Dancer-turned-entrepreneur is jamming with the best

‘Why not create and sell the jam yourself?” This simple question stirred a profound shift in Gontse Selaocoe’s aspirations.

It resonated deeply with him, echoing the wisdom of his grandmother and ultimately guided him to his true purpose. Selaocoe, who is known as Pantsula la Jam, is from Orange Farm.

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Five years ago, aged 19, he made a bold decision. He sacrificed the R1 000 he had saved for a pair of Converse sneakers to launch his All Day Jam business, determined to carve out his sweet success.

There’s pride in his eyes as he walks inside the red container next to his grandmother’s tuck shop where his All Day Jam business operates.

Where the magic happens

Selaocoe unveils spotless, stainless steel equipment saying: “This is where the magic happens. Because I was a pantsula, I convinced my friends we should save money and buy ourselves Converse sneakers so we could dance on the streets. But once I had that money, I asked myself how will buying sneakers sustain me in the long run?

“To reach my goal, I would walk back from school in Lenasia to Orange Farm and save the travel money. With the help from my grandmother’s recipe archive and my savings, I began manufacturing and bottling jam in our kitchen,” he says.

Selaocoe was an entrepreneur from childhood and would help his grandfather in the garden by planting and harvesting fresh vegetables.

During harvest season, his grandmother would tell them to sell the produce on the streets. “I hated this part because I found it embarrassing. What would my peers say?

“But what was amazing was that I always watched how my grandmother would take tomatoes and yellow melons from our garden and use them to make jam for me and my siblings.”

Little did he know that the same garden would become the thing he treasures the most. The entrepreneurship itch got to him when he was in high school and he entered an innovation competition.

“I innovated coal using raw materials. The ash could be used to clean glasses, brush teeth and for soil. I didn’t win, but I was exposed to things like elevator pitches and what it takes to run a business,” says Selaocoe.

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He says visiting his grandparents hungry was a turning point in his life when his grandmother offered him bread with jam.

“In my entire existence, I have never tasted jam like that of my grandmother,” he esays.

“She would give jam to whoever visited as a gift when they were about to leave. I asked why she didn’t sell it in her tuck shop and she asked me the same question. This stuck with me.”

Transitioning from a pantsula dancer to an entrepreneur was far from a simple journey, as people harboured doubts about him and questioned him due to his pantsula lifestyle.

Realising that his dreams of being a well-known pantsula wasn’t his destiny, it wasn’t a smooth transition.

“I wanted to dance on the global stage. I saw pantsula stars like Tebza Diphetlo and how he has seen the world through his dancing. I saw myself going abroad,” he says.

“Because I was a pantsula dancer, people had negative perceptions about who I was and about the culture.

“It’s something I still experience today when I enter rooms with my Converse and Dickies attire – I can see the doubt in people’s faces.

“But once I get on stage and tell them who I am, where I come from and what I do, I see smiles and acceptance on their faces. They see my jam, taste it and warm up to me.”

Dancers fulfilling their dreams

Selaocoe says his biggest inspirations are pantsula dancers and the culture because that’s where he found his identity and motivation, as he saw other pantsula dancers fulfilling their dreams.

“I didn’t want to leave my origins of being a pantsula behind and that’s how I came up with the name of Pantsula la Jam. It was an easy way for me to promote my jam.”

His interest in agriculture has grown and he is studying to learn more about the industry.

“All Day Jam makes yellow melon, peach, pear and tomato-flavoured jam. We plant everything.

“It was difficult for people to understand these flavours. The tomato jam can be used as a pizza base and to marinate meat. You can mix the yellow melon jam with plain yoghurt or put it in a smoothie,” says Selaocoe.

“All Day Jam speaks for itself; our jam is an all-rounder.”

His ultimate goal is to occupy a bigger space and employ more people.

“I want to go into retail, restaurants, hotels and hospitals. We are at Makro stores and that is just the beginning.

“Five years from now we will see All Day Jam trucks on the road,” says Selaocoe.