In the heart of the Cape township of Khayelitsha  CapeTownMagazine.com met with Golden, an incredible gentle but strong spirit who decided to take his future in his own hands by transforming empty cans into beautiful flowers.

Golden, who was unemployed for many years, is one of the people that bring a smile to your face. Every day, in his small workshop in the heart of Khayelitsha, Golden transforms cans of all sizes into beautiful, decorative and colourful flowers. He sells them to tourists who stop by during their townships tour, but also to local township bed & breakfasts as for instance Kopanong.

Golden recently received some good news, when an American lady contacted him and asked him to make a thousand flowers.

In his tiny workshop in the Khayelitsha Township, Golden explains why he decided to make flowers.

"Like many people in Khayelitsha I didn't have any work. I was desperate as I had a family to take care of," Golden says while transforming an empty Coca Cola can into a daisy. "I also had a dream, and that was to cover ugly places like garbage sites with beautiful flowers. Than, one day, I made a flower out of a can I found on the street."

In the years after, many flowers followed and what started out as a dream developed into a true Art. In Golden's tiny workshop hang hundreds of colourful flowers in all shapes and sizes, varying from daisies and roses to sunflowers.

Apart from creating wonderful decorative flowers, Golden helps his community in two ways: He contributes to both the waste problem and to poverty in his community.  "I ask children to bring me cans they find on the streets. I pay them 20 cents for a small can and 60 cents for a big one."

Per day Golden sells about ten to twenty flowers, of which the prices range from R10 for a daisy to R40 for a 30cm hand crafted and hand painted sunflower. Golden has preferences when it comes to can as not every can is the same: "I like Red Bull Cans the best because they don't rust as easily as for instance Coke cans."

If you'd like to visit Golden and know more about him and his creations, please contact CapeTownMagazine.com.

You can for instance meet Golden during a township tour organised by Cape Capers, a great tour operator that promotes sustainable and responsible (township) tourism.

Source: CapeTownMagazine.com / Miriam Mannak / 16 Feb 2006