Port Alfred acrylic artist, Athabile Ngwenda’s creative art pieces are turning heads as he tries to get a foothold in the art world.
Twenty-six-year-old Ngwenda who resides in Ndlovini township, where he does his art work from home, has been drawing since Grade 4 when he was a pupil at Mtyobo Primary.
Competing with fellow pupils during break times, doing cartoon pencil sketches, honed his skills to the point where he now exhibits his eye-catching acrylic art at flea markets, festivals and Rise Cafe where he rents some wall space.
Talk of the Town sat down with Ngwenda at the eatery to talk about his work. One quickly realises the talented creative is not only a deep thinker, but engaging and quietly confident too.
“We used to draw our cartoons from TV characters – we knew that in the township at bout 5pm every child would be watching animated cartoons. At primary school we used to even create our own portfolios and brag about it and that’s where my love for art was born,” he said.
“It (art) just came to me and, after falling in love with it, I told myself, ‘this is what I want to be doing’.”
“In Grade 7, I attended a career day and presented my idea that I wanted to be an artist.”
“When I reached high school (Nomzamo Secondary School) I started to learn new tricks such as shading, and many other techniques. At that time I used to watch YouTube videos to perfect my skills. I do a lot of research. You Tube is my mentor,” he said with a mischievous laugh.
Ngwenda is aware of the importance of having a recognised qualification in art, but won’t allow the obstacles he’s been confronted with in obtaining a post-matric qualification to get him down.
“I did try but I didn’t have support at home to help finance studies. I did apply for NSFAS funding, and one art school agreed to take me in until NSFAS came through, but I had no money for accommodation and food so was forced to opt out.”
“I only had my aunt and my grandmother – a pensioner – at home looking after me. The money just wasn’t enough.”
Ngwenda continued working at a local retail store and honing his art skills at night in his room at home. “However I resigned last year because I didn’t have enough time to pursue my art.
“I won’t lie it was hard … I spent many nights thinking whether I had made the right decision. I then ventured in to tattoo art and am now I am in demand – and very busy with it. Even when I decided to venture in to tattoo art I had to grind it out, taking piecemeal jobs to buy the equipment.”
“That kind of struggle is meaningful,” said Ngwenda. Because when you finally do make it, you appreciate it more. Because then you value where you came from and you know how hard you worked.”
Ngwenda said once he had finished matric he used money from odd jobs to buy equipment which he used to paint emblems on Tshirts and jackets. “I left pencil sketching behind after high school as it was cheaper to buy pencils. I bought canvases and started painting and developed my skills further. In the world of art and drawing, the more you draw and paint, the more you learn.
“The art world is a hard, tough road to take, but, if you persist with it and love it you will enjoy it. Each new day I paint, I am falling in love with it more and more, and that’s where I find my peace … when I am painting.”
Ngwenda may not have qualifications in art but his natural ability is evident. The focus of his art is predominantly on women – and he explains why.
“I grew up in front of women mostly – I was raised by my mother who was a single mum but when she passed away, my aunt and grandmother took me in. My life was surrounded by women who looked after me. I know their struggles and I know how strong they are. That’s why my paintings are mostly about women.”
“You will always have a higher percentage of people who will say I never had a father figure in my life … which shows the impact of women on our society … so that’s why we should always preach about the strength of women.”
Ngwenda’s artistic flair as a tattoo artist has added another string to his bow. “At the moment it is tattoo art that is helping me to survive and I am very busy with it.”
My art sales are moving slow but I am aware, it doesn’t happen overnight. However, despite my busy life as a tattoo artist, I will never dispense with being an artist. I am painting day and night, knowing that my big break might be just around the corner.”
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This article was first published in Talk of the Town, August 21, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
