Fish Hoek's Super Sandman showcases sculptures at Johannesburg's Rand Show

Fish Hoek’s well-known sand sculpture artist Innocent Zungu, known to locals as Super Sandman, recently showcased his work at the Rand Show in Johannesburg.

The event took place at Nasrec from Thursday April 17 to Monday April 21 and is one of South Africa’s largest consumer exhibitions, featuring a wide range of entertainment, exhibitions and family-friendly activities.

Mr Zungu has been creating sand sculptures for 24 years. This was his second time attending the Rand Show, his first being in 2014 as a guest of Durban Tourism.

He said he was invited by a Facebook friend who is one of the organisers of the show. He stayed in Johannesburg for 13 days, with his travel and accommodation covered.

One of the highlights of the show, he said, was the reaction of children to his sculptures, especially those featuring sea creatures.

"For the children in Jo'burg we brought the beach to them and they don't get to see it every day like we do. The sea creatures fascinated them and if I go next time I want to do a short talk to teach the children about the sea creatures," he said.

Over the five days of the show, Mr Zungu built a 1.8-metre-high castle surrounded by sea life, including a whale, a mermaid, sharks and seals. The castle took four days to complete. He also sculpted a VW Beetle and created a separate sculpture of the Rand Show logo.

The sculptures were made using plaster sand.

"It worked well and it's not that different from beach sand," he said.

He said the experience was "amazing" and there was much to see.

Mr Zungu began his journey as a “water boy” for sand sculpture artists on Durban’s beaches after he ran away from home. He lived on the streets for eight years and taught himself the craft by observing other artists at work.