Ayanda was born on the 5th of September 1990 in Lidgetton. He attended Crystal Springs Primary School and Jabula Secondary School in Lidgetton and Asithuthuke School in Balgowan.

Ayanda is determined to work hard to support and be the leader of his family. He went to Ubumba for Life to further his knowledge in clay work and painting.

Ayanda started at Ardmore through the June/July Winter School programme in 2015. Currently, under the tutelage of Wiseman Ndlovu, he is showing potential as a realist painter.

Ayanda says: “I do believe that Mrs Fée is light of the life; whoever follows her will never walk in darkness.”

In 2016, the Year of the Monkey, Ayanda found his niche – painting these mischievous creatures. Known as the ‘Monkey Man’, many of his creations were admired and bought at the ‘Celebrating the Year of the Monkey’ exhibition at Charles Greig in Hyde Park, Johannesburg.

Since 2016, Ayanda has continued to inspire works with his green, gold and grey pallette, and has introduced intricate, patterned border that have given his works their identifiable signature. Fee believes that Ayanda’s choice to sit next to painters of excellence, namely, Mthulisi Ncube and Wiseman Ndlovu show that their mentorship has been successful in his development.