Editor’s note

A GATEWAY TO GOMORA

Alexandra Township is commonly known as Gomora, a moniker linked with the Old Testament’s infamous Sodom and Gomorrah – cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. But the nickname is believed to be tied to the notoriety the township got when the Msomi gang roamed large in the 1950s in and around Alex.

The Msomis were one of several American-style criminal groups that had appeared in Johannesburg after the Second World War amid rapid industrialisation and urbanisation. Over the years Alex has become one most densely populated areas in the country, where residents battle social ills such as poverty and unemployment. Yet you still find the most colourful people in that township, who love to look good and have a great time despite the pain that surrounds them.

This is one of the reasons why Alexandra is so unique.

In our first issue as Spot-On – following our name-change from Spotong – we focus on Alexandra and its people. Alex, like our other townships, is littered with businesses and entrepreneurs on the ground who keep the country moving forward. What’s in this issue?

In this edition, I had the chance to talk to Thabiso Sebata, chairperson of AlexBiz, which is a group of over 200 entrepreneurs from Alexandra. He explains how the group helps its members in various areas of business, such as upskilling, sharing clients and information.

With our publication having a strong focus on community business and entrepreneurs, we took the opportunity to profile a few of the 200+ businesses that are AlexBiz members. One of them is our cover powerhouse, Happy Makhalemele, who – together with her family – runs the Moving Feast restaurant and catering business. She also shares some of her traditional Mzansi recipes in our recipe section.

We delve quite deep into the culinary side of Alex in this issue. We profile the booming Baily’s kota joint by speaking to Botlhale Baily, a third-generation entrepreneur who is driving his family’s legacy in the modern world.

With June being Men’s Mental Health month (and the month of Father’s Day), we thought it appropriate to look at an issue that disproportionately affects men and is often ignored by society – gambling addiction. We chat with experts from the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation (SARGF), as well as the Men’s Foundation South Africa, on how one can mitigate the effects of problem gambling.

A year ago, Alexandra was ground zero to some of the July riots that took place across Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Countless businesses were vandalised or destroyed, including community radio station Alex FM, which incurred at least R5 million in damages. Station manager Takalane Nemangowe shares how far the broadcaster is in its reconstruction some 12 months later.

Finally, we take a sho’t left to sister township Mamelodi in the issue, where we chat to self-taught baker and entrepreneur Sibongile Rakgatjane about bringing cafe culture to the Pretoria kasi through her bakery and coffee shop.

Bonginkosi

If you know of a business in any township in South Africa making a difference in the community or have a story suggestion, send me a mail at Bonginkosi.Tiwane@3smedia.co.za.