By Selloane Ntshonyane
- Moses Zulu, 74, from Jabulani, closed his spaza shop and now sells cooked meals like liver, chicken and stews, earning R3,000 to R4,000 a week.
- Zulu attended the Gauteng Spaza Shop and Informal Traders Summit in Soweto on 17 September to learn about funding and compliance.
Moses Zulu, 74, from Jabulani, couldn’t compete with the foreign-owned spaza shops that opened around him. So he stopped trying, and started selling cooked meals instead.
“I left the spaza shop because there was too much competition, especially that came with the foreign-owned spaza shops,” Zulu said.
He now sells beef liver, beef heart, chicken, steak, stews and other cooked meals from the same site, and says the switch has paid off. There’s less competition in cooked food, and he makes more money than he ever did selling groceries.
“The money I make helps me take care of my family of four, including my grandkids. I also don’t stress about groceries running out before the end of the month. I can always add what’s short,” Zulu said.
He earns between R3,000 and R4,000 a week, and has employed three people to help run the business.
Zulu started the business with about R30,000, covering the structure, equipment and stock.
He initially cooked large portions, but found himself with unsold food at the end of each day.
“I always give the food to my family to eat for supper because I can’t sell the food the next day,” Zulu said.
He now cooks smaller portions to avoid the waste. Quick sellers include pap, liver and heart, meals that cost less than R50 a plate, cheap enough to move fast.
Zulu attended the Gauteng Spaza Shop and Informal Traders Summit and Expo, held at the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto campus on 17 September, hoping to learn more about funding and how to comply with municipal by-laws.
“If I get funding, I’ll grow my business and buy more equipment and stock,” he said.
The summit, hosted by the City of Johannesburg and Business Culture, drew more than 250 small business owners from around Soweto.
Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero said the city wants to give township businesses the space and support they need to grow.
He said the city has processed 4,043 spaza shop registration applications across its seven regions, and 39 beneficiaries have already been approved through the Spaza Shop Fund, run with the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA).
Zulu wants his business to grow beyond Soweto.
“I want my business to be known all over Soweto and in other places outside Soweto,” he said.
Pictured above: Moses Zulu couldn’t compete with foreign-owned spaza shops in his area, so he closed his spaza shop and started selling cooked meals instead.
Image source: Selloane Ntshonyane
