By MOTHIBI MTHETHWA
IT is a Saturday morning of 20 April 2024; the venue is known as Novensi Organisation,
situated at 1004 Naledi Street, Mabuya Park, Vosloorus, City of Ekurhuleni, a one-stop haven
for African arts and culture, youth activities, as well as for the senior citizens, under the
vigilant eye of Novensi Valencia Kheswa, praise singer and founder.
However, on this particular day, the venue was home to township stokvels under the auspices
of Manjoh Foods, the giant stockists and suppliers of various food brands in the country,
hosting their 24th Stokvels Roadshow, since 2019.
Programme Director was Sainty Mokgoatsane from Stokvel Talk. As is the norm with our
African culture of ubuntu-botho, the event kicked off with an opening prayer, followed by
Morena Tikwe, the King of San people, also known as the visionary and King of the Rainbow
Nation’, who expressed a thank-you gesture to the Pastor, before giving his speech.
Accompanied by her Honourable Queen Mother, as the adage that says `behind every
successful man, there is a woman’, King Tikwe had begun his speech by first introducing his
entourage,
“The San people were the original inhabitants of Southern Africa, long before the arrival of
white foreigners. It is about time that we stop supporting foreign businesses, buying and
eating food we do not know where it comes from and who produced it. We must start doing
things on our own and eating food that personally produce. It is up to you to make things
happen,” his message was loud and clear.
Briefly, the message from the King was simply to encourage self-supportiveness, self-
reliance and self-sustenance among the Black people of this country, and to `bring economy
to Black townships’, as opposed to promoting hostility against foreign businesses like spaza
or tuck shops in Black townships.
As one who believes that it is through serving that one must lead – by example – the King of
San people, who also run business workshops, gave out his mobile phone number
before he concluded his speech, by posing the million-dollar question: “Otherwise, uzoyithola
kanjani uhleli ekhoneni?”.
With Naledi Street partly barricaded, various business concerns including Manjoh Foods (of
course), Sela African Traditional Herbs, Celebration of Life Funeral Undertakers, Medal
Paints, Kopano, were there to market and sell their respective products to the public from
their stalls and tables, with Billy from Richester Sweets, taking to the floor, to introduce their
best-known original Éclair, Tango and Coco-Bongo range.
In addition to advising how anyone could start small by selling Richester Sweets products
and gradually grow bigger, the rubber-boned Billy gave a spectacular dance for the audience
consisting of youngsters, the middle-aged and the young-at-heart.
Hloni, sporting a Crocodile Dundee hat and a safari shirt, representing his Cows and Sheep
Company explained their modus operandi (manner of operation). “We offer a cow and a R5
000 voucher to a bereaved family, which can be used at Pick n` Pay for groceries and other
household basics, while we cover One-up-to-14 members, for the lowest premium of R280.
We cater up to the age of 90 years. On request due to beliefs and religion, we slaughter the
cow but do not cut the meat into pieces, and hand the meat to the family
Ambassador for Sela African Traditional Herbs, Olwethu, gave an in-depth lecture regarding
their ready-to-drink and tea range products for health problems like bladder and kidneys; high
blood; joint and gout; colds and flus; constipation and slimming.
On behalf of the Alexandra-based Medal Paints, Bongani expressed gratitude to myriads of
their loyal customers.
Curiosity got the better of me from a man sitting in front t of me, with his back to me, whose
black lumber jacket had bold letters that spelt CREW, and the words Christ Renews Every
Wreck underneath.
What one would recommend to those in charge of these Manjoh Foods Roadshows is that a
proper programme be drafted for each event and strictly adhered to, rather than for the
Programme Director to appear as if going about his duty as if led by and following his
impulses.
Dance contests took place towards the end of the event, with contestants, most of whom
seemed above middle age, taking home food parcel prizes, with food as the next and final
item of the day.
With the closing prayer taken care of, it was the end of the Manjoh Foods Stokvels 24th
Roadshow and, as they say, `all is well that ends well’. All eyes will be focused on the
Manjoh 25th Roadshow.
