The Soweto Chefs Academy situated along the historic Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, a few meters where the Freedom Charter was founded, is one of the beacons of hope and beating heartbeat for young people in the area.
ALSO READ: Young chefs … Have you got what it takes?
The academy which was started in 2013 in the West Rand but officially registered in 2016 and only began operating in Kliptown in 2017 is testament to its commitment to developing and impacting lives.
Fatima Dludla who is the brains behind the successful academy said while it wasn’t an easy road, she is proud of what the academy has done for the community.
“SETA gave us funding to train ten students in 2016 and we ran with the programme and was a major success.
“We saved the little money from that – we couldn’t obtain our own accreditation that year and had to source it out from someone who had it in order for us to be able to carry through the programme.
“That was where it all began, after so many hurdles and failed promises,” Dludla recalls.
In 2017 the academy obtained its own accreditation which has opened doors for the business to grow.
Since then, the academy offers over ten programmes within the hospitality industry accredited by CATHSSETA, City and Guilds, and the South African Chef Associations.
ALSO READ: Aspiring chefs – you can win an all-inclusive bursary
Dludla, who is the CEO of the academy grew up in Kliptown and runs the academy with her husband Joseph Dludla who oversees the daily logistics of the academy.
The couple has been operating business ventures from as early as 2005.
“We often hear people say that there are white people behind this academy but that is far from the truth. It has always been the both of us, alot of hard work and sacrifice.
“If it was not through perseverance, we would not have been able to be where we are today,” she told Urban News.
The work of the academy includes sessions to reskill and train entrepreneurs and local SMMEs who are venturing broadly within the hospitality industry.
This is to empower entrepreneurs with the know-how of how to expand and build sustainable businesses that answers to the needs of the community.
The historic township is overshadowed by rampant crime levels, poverty, widespread unemployment and lack of access to service delivery, something which remained a great challenge for some of the students at the academy, who hail from underprivileged backgrounds.
ALSO READ: Young chefs pull out all the stops with an avo
“The reason why we brought it here is because we saw that our youth are struggling.
“They are forced to take two taxis to get to institutions where the fees are more expensive than what you would find here,” she said.
“We recognise that it’s a need for our young people especially in the township where such opportunities are inaccessible.
“We ensure that the same facilitators that they use in the expensive academy in the suburbs are the same they find here.”
Over the seven year period, the academy has impacted over 500 aspiring chefs and local entrepreneurs who have gone to establish careers in the hospitality industry.
14 students who make up the 2023 Chefs Assistant cohort and a further eight completing Professional Cookery will add to the long list of alumnus when they graduate later in the year.
ALSO READ: Join the biggest virtual cook-a-long with celebrity chefs
“We always say this is not ours but for the community. We are proud that we can say we did this for our community and families will not go to bed hungry because someone was able to attain skills and expertise at our academy that will sustain them for a long time.”
