These are a selection of Imbali graduates who are doing exciting things in the fields of craft, art, design and creative education. Please feel free to contact these individuals directly should you want to find out more about what they do or place orders for any of their products.
Unathi Mgolombane
Unathi graduated from Imbali in 2022 and developed doba.upcycle, where she turns found materials into sustainable jewellery. She was selected for the Woolworths Youth Makers Programme in 2024. This helped establish a small home studio – the first step towards her envisioned Doba Upcycling Centre. She is part of the Orange Corner’s second incubation cohort at Creative Design Industries, designed to support emerging creative businesses. Unathi was also selected for The Antidote Africa Project, which transforms fashion waste into marketable products. She is now expanding doba.upcycle by creating multifunctional statement pieces for fashion and interior spaces.

You can find Unathi on Instagram at doba.upcycle

Unathi can be contacted on: 063 3980385

email: doba.creative@gmail.com

Lesego Siane

Lesego discovered her passion for embroidery while studying at Imbali. She graduated in 2020 and has continued developing her design and stitching skills. In 2022, she joined sustainable floral artist, Emely van Heesch, where she helped create plant and flower designs for Johannesburg hotels. Lesego believes that working between embroidery and floristry is the perfect outlet for her creativity: floristry builds her self-expression and confidence, while embroidery teaches her patience and peace. Lesego loves telling stories through embroidery and is excited to see where her passion leads her next.

Lesegosiane12@gmail.com

Lesego can be contacted on: 0613434239

Facebook/Instagram: Lesego Siane

Sthembiso Mdakane
Sthembiso Mdakane graduated from Imbali in 2021 with a passion for art, sewing and embroidery. He was determined to share his skills and the joy of art-making with children. In 2024, Sthembiso qualified as a Community Arts Practitioner after completing an intensive course with the Butterfly Art Project. He currently teaches visual arts to children in Protea Glen, Soweto, and has continued to refine his sewing and embroidery skills by creating bright, beautiful embroidery pieces.
Sithembiso can be contacted on: 0838227026

Email: sthembisomdakane@gmail.com

Jan Moloi
Jan graduated from Imbali in 2018 and has since been creating beautiful embroidery pieces, bags and jewellery. He is originally from the Free State and joined Imbali to expand his craft, business and technical skills, moving beyond the cardboard models of rural, urban and township scenes he made previously but struggled to sell. At Imbali, Jan participated in a programme with the House of Embroidery, where he produced three embroidery panels exhibited at the Houston Quilt Fair – all sold on the first day. Jan also launched a community outreach project, teaching inner-city youth to screen print.
Jan can be contacted on: 0630891173
Fundi Sithole
Fundi embarked on a successful career as a ceramic artist after graduating in 2018. She became an intern for Kim Sacks in 2019 and has since exhibited her unique artworks at the Funda Centre, the Nelson Mandela Museum, Artsy Online, Vusiziwe Online and the Fenon Art Gallery in Maboneng, among others. Fundi participated in in the Constitution Hill Art Aid Programme and contributed to the NAC’s Imboko and Impanda Sesiko projects. She is currently expanding her entrepreneurial skills through the BASA Debut Programme and recently presented a striking exhibition of sea-inspired ceramics at Victoria Yards.
Fundi can be contacted on:  0836329784; fundipottery@gmail.com ; Fundijoy Pottery on FB; Fundile_Sithole on Instagram
Sello Christopher Mdlane
Sello is a craft artist and entrepreneur from Mogale City, Gauteng. He graduated from Imbali in 2010 and pursued his passion for textile design, exhibiting his first range of hand-screen-printed fabrics in 2012. He established Christopher Textile in 2017, specialising in 100% cotton fabrics that are hand-printed using stencil and photographic screen-printing techniques. His original designs are inspired by traditional African culture and heritage. Sello also creates bags, aprons and other products that celebrate his colourful, distinctive fabrics.
Sello can be contacted on: 078 643 1193 SELLOMDLANE@gmail.com  Sello Christopher on facebook.
Mondli Khobeni
Mondli grew up in Emdeni, Soweto, with a strong sense of personal style and a fascination with how clothing is made. He became determined to study fashion after meeting a local fashion designer who created custom pieces for him. He enrolled at Imbali in 2015. Here, he discovered new creative worlds, from appliqué and patchwork to printing, dyeing and ceramics. Mondli graduated in 2017 and earned a fashion design qualification in 2019. Today, he creates original outfits and accessories, often transforming discarded materials into new pieces. For example, Mondli finds torn shopping bags (khonza ekhaya) and mends them to create quality bags. He is working to raise capital and launch his own fashion brand, hopefully creating job opportunities in the future.
You can contact Mondli on: 0677428526
Sizwe Hendrick Eksteen
Sizwe grew up in the dusty township of Protea Glen, surrounded by mines. He was raised by his supportive grandparents who he describes as “wonderful”. He has a wide range of interests, including textile design, embroidery, sewing, painting, soft toy making and appliqué. He graduated in 2018 and has since focused on pattern construction, bag manufacturing and refining his tailoring skills. Sizwe has partnered with local brands to create innovate products and is committed to continuously expanding his skill set. He hopes to grow his business to a point where he can employ others and help reduce social challenges in his community.
You can contact Sizwe on: 074 7461128. His email is S.H.Eksteen@gmail.com and Sizwe Eksteen on Facebook
Thuli Maseko
Thuli graduated from Imbali in 2018 and returned in 2019 to refine her skills while launching her own business. She set up a studio with her friends and began sewing clothes, cushions, make-up bags, pencil cases, laundry baskets, picnic baskets and even dog beds. She also explored theatre make-up during this time. In 2020, Thuli began designing and sewing plus-size clothes and was nominated for the SAFA Best Female Designer Award in April of that year.
You can contact Thuli on: 064 409 8908
Sifiso Suntsha
Sifiso discovered his artistic talent early, and after studying marketing and graphic design, he enrolled at Imbali in 2016. He learned many new skills during the programme, including screen printing, block printing, embroidery, appliqué and sewing. Sifiso completed a year-long internship at Imbali after graduating, where he facilitated in the studio and lead teacher workshops across several provinces. He later worked as a visual arts facilitator for Khula Unqobe, and his work was permanently installed in the Worker’s Museum in 2020. Sifiso is now trained in community healing through art. He is also completing a CATHSSETA learnership and life-coach training while running a clothing business.
You can contact Sifiso on: 073 944 1721 His email is sifisosuntsha@gmail.com
Isaac Mathontsi

Isaac has followed in the footsteps of his stepfather, who was a shoemaker. He graduated from Imbali and now has his own company called Phanda Creations, where he makes his own designer shoes and clothing.
You can contact Isaac on: 062 770 7633
Sbongile Ngobeni
Sbongile became a teaching assistant and an intern at Imbali after graduating in 2016. Since then, she has been developing her own sewing business called Zamankomo. She now creates a wide range of garments – including uniforms and wedding dresses – which she sells at markets and produces on commission. Sbongile has also embraced teaching, where she facilitates potato printing, screen printing and sewing workshops for both children and adults. In 2024, Sbongile travelled to a major market in Marseilles, France, representing South Africa as the only exhibitor from the country. “People love South Africa!” Sbongile says.
You can contact Sbo on: 082 745 0078