Building a family legacy

At the heart of many family businesses lies a strong woman. This rings especially true in the case of Alexandra’s Moving Feast restaurant and Happy Dumplings, run by family matriarch Happy Makhalemele.

As the CEO, Happy is the lynchpin spearheading this fast-moving establishment and the product of parents who were also incessant entrepreneurs – just as she is today. “My mom and dad were the first black people in the township to own a breakdown business,” she tells Spot-On.

Visiting Happy at her restaurant, the mood is upbeat for good reason – it’s just a day after securing another deal with a corporate. “On 16 June, I start selling at the Wanderers Cricket

Stadium. I now have a trailer that’s going to be situated there every day – selling African cuisine,” she says.

The partnership with the legendary stadium is a big deal, as her business will be selling to the 400+ employees at Wanderers every day – not to mention whenever there are matches that attract thousands of supporters. To cater to the expanding business, she is planning on securing a large space, pulling out her phone to show me a Wynberg warehouse she’s identified and hopes to move into. “I want the one side of the warehouse to be designated for the dumplings and the other to be for the functions and catering.”

Happy with her husband, Bushy (left), and her son Theo Get some recipes on page 21

Family sacrifices

Happy and her husband, Bushy, have made sacrifices over the years for their business to grow. Their home in East Bank, Alexandra, has been turned into a place of work and a restaurant, while they squat in the backrooms of their house because renting out would be an expense. “As soon as we move into a factory, we’ll turn with whole house into a restaurant, with some rooms being conference rooms.” Bushy and Happy have been in the catering business for well over two decades, first starting out at Alexandra Taxi Rank in 1999. She and her husband had full-time jobs at the time, but have now dedicated their lives to being full-time entrepreneurs. “What excites me most is that I’m doing what I love.”

Moving Feast’s resilience

Situated on East Bank Avenue in Alex, Moving Feast restaurant was started in 2015 and sells an array of food that includes pork trotters, samp and Happy’s idombolo (dumplings).

The latter thrived and saved the business during the hard Covid-19 lockdown. “Fortunately, during the first lockdown, I pushed hard to supply idombolo to Jay Jay Butcher – it was our only source of income,” Happy says. “I personally approached many stores – some rejected me, some accepted me, but I haven't given up.”

And her tenacity has paid off, with Happy Dumplings now supplying six Spar stores across Gauteng, three Food Lover’s Markets, one butcher and two car washes. A family business

Of course, her kids are also involved in the business, with Theo being the head chef and restaurant manager who runs pop-ups usually located around Alex and Sandton. “My second child assists with buying dombolo stock and distribution to retail stores, while my twins are business-minded kids,” says the proud mother.

Happy cites Bushy’s responsibilities as, “Criticism department, driver, buyer, curry cooker and the kids’ school transport,” she says. While Happy works on sales, expanding distribution and customer relations/complaints, she is also the restaurant’s menu designer. Above all, working with her whole family is “important for the loyalty and the legacy of the business,” she concludes.

HYDROZONING

Hydrozoning in landscapes

Why is it important to hydrozone in landscapes and gardens? Hydrozoning saves water and money. It improves the landscape design, mimics natural plant communities, minimises the impact on the surrounding natural environment, and simplifies maintenance

The concept of hydrozones (hydrostations) is based on the theory that the correct plants should be planted in shade, semi shade or sun depending on plant requirements, as defined by the Water Use Classification of Landscape Species (WUCOLS), developed by the University of California.

The Landscape Irrigation Model South Africa (LIMSA), developed by Dr Leslie Hoy, is consistent with the WUCOLS model and focuses on individual assessment of each hydrozone within a landscape. Hydrozoning, in this context, is defined as:

• A grouping or bed of plants, • Plants with the same water (hydrozone) requirements, • Plants are watered with the same correct amount of water, • Plants are positioned correctly in the landscape, • Each hydrozone has it’s own control valve, and their own specific irrigation system. The intention of this model is to allow for a more accurate water use on any landscape site to be determined. This is particularly important for sites that will rely on any form of supplementary irrigation over and above rainfall of the area where the landscape is located. This will also apply to sites that require additional watering beyond the initial establishment period.