Big Break Legacy finalists unlocking potential

The group, comprising Ifthakaar Shaik, Jared Pillai, Tsepiso Makhubedu and Sanele Makinane, were the finalists in the popular SABC2 entrepreneurial reality TV show, The Big Break Legacy. Their task was to source South African goods in London and then sell them at two stalls all while making a healthy profit. Items sold included Ouma Rusks, Savannah Dry Cider, South African wine, rooibos tea and ethnic clothing made by a woman from Botswana.

It was the first time that a South African reality TV show had an episode filmed overseas and the new businesses environment moved the participants out of their comfort zone. It’s all very well travelling abroad, but quite another when it comes to having to do businesses under strict time constraints. The contestants had to use their persuasive skills to convince the passing parade that, they indeed, wanted to buy proudly South African products.

It was bitterly cold and rainy, yet the contestants managed to show a brave face as they chatted away to visitors, offering hot coffee and rusks to take away the autumn chill. One team even managed to entice a Durban-born foodie, Ramon Reeves-Whit, who lives and works in London, to join their stall for the day to whip up traditional bunny chow.

Camden Lock Market is situated next to the canal and has been a popular attraction for almost 40 years with an estimated 150 000 visitors each month swooping on the place in search for something different. There are 300 stalls here with almost 20 nationalities selling everything from crazy-looking T-shirts to ethnic jewellery, from leather goods and clothing from the Caribbean. You can buy toys and gadgets, acquire portrait paintings, browse through independent bookshops and purchase the latest punk-style techno gear. It’s all there for those with patience.

And the food – it comes from every known culinary culture on the planet, with a profusion of Asian cuisine to tempt the palate.

After three intense days, the two teams broke up shop and headed home to sunnier climes, but the memory of working at Camden Lock market and the experiences it brought will remain with them for years.