It was a need to make novelty food pizza easily available to township residents which inspired Mdantsane-born Yonke Maqaqa to open Spaza Pizza.
Officially in operation from last month, the Nompumelelo-based fast food outlet offers a variety of pizzas to the public, with toppings to suit every taste, at prices to suit every pocket.
On the menu are flavours which range from the Starter Pack, the Skhokho pizza and the Lokshin Meaty Coalition. Prices range from R10 to just over R100 for family meals.
Maqaqa, a former Selborne College pupil, said it was while he was studying towards an engineering qualification in 2009 that he came up with the idea to open a fast food outlet in the township.
“I initially started with a Tshisa Nyama in Grahamstown but the cash-flow to that business was not so good. Many people there rely on grants and because of high rentals, I made the decision to close up shop,” Maqaqa said.
“I decided that I didn’t want to sell chips, I didn’t want to sell fat cakes and I didn’t want to sell chicken feet, so I decided on pizza.
“I feel like pizza is something of a novelty to black people, it’s seen as a special treat, and so the main reason of opening Spaza Pizza in the township is to demystify that whole belief of what pizza is to black people and change how they are able to consume it,” he said.
To get started, Maqaqa said he first researched which township would be ideal for the business.
Next on the list was a premises, with a former salon serving as the perfect space.
Next came renovations, buying equipment, acquiring trading stock and hiring staff.
A lump sum of about R15000, which came from Maqaqa’s savings, covered everything.
“I chose Nompumelelo because it’s a long-standing location which has been around in East London for a long time and it’s situated in a suburban area and I felt people here have a cosmopolitan feel.
“What I mean by that is there are a lot of different cultures present here. There are Xhosas, Zulus and Tsongas,” he said.
“In that melting pot then you are able to tap in to various different cultures and cater to a variety of different people,” he said, adding that his previous business experience had come in handy.
“Things like marketing, pricing, customer service. I put all of that together and I came up with this, which I hope serves as a benchmark of how township businesses should be run.
“I feel like the township economy is being looked down upon and not given the leeway to operate the way it should.
“We have been wired to aspire to consume brands which we’ve seen on TV or in magazines but I want to say to people ‘here is value, here is a product made at your backdoor and here is something that you can take pride in’.
“I also hope to unlock other township entrepreneurs and hopefully unlock a new culture of conducting business.”
Maqaqa said next on the list was a delivery service in and around Beacon Bay, which would be launched next week via a Tuk-Tuk service.
From there, he hopes to open other branches in townships around the city. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
Bringing pizza to the townships
Officially in operation from last month, the Nompumelelo-based fast food outlet offers a variety of pizzas to the public, with toppings to suit every taste, at prices to suit every pocket.
On the menu are flavours which range from the Starter Pack, the Skhokho pizza and the Lokshin Meaty Coalition. Prices range from R10 to just over R100 for family meals.
Maqaqa, a former Selborne College pupil, said it was while he was studying towards an engineering qualification in 2009 that he came up with the idea to open a fast food outlet in the township.
“I initially started with a Tshisa Nyama in Grahamstown but the cash-flow to that business was not so good. Many people there rely on grants and because of high rentals, I made the decision to close up shop,” Maqaqa said.
“I decided that I didn’t want to sell chips, I didn’t want to sell fat cakes and I didn’t want to sell chicken feet, so I decided on pizza.
“I feel like pizza is something of a novelty to black people, it’s seen as a special treat, and so the main reason of opening Spaza Pizza in the township is to demystify that whole belief of what pizza is to black people and change how they are able to consume it,” he said.
To get started, Maqaqa said he first researched which township would be ideal for the business.
Next on the list was a premises, with a former salon serving as the perfect space.
Next came renovations, buying equipment, acquiring trading stock and hiring staff.
A lump sum of about R15000, which came from Maqaqa’s savings, covered everything.
“I chose Nompumelelo because it’s a long-standing location which has been around in East London for a long time and it’s situated in a suburban area and I felt people here have a cosmopolitan feel.
“What I mean by that is there are a lot of different cultures present here. There are Xhosas, Zulus and Tsongas,” he said.
“In that melting pot then you are able to tap in to various different cultures and cater to a variety of different people,” he said, adding that his previous business experience had come in handy.
“Things like marketing, pricing, customer service. I put all of that together and I came up with this, which I hope serves as a benchmark of how township businesses should be run.
“I feel like the township economy is being looked down upon and not given the leeway to operate the way it should.
“We have been wired to aspire to consume brands which we’ve seen on TV or in magazines but I want to say to people ‘here is value, here is a product made at your backdoor and here is something that you can take pride in’.
“I also hope to unlock other township entrepreneurs and hopefully unlock a new culture of conducting business.”
Maqaqa said next on the list was a delivery service in and around Beacon Bay, which would be launched next week via a Tuk-Tuk service.
From there, he hopes to open other branches in townships around the city. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
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