Recycled metal and welding art 

Metal Arts began in the back yard in the townships in 2001. The initiator, Jack had a job as welder for a metal artist but decidede to start business for himself. He arranged for a small work bench and under a many coloured tropical umbrella, he started his experiments with new designs. After two years he moved into town to another back yard with a handful men with welding skills. They build a shed to avoid the baking sun, and collected raw materials such as oildrums and left over steel from door frames and doors. The method to create a charming duck is as follows: The oil drum is hammered out flat and cut into the wanted shape, then welded and at the end varnished.   House by the Sea started dealing with them in 2006 and they are now seven men and women and have moved into a better workshop with office fasilities. Not many companies are scaling up in present days Zimbabwe but Jack is more got initiatives, he is also a good business man, who knows how to keep his work mates happy. Since 2006 we have discussed security and worker conditions and they have got the proper protection and they import welding roots from SA or Botswana to avoid the flu syntoms from the local roots. House by the Sea is assisting them with ear protection units.  It is going quite well for the Metal Arts team, they work a lot and at odd hour. The electricity supply is getting worse and worse and they have days with out eletricity because of Zimbabwes crisis.They cannot weld and the men are therefore sleeping in the workshop to be ready, when the electricity comes - often 3 o'clock at night.     Metal Arts have customers in USA and Europe and in the Southen Region. Lately they have got a stand in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. Every Saturday, Jack goes by the public transport more than 500km away to Lusaka, with boxes of welding to sell at the Lusaka Tourist market. " What you do to survive, " he says with a smile and a shake of the shoulders.