mind.

Swipe 👉 to see some of Zisiwe's available artworks that are on our website 💛

What happens when heritage comes home? ✨You create authentic spaces that have stories to tell. There is great value in a...
02/10/2026

What happens when heritage comes home? ✨

You create authentic spaces that have stories to tell.
There is great value in an item that was fashioned out of hands, that was held, loved and thoughtfully created.

In a world that constantly moves, which items in your home makes you slow down to appreciate them?

Nosipho Mafrica is one of a few Monkeybiz bead artists who beads using a technique we call glue-beading. Nosipho painsta...
30/09/2026

Nosipho Mafrica is one of a few Monkeybiz bead artists who beads using a technique we call glue-beading.

Nosipho painstakingly picks up bead by bead and places them onto the artwork to create a specific design.

This beautiful framed beaded artwork is now available at at the Silo District at V&A Waterfront. Limited stock is available ✨

Our beaded runners bring bright colourful stories straight to your table 💛💚Each picture mat tells a story inspired by th...
28/09/2026

Our beaded runners bring bright colourful stories straight to your table 💛💚

Each picture mat tells a story inspired by the communities our artists come from - their homes, their surroundings and even the animals that live alongside them.

We love seeing traditional beadwork brought into contemporary spaces, where these colourful stories can take centre stage. ✨

What colour table runner would you put in your home? 🏠

Heritage isn't standing still. Neither is beadwork.For many Indigenous communities across Southern Africa, beads were ne...
25/09/2026

Heritage isn't standing still. Neither is beadwork.

For many Indigenous communities across Southern Africa, beads were never simply decoration.

They could communicate identity, belonging, status and important stages of life. Different styles, colours and adornments could carry meaning understood within a particular community.

At Monkeybiz, our work is rooted in the rich tradition of South African beadwork, while our artists continue to take this heritage somewhere new.

Because heritage isn't something that has to remain exactly as it was.

✨ It can be carried forward.
✨ Reimagined.
✨ And created again by every new generation of artists.

From heritage to contemporary art - one bead at a time. 🧵

Tune in tomorrow morning to the Expresso Show on S3 between 6-9am for a Heritage Day special with Monkeybiz 🇿🇦 💛We will...
23/09/2026

Tune in tomorrow morning to the Expresso Show on S3 between 6-9am for a Heritage Day special with Monkeybiz 🇿🇦 💛

We will be talking about the beautiful heritage of South African beadwork and how Monkeybiz has helped to keep this tradition alive for 26 years!

It's Heritage week in South Africa and we thought we would share a little bit about the Monkeybiz history ✨In the year 2...
23/09/2026

It's Heritage week in South Africa and we thought we would share a little bit about the Monkeybiz history ✨

In the year 2000, Monkeybiz was birthed by 2 artists, Barbara Jackson, Shirley Fintz and their student, Mathapelo Ngaka.

The first item ever created at Monkeybiz was a beaded doll made by Mathapelo's mother: Makatiso Ngaka. The beaded dolls became so popular that Mathapelo & Makatiso had to recruit and train women from their township community to keep up with the demand.

Swipe 👉 to see what one of the first ever dolls looked like & to see the Monkeybiz founders 💛

Address

Island Centre, Cnr Paarden Eiland & Cumberland Roads, Paarden Eiland
Cape Town
8001

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 16:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 16:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 16:00
Thursday 09:00 - 16:00
Friday 09:00 - 13:00

Telephone

+27214248263

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Monkeybiz posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Monkeybiz:

Shortcuts

Share

Category