Democracy and Development in South Africa

Cape Town, South Africa

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Molo Mama!!!

Last Thursday we had the amazing opportunity to meet Mama Sheila, the proud owner of a Lelapa Restaurant in the Langa township. The story of how she started her business and the journey that it entailed was extremely admirable and inspiring. During the apartheid years, Mama Sheila worked as a maid in a white home. One day as she was cleaning she picked up a restaurant receipt from the previous evening's meal. The total on that restaurant receipt for two wine and cheese was more than her monthly income. From that moment, she decided that something had to change. She started attending night classes, saving, buying and selling second hand clothing, and even taking trips to Bangkok to buy clothing for her consignment business. Once she was able to save enough money to start her restaurant, she started it on the side of the house she lived in and through the years has expanded into a larger dining area. Currently, her restaurants employs 8 women, a band of usually 4 musicians, and at least 2 men as street security. In a country where poverty is rampant and the unemployment rate is around 40%, there's a need for people like Mama Sheila, who are not only improving their own quality of life, but also bringing others along on the ride. 

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