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BOOK EXTRACT
www.spotongmag.co.za
THE REMARKABLE
RITA ZWANE
Read the true story of the grit of a Zulu girl who believed in herself – and did it against all odds
B
y the age of five, Phumlaphi Rita Zwane was selling amagwinya (vetkoek) to Umlazi commuters, and sweets to her peers. Little did the world know then it was a sign of things to come. It was the birth of an entrepreneur extraordinaire. Rita is the youngest daughter of a single mother who worked as a domestic worker in KZN. The family’s financial resources were limited, but their drive to seize opportunities grew out of a determination to overcome the limits of an unequal society. Shortly after matriculating, in 1987 Rita moved to Johannesburg, where she hustled to survive. She used every opportunity to elevate herself, doing a secretarial course, getting a formal job, and outsourcing her car as a delivery vehicle to a courier company, turning the liability of car payments into an income-earning asset. Her formative working years in the food and beverage industry drove her belief that she could forge a new sector in the industry. Her vision was to create a place where African people could enjoy traditional braai meat and celebrate their culture and
heritage in an environment of style, class, and dignity. In 1997 she founded Imbizo Shisanyama on a dusty street in Ivory Park, with only a single two-litre pot, gas griller, display fridge, gas paraffin stove and two employees. In 2002, Rita placed another container at the corner of Main and 29 September Roads, in Extension 1 Ebony Park, exactly where BUSY CORNER is situated today. Imbizo Shisanyama BUSY CORNER grew explosively and inspired the creation of hundreds of Shisanyamas around the country, offering sustainable employment to thousands of South Africans and in fact changing the entire landscape of the food and beverage industry. Currently with the new Imbizo Shisanyama open in Midrand CBD Rita supports over 150 families from the local community, employing them as car guards, braai masters, and women who make the salsa, chakalaka, and dumplings that patrons enjoy. In June 2016, she established the Bambanani Community Upliftment Campaign, feeding more than 400 children that pass Imbizo Shisanyama on their way to school every day.
Conquering the Poverty of the Mind is for every aspiring entrepreneur, it teaches valuable life lessons and inspires one to take the first step and to seize every opportunity that life presents. In 2012 Rita was appointed as a youth ambassador for the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and launched the Imbizo Shisanyama Bursary Programme for those wanting to pursue a career in the dynamic food, beverage, and hospitality sector. In 2016 she became an advisory board member and coach to entrepreneurship challenge participants for youth leadership & entrepreneurship development. Rita has received many accolades along the way: • In 2012, she was appointed by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) as an ambassador for its Ithubalentsha Micro Enterprises initiative. • In 2013, Rita was awarded the National Small Business Champion Award by the NSBC. • In 2015, the establishment was the first runnerup in the AfricaGrowth Institute SMME awards (in the Services Sector category).
