Publications
Partners
- Lungiswa Bonda and her son James turned to runing an illegal shebeen when she lost her job in the hospitality industry when Covid-19 lockdowns hit SA.
- Thanks to a township development and responsible alcohol consumption programme run by Distell, the Bondas were able to turn their illegal shebeen into a sustainable neighbourhood pizza eatery.
- As part of the programme, they get business coaching and support.
- For more stories, go to the News24 Business front page.
Lavay's Good Food in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, is a former shebeen which has been transformed into a sustainable alcohol-free eatery.
The transformation of the establishment was part of an initiative by multinational brewing and beverage company Distell to support township development and promote a culture of responsible alcohol consumption by converting unlicenced liquor outlets into sustainable businesses.
The project was started after a survey of 5 000 township businesses found that, of the total 532 liquor traders in Khayelitsha, only 151 had a licence.
Lavay's owner Lungiswa Bonda has a passion for food. She worked as a cook at a top hotel in Cape Town, but lost her job when the Covid-19 lockdowns hit the hospitality industry.
Her son James, who had been jobless since 2019, suggested they start their own business. They began operating a shebeen without a licence. The venue was very noisy, and Lungiswa's nickname in the neighbourhood became "Lavay" (a localised version of the Afrikaans word "lawaai", which means noise).
She was approached by Distell's development partner, Supply Pal, and they started looking at options for moving her business out of the liquor trade, and the idea for the restaurant was born.
Apart from renovating the interior, a traditional pizza oven, deep fryers, and a deep freeze were installed. Furthermore, a handheld point-of-sale device automatically tracks revenue and stock while also making the sale of airtime and electricity possible and enabling money transfers.
Lavay's offers free WiFi and is hooked up to Order Kasi, a motorcycle delivery service.
"Lockdown didn't break us. We started doing deliveries by car, and today we even have 'Lockdown' and 'House Arrest' burgers on the menu," says James.
So far, 10 illegal liquor outlets have been turned into fully registered food businesses as part of the Distell project. As part of the project, the owners get business mentoring and support from Supply Pal.
"Being a registered business opens up access to credit and many other benefits that an illegal outlet doesn't enjoy. This leads to a 160% increase in revenue on average and the creation of a potential three additional jobs per outlet," says Clarence Sibiya, head of Distell's Responsible Alcohol Programme.
