Join photographer Grace Remondo and local guide Mr. T on a misty morning walk through Zwelihle, Hermanus. Discover the vibrant history, entrepreneurial spirit, and daily life of a community that proudly calls itself an 'African Suburb.
The Journal
Reflections on photographic journeys, tactile interventions, and the quiet narratives behind the collections.
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A White Morning in Zwelihle
The Hands that feed - A photographic walk
The Landscape of Resilience
December mornings in Hermanus can begin softly, wrapped in mist. On this particular morning, the white fog felt like an invitation—one that led me into Zwelihle, an African suburb rich in history, resilience, and quiet creativity.
I’m Grace Remondo, a Cape Town–based photographer, and this walk was not about spectacle. It was about hands—the hands that build, cook, repair, sew, and care.
The Web of Life
Zwelihle: A Web of Life
Zwelihle—“Beautiful Place” in isiXhosa—is often defined by what it lacks. But what my lens encountered was connection.
From History to an Emerging African Suburb
“We don’t say township anymore,” my guide told me.
“We say African Suburb.”
The Hands That Feed
This walk became an inventory of hands.
Hands restoring sneakers.
The Artisan at Work
Hands sewing clothes and car seats inside corrugated iron workspaces.
Heritage in Motion / The Heart of the Kitchen
Hands stirring umngqusho at Lelethu’s Kitchen, lifting a lid heavy with steam and heritage.
These are hands that feed more than the stomach.
They feed continuity.
They feed dignity.
Food as a Language of Care
From warm amagwinya wrapped in thin plastic to shisanyama cooked over open wood fires, food in Zwelihle is slow, social, and generous.
At one moment, a pair of hands extended freshly made vetkoek toward me.
No words were needed.
Provision was the message.
Why This Walk Matters
Zwelihle is not temporary.
Its structures are homes.
Its colours are memory.
Here, feeding also means educating, healing, and nurturing futures. At places like Little Stars Educare and Izibusiso Foster Home, care is practiced daily, quietly, and collectively.
Looking Ahead — December 2026
This walk through Zwelihle is not a one-time encounter. I plan to return in December 2026 during the school holidays to facilitate a photographic workshop with young people.
The workshop will use photography as a tool for storytelling, care, and dialogue, with a particular focus on gender-based violence (GBV)—creating a safe space for expression, reflection, and repair.
This approach is deeply connected to my ongoing practice and to my self-published photobook, The Rebuilt Horizon: an inventory of absence and light. In this work, I use a process of destroying and repairing photographic prints, inspired by the Japanese art of Kintsugi, in which cracks are not hidden but honoured.
The workshop will extend this philosophy: acknowledging rupture, creating space for healing, and transforming damage into meaning.
To make this possible, I will be seeking partnerships and sponsorships to support travel, accommodation, and photographic equipment.
If you are a cultural institution, school, NGO, or organization interested in education, arts, or GBV prevention, I welcome the opportunity to connect.
This project reminded me why I photograph—to witness everyday resilience and honour the creativity woven into ordinary life.
Thank you for walking with me through Zwelihle.
— Grace Remondo
Photographer | Cape Town
Struisbaai Fishermen & Coastal Stories
It all begins with an idea.
Struisbaai is one of those places that doesn’t ask for attention — it just settles into you. It’s a quiet harbour village near Cape Agulhas, where the land softens into sea and time feels slower. I spent days there watching the fishermen move with a rhythm that’s older than memory. Nets, boats, hands — everything shaped by salt and wind.
The beach stretches impossibly far, and the light shifts constantly — soft, then sharp, then golden. There’s a stingray named Parrie who glides through the shallows like he’s part of the town’s heartbeat. And the wreck of the Meisho Maru leans into the surf like a rusted prayer — broken, but still listening.
It’s not dramatic. It’s not loud. But it stays with you. Struisbaai is where I go to remember how stillness can speak.
Where stillness holds
I didn’t go to Struisbaai looking for stories. I went to listen.
There’s a rhythm to the harbour — slow, deliberate, shaped by tide and time. The fishermen move as the sea taught them how. Nets are cast, boats return, and the wind carries everything that isn’t said.
This series is my way of holding that rhythm. It is tracing the quiet strength in rusted hulls, weathered hands, and the long wait between departure and return. The Meisho Maru stands in the surf like a memory that won’t let go — broken, but still anchored.
Each image is a pause. A breath. A moment where the ordinary turns symbolic. I hope you feel the stillness. The resilience. The echo.
Parrie, The Stingray
“Parrie — the harbour’s quiet guardian. He’s been here longer than most remember. Drawn by the sound of boats and the promise of fish scraps, he moves through the shallows like a whisper — soft, steady, and strangely familiar.”
The Hidden Smile
“He wasn’t smiling for the man before me.But when he saw me, he said,‘I’m going to smile now — she’s a woman.”
And he did. Not for the lens, but for the moment. For the quiet recognition between strangers.
Blog Post Title Three
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Blog Post Title Four
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.