Nondumisu Esther Ganca’s introduction to textiles was in 1993 when she was recruited by her sister to work with her and seven other women at a design company. Together they created waistcoats, cushion covers, placemats and tablecloths. In 2008 she drew upon the skills she had learned in previous years and began once again to work with fabrics, this time from home.
She started selling her products at the Hout Bay, Noordhoek and Pinelands markets, getting there early to ensure a good spot which would make the stall fee worthwhile. For the future she’d like to have a large exhibition of her work in her house in Khayelitsha so that regular customers from different markets could find her in one place. Her dream would be to export products overseas.
Back in 2000, Ganca was asked at a job interview to fill in the blank ‘Esther is…’ and she cried in response. Now, she doesn’t hesitate: “. stronger now… when I look at my life I tell myself I came from zero but I think I can get here… (points to a higher place) … I think I can be a hero.”