IOL reader comes to the rescue of shack pizza entrepreneur
|Published
Johannesburg - With so much negativity around us, it is easy to become jaded and discouraged about the future of our country.
But South Africans always find a way of reminding us that there is hope, through acts of unsolicited support and kindness to strangers.
Marie Durandt, from the Noupoort in the Karoo, read about Themba Limekhaya and his shack pizza business, Mkhuku Pizza, on IOL. The article chronicled Limekhaya's struggles with load shedding and how he was unable to make a living using his electric stove to make pizza whenever the lights went out.
Limekhaya, from Orange Farm in the Vaal, makes pizza out of his shack and sells it to the community to make a living. He taught himself how to make pizza to fight unemployment and stave off poverty.
Out of admiration for his entrepreneurial spirit and the effect of load shedding resonating with her, Durandt sprung into action to lend a helping hand. She bought Limekhaya a braai pizza oven.
“I saw your story and I liked his idea, at least he was trying to do something. I really felt sorry for him because load shedding is also affecting me. So, that’s why I decided to get him something that he could use with coal,” Durandt said.
“I even asked him if I could get him a stove that works with gas but he preferred the pizza braai.
@mkhukhu22 ♬ original sound - Mkhukhu22
After receiving the pizza braai, Limekhaya got straight to work and sent Durandt the results.
“He was very delighted, he sent me photos and videos of the pizza braai. He told me that sometimes it takes longer to cook and I advised him to put coal at the bottom as well as the top. But he was delighted and appreciated the help.
Limekhaya expressed his gratitude to Durandt for helping him out of a tight spot.
“Marie, from the Northern Cape, sent me this pizza braai and I’ve been learning how to use it. It's very quick. It’s really made things better, so when there is no power, at least I can still get orders out. People were tired of hearing me say there is no pizza when there is no power,” he said.
“Load shedding was really killing my business because people would order and then the power would go off, so I'm really grateful to be able to continue working, even when there is no power.”
Durandt was not the only one who offered to assist Limekhaya. Some readers offered to build him a wood-fired pizza oven but he was unable to obtain permission from his family to build the structure on the premises he works from.
“Mr Johan Stapelberg had bought materials to build the oven, had my landlord agreed he was going to train me and improve my skills. He was going to teach me how to make bread and also buns, so that didn't work out because my aunt's children refused.”
“These are some of the challenges I'm facing, (such as) lack of support from family. It has an effect on the entrepreneurial journey but I’m not quitting I'll find a way.”
He has plans to grow the Mkhukhu Pizza brand.
“I'm planning on going on tour so I can recruit people to buy into the Mkhuku Pizza idea. So that people can start up their own pizza stalls everywhere and create work for others in rural areas and townships,” said Limekhaya.
vusi.adonis@inl.co.za
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