“I Thought I Was Going To Get in Trouble”: KZN Mysterious Ramsgate Beach Statue Artist Found

• The mystery artist behind the stunning driftwood statues along Ramsgate's coastline has been found and revealed his identity
• A Pretoria man named Gérard de Jong came forward after his son encouraged him to share that he's the creator of the beloved sculptures
• The artist is now looking for work in Ramsgate and plans to create more structures to make the town a true landmark

As reported on by Briefly News recently, stunning driftwood statues have been delighting visitors along Ramsgate's shoreline, and the mystery artist behind them has finally been found. A man named Gérard de Jong shared a post on the Facebook page @Ramsgate News Updates on 5 February 2026, revealing that he's the person responsible for the beautiful sculptures that have been popping up along the KwaZulu-Natal coastline.

In his post, Gérard explained that his son forced him to write the message because he's a bit shy. He shared that he's been visiting Ramsgate for the last 30 years and works as a part-time artist and full-time plumber and handyman. The sculptures include a fisherman with his loyal dog and other stunning figures crafted entirely from washed-up timber.

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Gérard admitted that he put up the statues at night because he thought he was going to get in trouble at first. He also mentioned that he has a place to stay in Ramsgate and his own transport, and he wants to move to the town permanently.

Ramsgate beach statue artist seeks work

The artist shared that he plans to exhibit his work at one of the existing art shops as soon as he moves to Ramsgate, and some of his pieces will be for sale in June. However, his biggest problem is that he needs a job in Ramsgate. He shared that he had his own company as a handyman and got his "master's degree" in plumbing. He also has his skipper's licence and powerboat level 2.

Gérard encouraged anyone who knows of job opportunities to contact him on WhatsApp at 076 094 3393, as he's not a fan of Facebook. He ended his post by thanking everyone for the lovely comments and revealed that there are three more structures that will be erected on the rocks between Ramsgate beach and where the fisherman is located between now and December to make Ramsgate a true landmark.

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View the Facebook post here.

SA praises mysterious Ramsgate artist

Social media users flooded the comments praising the artist, Facebook user @Gerard De Jong's beautiful work:

@maria_chantel_lottering_pistorius said:

"Your work is beautiful!"

@rianette_cluley gushed:

"Your beautiful art makes every run fun! Stunning work."

@donve_martin wrote:

"Your anonymity was fabulous, but so well done."

@tanya_marsden commented:

"Your artwork is beautiful. Thank you for doing something special for our beaches."

@annelies_bos added:

"Wow, thank you so much. I hope your art brings you work."

More stories on South African art

• Briefly News recently reported on Scandal! head writer Grace Mahlaba, who reassured fans after eTV cancelled the show and hinted at her next career chapter.
• In another story, artist RicollinArt unveiled a stunning portrait of late Springboks Women captain Lusanda Dumke, painted entirely in lipstick.
• Black Coffee clapped back at people calling him selfish for not donating money towards Bravo Le Roux's repatriation and funeral service.

Source: Briefly News