Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa

Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa Building a united, professional, and globally competitive future for South Africa's visual arts industry.

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27/12/2025

You can also follow on Instagram to see more.

Thobekile Shange is a Durban-based visual artist and cultural practitioner whose work moves fluidly between painting, te...
17/11/2025

Thobekile Shange is a Durban-based visual artist and cultural practitioner whose work moves fluidly between painting, textile-based sculpture, and material exploration. Her practice often draws on fabrics as vehicles to express layered narratives of care, emotional inheritance, and the intimacy of lived experience.

She currently serves as President of the Board at KZNSA Gallery (Durban), where she also sits on the Exhibitions Sub-Committee, and is a board member of the Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa (VACSA). Her leadership and governance roles are underscored by a curatorial sensibility that bridges artistic integrity and institutional vision.

Beyond visual arts, Thobekile has contributed to the artist management team for Msaki and the independent artist label ALTBLK>>, deepening her engagement with creative ecosystems and collaborative production. She is also associated with Art Official, the artist branch of The Chairman, where she continues to develop projects that connect art, sound, and social dialogue.

Mentored by artist and educator Dee Donaldson (Studio 3) for several years, Thobekile continues to refine a practice grounded in authenticity, craft, and cultural presence.

Prudence Magagula is a fine artist working in sculpture and ceramics, using clay to tell stories of strength, resilience...
13/11/2025

Prudence Magagula is a fine artist working in sculpture and ceramics, using clay to tell stories of strength, resilience, and womanhood. Her work challenges gender stereotypes by honouring the often-overlooked women of South Africa’s mining industry, portraying them as Imbokodo, the rocks of society.

In 2019, she received a Special Commendation in the PPC Imaginarium Awards for her sculptural work exploring gender violence and sexism faced by women mine workers. Through her art, she continues to spark dialogue around identity, labour, and dignity, reminding audiences of the quiet power found in resilience.

Beyond the studio, Prudence serves as a board member of the Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa (VACSA), where she advocates for representation and inclusion of underrepresented provinces and communities. With a background in administration, she brings both creative and structural strength to her leadership, shaping a more inclusive arts landscape for all.

Tshidiso Abel Makhetha, affectionately known to us as “Ntate” Makhetha, was born in Orlando East, Soweto, in the mid-197...
12/11/2025

Tshidiso Abel Makhetha, affectionately known to us as “Ntate” Makhetha, was born in Orlando East, Soweto, in the mid-1970s, when the air itself was rife with change. He grew up where revolution met rhythm, where teargas mixed with the smell of burning newspaper, and where children learned history before they even learned to spell it. Those early years, lived in the boil of the struggle, shaped not only his outlook but also his creative calling.

He completed his schooling at Selekela Secondary School in Orlando East, surrounded by the historical landmarks of Orlando Stadium and the first house built by James Sofasonke Mpanza. His passion for the arts led him to Pelmama Academy in Dobsonville, where he studied Graphic Design, Sculpture, Drawing, and Design, earning his N4 certificate. He later pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art and a Diploma at the University of the Witwatersrand, followed by a qualification in Project Management from Damelin Institute.

Makhetha’s career began at Funda Community College in Diepkloof, Soweto, where he lectured from 1997 to 2002 and managed the Metro Mall Sculpture Project in Johannesburg. In 2002, he joined the Johannesburg Art Gallery as Curator of Education, a position he held until 2010. During this time, he contributed to exhibitions such as Africa Remix, Dumile Feni Retrospective, and Thami Mnyele Retrospective. He also curated Mphophole by Lefifi Tladi at the National Cultural History Museum in Pretoria, officially opened by the Minister of Arts and Culture, Lulu Xingwana, in 2009.

In 2010, Makhetha became Curator of Visual Arts and Galleries at the City of Ekurhuleni, a role he held until 2018. He curated and managed several flagship projects, including the Thami Mnyele Art Competition, the Chris Hani Photographic Exhibition, and the Thami Mnyele Memorial Lecture series. His curatorial work reflects a deep commitment to preserving cultural memory while nurturing new artistic voices.

After several independent research projects with Khwela Factory and the Department of Arts and Culture, Makhetha rejoined the City of Ekurhuleni in 2021 as Manager of Visual Arts, where he continues to champion South African creativity, mentorship, and cultural preservation.

From the dusty streets of Orlando East to the quiet halls of galleries and municipal art spaces, Ntate Makhetha’s journey is proof that art can rise from protest, memory, and hope. His life and work stand as a reminder that creativity, when rooted in truth, is one of the most powerful forms of resistance.

Some people tell stories with words, others with images. Mvulazana Zidlele does both, and then some. She moves between v...
11/11/2025

Some people tell stories with words, others with images. Mvulazana Zidlele does both, and then some. She moves between village dust and city light, turning everyday moments into something worth remembering. Her work hums with meaning, rooted in rhythm, place, and purpose.

Mvulazana Awonke Zidlele, known spiritually as Mvulazana, which means Rain, is an Indigenous woman from both the Amampondo and Xhosa nations in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Her life moves between rural villages and urban spaces, shaping a creative practice that bridges tradition and contemporary expression.

A multidisciplinary storyteller, Zidlele works across photography, graphic design, copywriting, and cultural documentation. She captures ancestral practices, rites of passage, and the spiritual bonds between people and land. Her ongoing photo series UNTONJANA celebrates the coming-of-age ceremony of young Amampondo women, a sacred event where rain signals ancestral blessing and renewal. Through her lens, the ordinary becomes ceremonial, and heritage comes alive.

Her work has taken her across Africa, connecting communities, corporations, and cultural institutions. She has supported social impact programs in mining regions, empowering local farmers to build sustainable supply chains while strengthening community wellbeing. As a recent Board Member of the Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa and the Provincial Head for the Eastern Cape, she brings overlooked voices to light, advocating for Indigenous and rural artists.

Guided by the belief that the health of people and the land are inseparable, Zidlele’s academic background spans Journalism, Politics, Philosophy, Art History, and Photography, complemented by courses in Ecology and Sustainable Development, and leadership training through the JAMI Femmes Programme in London.

Through her work, she creates a space where creativity, culture, and responsibility meet. Zidlele celebrates heritage while imagining new possibilities, reminding the world that creativity is both a gift and a duty, a bridge between the past and what is yet to come.

Some people carry an energy that can only be described as lightning in slow motion. That’s Saba Zahara HoneyBush. She’s ...
11/11/2025

Some people carry an energy that can only be described as lightning in slow motion. That’s Saba Zahara HoneyBush. She’s the kind of creative who doesn’t just think outside the box; she turns the box into an art installation, writes a song about it, then gets the community to paint it together. With roots stretching from the Cape Flats to global classrooms, Saba blends strategy, art, and innovation into something that feels both deeply African and daringly future-facing.

Saba Zahara HoneyBush is a multidisciplinary strategist, communicator, and creative facilitator whose work bridges art, technology, and social innovation. As a Board Member of both the Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa (VACSA) and the Artscape Theatre Centre, she leads initiatives that strengthen South Africa’s creative ecosystem while promoting inclusive cultural policy and collaboration. She is committed to bridging divides between visual arts, performing arts, and music, fostering interdisciplinary projects that connect diverse forms of cultural expression.

With experience in creative, cultural, and green sector communications, Saba has guided businesses and organisations in strategy and implementation to amplify social impact across cultural, environmental, and community sectors. She holds an MBA in Social Entrepreneurship obtained in Switzerland, is currently pursuing a Master’s in Integrative Eco-Social Design, and was selected by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Regional Office for Africa to join a training programme for ICT Network Managers in Indigenous and rural communities, in partnership with AFRALTI and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC).

As an artist, Saba is a vocalist, filmmaker, sculptor, and founder of the HoneyBush Healing Arts Platform, working with children and young people both within formal schooling and outside it to heal trauma through creativity, storytelling, and public art murals. Her projects include murals with children in communities on the Cape Flats and rural regions outside the city, a mural with rural women on a railway station in India, later adopted as a national project by the National Railways of India, and painting an entire wooden village school in Uganda with children’s artwork. She achieved a double distinction in Visual Art in matric and studied Batik Design in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Her work has also led to international exhibitions and children’s art auctions in Italy and Sweden, raising funds for education and wellbeing.

In her new role as Deputy Treasurer and Board Member, Saba brings not only sharp strategic insight but also the rare ability to connect purpose with play. She reminds us that creativity isn’t a luxury; it’s a language that can heal, unite, and reimagine how we build. We’re thrilled to have her energy, her vision, and that spark

There’s something powerful about people who see both the art and the algorithm. As we keep introducing the brilliant min...
07/11/2025

There’s something powerful about people who see both the art and the algorithm. As we keep introducing the brilliant minds behind the Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa, meet a board member who’s reimagining how African creativity lives in the digital world, where culture meets code and imagination knows no bounds: Fhumulani Msandiwa.

Fhumulani is a curator and art director at the forefront of innovation in the digital art space, where technology and creativity join to preserve and expand African cultural expression in contemporary formats. His curatorial approach challenges conventions by introducing new models of cultural participation and merging traditional artistry with emerging digital technologies, including NFTs and blockchain-based art ecosystems.

Fhumulani approaches curation and design through a human-centred and critical lens, which empowers him to translate complex social and cultural ideas into powerful visual narratives that resonate across disciplines from publishing and theatre to digital media and immersive art experiences.

As the Founder and Director of Meta Creations, Fhumulani has led a wide range of creative projects spanning non-profit communication strategies, corporate storytelling, and cultural initiatives. His body of work exemplifies how design and curation can function as tools for communication, education, and social transformation, rather than aesthetics alone.

At VACSA, he brings his visionary perspective on digital innovation to the broader goal of advancing the visual arts sector in South Africa, ensuring that artists remain active participants in shaping the continent’s creative future.

Innovation needs vision, and vision needs community. Stay close, because we’re just getting started sharing the incredible people shaping the future of the visual arts in South Africa.

Since you’re getting to know us, you might as well start getting familiar with the ones who keep the books balanced and ...
07/11/2025

Since you’re getting to know us, you might as well start getting familiar with the ones who keep the books balanced and the conversations flowing. Meet our Treasurer and National Spokesperson, Khanyisile Mvukela

Khanyisile is a dynamic, creative professional with a diverse background spanning community radio, arts consultancy, and creative production. Her career began in community radio management and production, where she also honed her voice as a presenter, connecting deeply with audiences and local creatives.

Khanyisile works as a consultant driven by a passion for helping artists turn their dreams into reality. She plays a vital role in supporting visual artists by assisting with their printing and framing needs, ensuring they are well-prepared for the exhibition and sale of their works.

Recognising that many emerging artists struggle to find a starting point in showcasing their art to the world, Khanyisile takes great pleasure in guiding them through this creative journey, from concept to presentation, with care, insight, and practical expertise.

She’s proof that numbers and creativity can speak the same language. Keep an eye out, there’s more of our story to come.

We know, we’ve been quiet. But honestly, we were just doing what everyone does before stepping out into the world: figur...
05/11/2025

We know, we’ve been quiet. But honestly, we were just doing what everyone does before stepping out into the world: figuring out how we look. Because really, who goes outside before checking the mirror? We’ve been fixing our digital collar, brushing off the dust, and making sure our online face matches the energy we’re about to bring.

Now that we’re ready to step out, it’s time to introduce the incredible humans behind our vision. Up first is someone whose creative foresight keeps us grounded and inspired… Our chairperson, Mr Lentswe Martin Mathole

Lentswe Mathole is a visionary leader with over 20 years of experience in organisational management, arts development, and creative entrepreneurship. As Founder and Executive Director of the Siyavuka Lateral Improvement Foundation (SLIF), he has been instrumental in revitalising South Africa’s arts and craft ecosystem, nurturing creative talent, fostering enterprise development, and building strategic partnerships that empower young artists and entrepreneurs.

Combining artistic insight with strategic foresight, Lentswe integrates contemporary leadership frameworks such as Narrative, Integral, Neuroleadership, Social Intelligence, and Gestalt within the South African business context. His mission is to position the visual arts as a global driver of cultural identity, economic inclusion, and innovation.

He holds a Diploma in Ceramic Art and Design from the FUBA School of Arts, a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration, and an MPhil in Business Management (Corporate Strategy and Strategic Foresight), both from the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS).

And that’s just the beginning, so get ready to meet the rest of the board members who bring their creativity, vision, and energy to keep us moving forward.

The Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa (VACSA) is beginning its journey to connect with the people who make up our coun...
03/11/2025

The Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa (VACSA) is beginning its journey to connect with the people who make up our country’s vibrant visual arts community.

We’re inviting artists, collectors, organisations, and supporters to join us as we launch the National Visual Arts Constituency Mapping Programme, under the theme .

This is the first step in building a shared understanding of who we are as a sector — and where our voices meet.

Follow our updates, share your stories, and help us shape this conversation together.

Supported by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) in partnership with Andani.Africa, BASA, and CATHSSETA.

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