EMAKHAZENI – A town better known for mining and agriculture is home to a growing creative enterprise.
Artist and entrepreneur Deon Sakhile Mahlangu has brought pencils, paintbrushes, embroidery equipment, printing technology and design software together under one roof. The combination has allowed DeonM Art Gallery & Branding to grow from Mahlangu’s passion for visual art into a creative enterprise serving artists, schools, businesses and young people in eMakhazeni Local Municipality.
Mahlangu laid the foundation for the gallery in 2011 before formally incorporating DeonM Art Gallery (Pty) Ltd in July 2018. For Mahlangu, the business is about more than building a creative enterprise; it is about proving that talent from a smaller Mpumalanga town can become a sustainable business and create opportunities for others.
Mahlangu’s relationship with art began with drawing and visual expression. As his skills developed, he explored graphic design, vector illustration and digital production, gradually moving beyond traditional fine art into commercial creative services.
“Art and branding are two sides of the same coin, both tell a powerful story,” Mahlangu says.
Today, the business works across several disciplines, including pencil and charcoal drawings, acrylic and oil paintings, custom picture framing, graphic design, signage, large-format digital printing, apparel printing and embroidery. Mahlangu sees these as connected parts of the same creative business.
The business developed partly in response to needs Mahlangu saw around him. Artists needed professional framing and high-resolution scanning, schools and organisations required branded clothing and signage, while small businesses needed logos, promotional material and digital printing. DeonM began building the capacity to provide these services locally, reducing the need for customers to travel elsewhere.
Operating in a smaller municipality has also brought challenges. Mahlangu says obtaining specialised materials, raising capital for machinery and acquiring equipment such as embroidery machines and large-format printers have been among the major obstacles.
His response has been to develop supplier networks, pursue enterprise development opportunities and build relationships with larger businesses. These include work with the local mining sector, including Exxaro, which Mahlangu says has provided valuable opportunities for the growing SMME.
While the business remains rooted in Belfast, its ambitions have extended beyond eMakhazeni. Mahlangu identifies exhibitions at platforms such as Decorex and Africa’s Travel Indaba among the milestones that helped put DeonM on the national stage. One of his most significant achievements, he says, was selling five major artworks to Artbank South Africa, marking the company’s largest artwork sales to date.
The relationship with Artbank also created opportunities to develop other creatives. Between 2021 and 2024, DeonM worked with the organisation to host and mentor 10 creative graduates, giving them practical industry experience. The initiative marked a shift from a business centred on Mahlangu’s own art to one that also creates opportunities for other creatives.
Youth development has become an important part of DeonM’s work. The gallery has hosted after-school art workshops and weekend sessions and participated in initiatives designed to bring visual art into public spaces. Its Irhono Visual Arts Project in Schools was listed among the National Arts Council’s 2023 Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme funding outcomes, with an allocation of R405 000.
For Mahlangu, these initiatives show how art can serve purposes beyond exhibitions and sales by introducing young people to creative skills, encouraging self-expression and exposing them to potential career opportunities. His involvement in the My Body My Space Public Arts Festival has similarly helped take visual art into the community.
DeonM Art Gallery operates as more than a traditional exhibition space, combining an art studio, production workshop, branding service and community creative platform. Mahlangu believes that versatility has been essential to its survival.
“I’ve learned that versatility and persistence are essential,” he says.
For Mahlangu, artistic ability must be accompanied by business knowledge, including administration, compliance, customer relationships, technology and innovation.
His ambitions for DeonM extend beyond its current operations. He envisions establishing a physical Container Gallery and Arts Hub in Belfast, where members of the public could watch artists at work and emerging creatives could learn practical skills. He also wants to expand the digital apparel side of the business, acquire more advanced production machinery and strengthen private-sector partnerships.
At the centre of his long-term vision is a youth training academy to develop local talent and connect creatives from eMakhazeni with opportunities across Mpumalanga and South Africa.
Mahlangu’s advice to young creatives is to start with what is available, practise consistently, learn new technologies and understand the business behind their craft.
“Master your craft, but also learn the business behind it,” he says.
What began with Mahlangu’s passion for drawing has evolved into a registered business, a commercial production operation, a platform for other creatives and a vehicle for youth development. As DeonM looks towards its next chapter, his focus remains on creating opportunities for creative talent in eMakhazeni.
