By Everson Luhanga
- Mhlekiseni Bulelane Ngubane started Maya Mbomvu Dining Delight after seeing boys selling honey cakes on roadsides in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands around 2000.
- Ngubane processes honey from his Umlazi home, heating and filtering it three times before selling 500g containers for R100 each.
A man from Umlazi, south of Durban, is running a small honey business from his home to help cover his daily living costs.
Mhlekiseni Bulelane Ngubane runs Maya Mbomvu Dining Delight from his house, processing honey and selling it directly to people in the township. He also delivers to customers who call and place orders.
Ngubane says his love for honey started when he was young. Around 2000 and 2001, he travelled through Mshwathi and Mpophomeni in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. There he saw young boys selling honey cakes next to the road.
“I became curious and asked them where they got the honey from,” he said.
“They told me they would go out hunting for bee nests, especially during winter, and store the honey to sell the following morning,” he said.
He began buying honey cakes from the boys and taking them home to process.
“I would process the honey and sell it around the township. I also deliver directly to people’s homes whenever they call and request it,” he said.
Preparing the honey takes time. Ngubane heats the honey cakes in a pot until they melt and boil, then filters the honey three times to remove impurities. Once it cools, he filters it again before pouring it into 500g containers.
Each container sells for R100.
Ngubane funds the business himself while working another job. He orders about 20 litres at a time and hopes the business will grow as more people support local producers.
Pictured above: Mhlekiseni Bulelane Ngubane processes and sells honey from his Umlazi home.
Image source: Supplied
