By Rorisang Modiba
- Singer Rethabile Khumalo opened a mobile kitchen to honour her mother Winnie, who died before their dream could launch.
- She now sells over 100 burgers a week and hopes to inspire young women to chase both music and business.
Singer Rethabile Khumalo has made her late mother’s dream come true by launching a mobile kitchen in Protea Glen.
The food truck was a shared plan between Rethabile and her mother, Winnie Khumalo, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The duo bought a truck and were excited to get started, focusing on burgers. But Winnie passed away before they could open.
Now, Rethabile is pushing forward on her own — and the truck is already a hit.
“The kitchen is more than a business to me. My mom always believed in my cooking, and I’m fulfilling her wishes,” she told TshisaLIVE.
Rethabile officially opened the kitchen nearly a week ago at 17673/8 Protea Glen Ext 9 in Cheesehood Avenue.
She has already sold over 100 burgers, with customers praising the taste. There’s even a vegetarian option on the menu — although she says not many people in the township are ordering it yet.
Rethabile runs the kitchen by herself. To save time, she prepares burgers halfway before customers arrive.
“I don’t like to keep people waiting,” she said. “When people arrive, I just put the burgers back on the stove to finish them off. It gets hectic, but I push through because I believe in this.”
People from outside the area have started coming to try the food, drawn by the story behind the truck and the flavours Rethabile is serving up.
She’s got big plans for the future.
“I want to have branches at kasi malls and show girls like me that you can be a singer and a businesswoman. I want to be a voice of hope. I’m doing this for my mom — she made me who I am.”
Pictured above: Rethabile Khumalo and her late mother Winne Khumalo.
Image source: @rethabile_rsa
