Trial By Fire

With little entrepreneurial experience, Rita Zwane, a former secretary, founded Imbizo Shisanyama in 1997, a restaurant popularizing African cuisine and still known by loyal patrons as ‘Busy Corner’ at Midrand in Johannesburg.

Zwane was determined to create a platform that celebrated African culture. She successfully commercialized the African dish Ipapa and sold it to hungry patrons. It was meat cooked over an open fire, the idea behind the concept of shisanyama (informal barbecue).

“Inspired by my own heritage and culture I believed that a shisanyama was the most viable business opportunity as I naturally understood my market. What was surprising to me was how quickly I saw patrons from other areas becoming regulars at Busy Corner and then I knew I had the right recipe for success,” says Zwane.

One of her earliest memories are of her mother, a domestic worker, giving her a packet of sweets and telling her it would have to sustain her for months, as she could not give her lunch money every day. Zwane sold each sweet individually to make money to buy more. Little did she know this would be one of her most significant business lessons.

She has always involved her community in business and tried to change the perception that restaurants in townships are substandard. Her business was born on a dusty street corner in Ivory Park, Tembisa, starting with only two employees, a pot, a gas griller, display fridge, paraffin stove and R,5000 ($443) from her provident fund.

In the first five years, she was cashier, cleaner, waitress and manager.

“This part of my journey taught me fundamental lessons. It is due to the loyalty of our patrons and the surrounding community we are recognized as the true face of shisanyama in South Africa,”

says Zwane.

She was appointed an ambassador for the National Youth Development Agency in 2012 and launched a bursary program for young people to pursue careers in the food, beverage and hospitality sector.

In a world driven by fame and fortune, Zwane’s motivation is in remaining true to African lifestyle and culture; in building a legacy for her family and in involving the community in the everyday running of her business.