By: Lonwabo Mtyeku | Pictures: Supplied
Johannesburg | 24–25 March 2026 — South Africa’s creative sector gathers this March for a landmark edition of Making It! 2026, as the Craft and Design Institute (CDI) celebrates 25 years of shaping the country’s craft and design landscape.
Taking place in the Kramerville Design District from 24 to 25 March, the conference signals a decisive shift in the national creative conversation — from participation to scale, from survival to structured growth.
Since its establishment in 2001, the CDI has expanded from supporting 63 makers to building a national network of more than 8,300 creative enterprises across all nine provinces. The sector it serves has matured significantly over the past quarter century. What was once a fragmented ecosystem is increasingly formalised, commercially aware and globally connected.
Making It! 2026 reflects that evolution.
Seen Here: Shado Twala, Chairperson of the CDI and MC of the event Photo Credit: Supplied.
From creative practice to structured enterprise
Designed for established founders, emerging designers and ecosystem leaders alike, the two-day gathering creates a rare interface between creative talent and economic infrastructure. Conversations will interrogate the mechanics of growth: transitioning from local recognition to national presence, building scalable ventures, structuring intellectual property, strengthening value chains, and navigating policy and funding landscapes.
Rather than offering aspirational rhetoric, the programme foregrounds operational insight. Industry strategists, brand architects, legal experts, fintech innovators and cultural theorists will unpack what expansion requires in practical terms — from financial systems and market positioning to ethical sourcing and sustainable production.
The ambition is clear: growth in the creative economy does not occur by accident. It emerges when knowledge circulates openly, when failures are dissected honestly, and when capital, culture and capability align.
Seen Here: Glorinah Khutso Mabaso Photo Credit: Supplied.
A speaker line-up reflecting a maturing sector
The 2026 speaker cohort signals the breadth and depth of South Africa’s evolving creative ecosystem.
Among them is Shado Twala, Chairperson of the CDI and MC of the event, whose extensive media career spans radio, television and cultural production.
Textile innovation and material-led storytelling feature prominently through speakers such as Mozambican artist Wacy Zacarias and Johannesburg-based fibre artist Khensani Mohlatlole, while indigenous knowledge systems and regenerative practices are explored by designers including Sinegugu Ngxongo of BambiZulu.
The intersection of creativity and infrastructure is equally represented. Nosipho Maketo-van den Bragt, CEO of Chocolate Tribe, brings insights from the global animation and VFX industry, while fintech perspectives arrive through leaders such as Thulani Masebenza of Bloo Money and Ronald Makomba of Yoco.
Brand and market strategy will be interrogated by consulting CMO Heidi Brauer and Bielle Bellingham of CHOMMIES, while legal and environmental considerations are addressed by ENS consultants Carlyn Frittelli Davies and Cyril Naicker.
Cultural stewardship remains central. Figures such as ceramic artist Andile Dyalvane, anthropologist Dr Motsane Seabela of the Ditsong National Museum, and curator Tracy Lynch of Nando’s Design Programme ensure that conversations about scale remain grounded in identity and heritage.
Systems thinking and policy engagement
A notable dimension of Making It! 2026 is its systems orientation. Academics and built-environment practitioners — including Prof Emmanuel Nkambule and architectural researcher Simphiwe Mlambo — will examine how design intersects with spatial justice, policy and resource economies.
Entrepreneurship scholar Dr Lebogang Matholwane Mathole contributes economic analysis rooted in luxury and emerging markets, while hemp textile pioneer Mahlatse Mohlala reflects on building integrated, proudly South African manufacturing value chains.
Documentary screenings by Motlatjo Mogoboya and Frances van Hasselt extend the programme into visual storytelling, reinforcing the role of narrative in shaping industry perception and cultural memory.
A collaborative platform
Making It! 2026 is presented by the CDI in partnership with organisations including Jozi My Jozi, W&R SETA, the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, the City of Joburg, Arts Alive, Business & Arts South Africa, and Design Week South Africa, among others.
The conference takes place at Level Three in Sandton, with an evening reception at Katy’s Palace Bar in Kramerville — reinforcing the district’s reputation as a creative and design hub.
An economy in transition
South Africa’s creative industries contribute significantly to employment, tourism and export potential. Yet structural constraints — limited access to capital, fragmented supply chains, and uneven policy support — continue to inhibit full-scale growth.
By convening designers alongside policymakers, financiers and strategists, Making It! positions itself not simply as a conference, but as infrastructure: a catalytic space where cross-sector alignment can occur.
As the CDI marks 25 years of sector development, the message is unequivocal. The creative economy has moved beyond proving its cultural value. The question now is how it scales sustainably, competitively and inclusively.
Making It! 2026 sets out to answer that question — not in theory, but in practice.
