By Buziwe Nocuze
- Mzimasi Kulati makes mud bricks in Lusikisiki after his wife had to ask neighbours for food because of high prices.
- Kulati charges R1,000 for 1,000 bricks with help or R2,000 if alone and completes the work in under two weeks.
Mzimasi Kulati is a 45-year-old man from Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape who makes mud bricks to support his family.
Kulati said he started the work after he could not accept his wife asking neighbours for food.
“It didn’t sit well with me that my wife was going around asking people for food. Everyone is struggling because food prices are high, so I had to find a way to provide,” he said.
Kulati charges R1,000 for every 1,000 bricks if someone helps him fetch water and prepare the mud. If he works alone, doing everything himself, he charges R2,000.
“If I fetch water, make the mud and mould the bricks alone, it is very hard work, but at least my family eats,” he said. “I use the money to buy food so my wife doesn’t have to ask for help.”
Kulati said it takes him less than two weeks to complete 1,000 bricks, depending on the weather.
“I don’t work when it’s raining. The bricks need hot weather to dry properly,” he said.
Rain can destroy freshly made bricks, forcing him to replace them. He also loses some bricks when animals step on them before they dry.
“That’s why I try to make bricks only when it’s very hot, so I don’t repeat the same work,” he said.
Kulati said he will continue making mud bricks for as long as he has no other job.
Pictured above: A man making mud bricks.
Image source: Pexels
