A TOTAL of almost 20 000 revelers thronged inside the Elkah Cricket Oval in Rockville, Soweto, over two-days of a balmy beginning of Spring weekend – for the fifth iteration of the increasingly popular, Soweto Kota Festival.
Sipho Somniso, an official from the event’s organizer, SID Entertainment Pty (Ltd), revealed that Saturday’s opening day had some 12 000, young and adult, festivalgoers passing through the gates of the venue – with some 7 000 more augmenting the numbers for a Sunday where the tempo became more laidback!
No wonder Sarah Hoyte, the young Brand Manager of the shindig’s headline sponsor, Blue Ribbon – the more than a century old South African bakery which took over from previous sponsor, rival, Sasko, after the two-year pandemic-induced hiatus – was effusive in her audit of how the jamboree had transpired!
Offered Hoyte outside her entity’s hospitality lounge (which appeared to be the most appealing one for notable guests to bag an invite of being hosted in – of a plethora of others set up by other stakeholders): “What an incredible turnout!” She then went on to give a breakdown of what it took for her entity to ensure that such an operation delivered to expectations – mentioning logistics of baking bread for a mass consumption order from their site and ensuring its transportation to the venue and thereafter being distributed to the numerous vendors manning kiosks on the oval’s pitch layout.
Being a first-time sponsor of the festival and to experience instant success ought, for Blue Ribbon, to had been an occurrence well beyond its expectation.
Elsewhere and everywhere across the venue, an unassuming figure with an all-access credentials card dangling across his bosom, could be spotted either on his mobile phone or having security guards or support staff consulting with him on an un-ending basis.
Sowetan, Sidwell Tshingilane – the proprietor of SID Entertainment Pty (Ltd) and originator of the Soweto Kota Festival – is a walking template of a hustler.
A week ahead of the festival, Tshingilane had enthralled a rendezvous of the media corps and stakeholders at a Vilakazi Street restaurant where the event’s media launch was held, on how he came about to conceptualize such a clearly winning commercial formula – revealing that a stint served seconded to the seeing of the successful running of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, seeded an acumen to initiate an entrepreneurial spirit within him.
That his concept has now realized half a decade whilst teaming up with much older entities such as, Lucky Star, Eskort, Clover, Aromat Assupol, etc., bears testament to Tshingilane’s survival instinct – one which wasn’t to be deterred by the advent of a global pandemic which laid economic ruin to myriad livelihoods.
Saturday, the opening day of the festival, was abuzz! Season and weather were agreeable for an ideal day of family outing – and come out families did: babies in prams, toddlers with sprightly steps, curious adolescents and adults in short pants, et cetera.
An elevated stage overlooking the pop-up food and drinks kiosks/village, stood out as a platform from where Jozi FM deejays and entertainment performers did their thing.
SAPS officers and a private security company manpower were visible throughout the venue to ensure visitors’ safety. And everywhere one went – the sight of lengthy queues dotted the temporary epicurean village as revelers voted with their wallets and plastic money to support the mostly young Black vendors offering kotas (quarter of bread hollowed and filled with meats, vegetables and condiments) ranging in price from R50 up to almost R200!
The enthusiastically-spirited gourmands didn’t appear to be bothered by the prices – in fact, the longer queues were to be found where the fare cost on the steeper side.
As with past editions of the festival, the gastronomes innovated regarding the fare – even in the menu names, which featured eclectic, stacked-up creations such as, White Jezebel, Gold Digger, Bad Bitch (a monster of a fest comprising of: pork chops, double bacon, sliced ham, foot-long chili cheese, Jalapeno chili, cheddar cheese, peri-peri whip and olive oil), etc.
Push the envelope they had to – what with an incentive of a prize of a Best Kota competition to the tune of R15 000?
Not that they were motivated by the dangled carrot – far be it the case because a great many of them declared their satisfaction with sales registering sold-out on their stock intakes!
One man’s effort though, garnered the top reward. Vusi Mkhabela, of the Maboneng Poolside-based eatery, The Gourmet Shrine, trumped with a construction priced at R95.
Not a stranger to the event, Mkhabela had previously claimed second prize in the contest, in 2017. Elated at the rate of sales, he revealed that he intended investing his recent winnings into participating in the upcoming DSTV Delicious Festival.
Mkhabela’s achievement had come as a result of an innovation introduced by the organizers to encourage budding and established chefs to ever improve on their trade.
The whole process was overseen by quadruple judges who included Mamelodi’s twin chefs, Lebo and Tebo Ndala (of, With Love from The Twins-fame). Resplendent in crimson-and-cream kimonos, the duo enthusiastically sampled tidbits of kota after kota offerings from hopefuls.
Yet the festival also constituted an opportunity of a whole ecosystem of consumer possibilities, with other vendors such as cocktail bars, accessory peddlers, and a wine merchant (offering tastings) – filling pride of places within the venue.
Also present was another of the more-than-a-century-old brands, in the form of Castle Lager, which had a lounge in which it hosted members of the Fourth Estate.
Offered its also young Brand Manager, Kirsten Golding regarding her entity’s association with a foodie event: “Castle Lager has always been a celebration of South African culture and heritage, and there’s no other better way to celebrate culture than by the food we enjoy eating, right? “It feels natural for the brand to be in this space,” she went on.
A first-time attendee, 25-year old Linda Nkosi summed up with the following words: “Let’s allow our money to rotate among us!”
All Images Jacob MAWELA (Twin Chefs, Tebo and Lebo Ndala recorded in apt attention whilst adjudicating contestant Botlhale Bailey’s Kota, during the Soweto Kota fest held at The Oval Rockville, Soweto).
