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Crafts that empower, uplift and inspire.
ARTIST PROFILE
Ntombifuthi Magwaza Sibiya is an award-winning telephone-wire artist from Nongoma, KwaZulu-Natal. She began weaving in 1993 after being taught by the late Anna-Maria Dlamini of Siyanda and quickly developed her signature style – bold colour combinations, intricate geometric patterns, and a unique blend of Zulu and Ndebele influences.
Over the years, Ntombifuthi has refined a distinctive artistic approach centred on precision, symmetry, and striking use of colour. While many telephone-wire artists incorporate figurative and pictorial motifs into their work, she chose to focus on geometric forms and meticulous craftsmanship, transforming these elements into the hallmark of her practice. Her baskets are admired for their technical excellence, cultural depth, and unmistakable visual identity.
Her exceptional talent has earned her two FNB Vita Craft Now Awards, placing her among South Africa’s leading wire weavers. Today, her baskets are collected locally and internationally and are recognised as outstanding examples of contemporary South African craft.
Her work is part of the exhibition iNgqikithi yokuPhica/Weaving Meanings: Telephone Wire Art from South Africa at the Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA). Described as the first major exhibition of telephone-wire art in a North American museum, the exhibition includes both historical and contemporary works and foregrounds the voices of the artists through interviews and process videos. A Forbes magazine article described the exhibition as one of the “special exhibitions unsurpassed anywhere in America.”
Her works are also held in numerous South African museum collections, including the Phansi Museum and the KwaMuhle Museum Collection. Her work forms part of the permanent collection of the Phansi Museum, and she participated in a wire-weaving demonstration event at MOIFA in July 2025.
As part of the celebrated telephone-wire weaving community of Siyanda, Ntombifuthi plays an important role in maintaining and advancing a uniquely South African art form born during a time when traditional materials were scarce. She has also shared her skills with younger members of the community, helping to ensure that the knowledge and techniques of telephone-wire weaving continue to be passed on to future generations.
Following a difficult period after the loss of her husband, Ntombifuthi found renewed confidence and creative momentum through her weaving practice. Guided by a belief in embracing opportunities and having confidence in one’s work; she continues to create pieces that reflect both personal resilience and the enduring innovation of South Africa’s telephone-wire weaving tradition.
