Pizza takes Steenbok by storm

STEENBOK – It is often said in Tsonga that vusiwana byi chava mavoko, which means people who do something with their hands will never be hungry.

This seems to be the case for the 23-year-old Fezile Khoza, who has decided to introduce a whole new business concept for her fellow villagers. Khoza has started a business to make and sell pizzas to the people in her village, which came as a shock to many, but was surprisingly well received.

“I graduated from the University of Limpopo last year, and like any other, I was hoping to hop straight into the field and work. But seemingly God had other plans. I woke up one day and thought to myself, ‘I am going to make pizza’, and I did. It’s amazing that this idea has been received so well,” said Khoza.

In a village so far from Malalane, the town with Pizza Huts, it’s not surprising that most people had no idea what the dish tasted like and it was a huge deal to them for it to be made by one of their own.

“A lot of people were surprised to find out that I make pizza. I think I also surprised myself. I started by handing out samples for those who had no idea what I was talking about. At some point there was a man who even offered to buy it as a ‘seshebo’ for the family on that evening. It was funny, yet touching in a way.”

Khoza plans to expand her business and be the first to own a pizza place in that part of Nkomazi. “It should not be a taboo for people to eat or let alone talk about pizza. I plan to be the first person to own such a place down here. The dream is to start making different flavours and make pies as well.

“It might seem like a far-fetched dream now, but I know that it’s possible and I’ll get there with time.”

Her pizzas are sold at R35 each, and so far, she delivers them personally to her customers.

“I go around the schools and neighbours, everything is still word of mouth. When I get into that taxi I ensure that I talk about it loud enough for everyone to hear. But I’m working on getting myself a bicycle so I can make the deliveries a bit easier,” she added.

Mpumalanga News reporters sat with her through the whole process of making one. We had a taste and can confirm that it is delicious.
“Funny enough, I never even had to go on Google for the recipe, I just looked at the pizza we normally eat. I put together the ingredients and stunned myself. I do hope that this business grows to something even bigger, something that will make a name for myself,” she concluded.