East London – With an extensive background in fine arts and years of experience working with both public and private sectors, Nkokheli Mzimba is an artist who possesses passion, skill and determination. He has established himself as a prominent figure within the art community. Today, he continues to make waves as he paints the Beachfront in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) in East London.
Mzimba’s journey in the art Industry began during his high school years, where he discovered his love for fine arts. He pursued his passion by studying arts and design at East London College, eventually moving on to Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). Although he did not complete his studies at TUT, he returned after 3 years to obtain a BA degree in fine arts, along with an Honors degree from the University of Fort Hare (UFH).
His talent caught the attention of the MTNSA Foundation, where he did his training and collaborated on various projects, including exhibitions and gifting portraits to UFH alumni. In 2013, Mzimba took a step forward and registered his own company Khelz Trading.
“the footprint that we are doing now we hope is going to propel them into hiring us so we can do the next two and a half years in various areas under the BCM. I mean, we want to do the other townships from your Duncan village and Nompumelelo. We want to do collaboration projects there. We want to do the small towns like Ntabozuko,” Nkokheli Mzimba.
However, he has encountered a few challenges along the way, funding is one of them and has consistently posed a hurdle. He is currently working under Lifestyle Workshop; the company that awarded the tender for the beautification project on the beachfront in BCMM. Inspired by the rich heritage of IsiXhosa attire and jewellery, they visited museums for their research to get patterns and symbolism that influenced the final artwork and worked also mentoring the advanced diploma arts students from Walter Sisulu University (WSU).
“We’ve been writing several projects, trying to get funding so we can beautify some decaying parts of the Eastern Cape. I mean, we’ve written to the Department of Arts and Culture, we wanted to beautify the stadium in King William’s Town and to do murals of the legends,” Mr Mzimba.
Mzimba’s concept aimed to pay homage to African heroes and legends from the Eastern Cape. Similar discussions have taken place with the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality regarding public art initiatives.
“So, we want the residents of East London to come and enjoy and make it a tourist attraction for everyone. And hopefully, of course, it must impact the economic development of the metro,” he added. Nkokheli Mzimba’s artistic journey is a testament to the power of passion, perseverance, and collaboration. Through his remarkable talent and dedication, he continues to make indelible marks on the cultural landscape of the Eastern Cape and strives to bring more beauty and historical significance to the region’s monuments.
