BOOK REVIEW | Conquering the poverty of the mind

From Shipping Container to BUSY CORNER

The Entrepreneurial Journey of the Shisanyama Pioneer

By Rita Zwane and Isabella Morris

Conquering the Poverty of the Mind – From Shipping Container to BUSY CORNER shows the true grit of a Zulu girl who believed in herself – and did it against all odds.

“Entrepreneurship has been the economic lifeblood of African women across the continent. Many, many township women are entrepreneurs, refusing to be limited by either education or resources, and this against the very limiting backdrop of coming from patriarchal societies and a disadvantaged educational and economic system. Instead, women seek out opportunities, and very often successfully navigate the severe restrictions against women in various industries, sectors, and businesses.”

The birth of an entrepreneur extraordinaire

Phumlaphi Rita Zwane is the youngest daughter of a single mother who worked as a domestic worker in KZN, the family’s financial resources were limited, but their drive to seize opportunities grew out of a determination to overcome the limits of an unequal society at the time.

At the age of five Rita sold amagwinya (vetkoek) to Umlazi commuters, and sweets to her peers. This was the birth of an entrepreneur extraordinaire. Shortly after matriculating, in 1987 Rita moved to Johannesburg, where she hustled to survive.

She used every opportunity to elevate herself, doing a secretarial course, getting a formal job, and outsourcing her car as a delivery vehicle to a courier company, turning the liability of car payments into an income-earning asset.

Her formative working years in the food and beverage industry drove her belief that she could forge a new sector in the industry, and her vision of creating a place where African people could enjoy traditional braai meat and celebrate their great African culture and heritage in an environment that included style, class, and dignity.

In 1997 she founded Imbizo Shisanyama on a dusty street in Ivory Park, with only a 2-litre single pot, gas griller, display fridge, gas paraffin stove and two employees. In 2002, Rita placed another container at the corner of Main and 29 September roads, Ext. 1 Ebony Park, the same location where BUSY CORNER is situated today.

The establishment Imbizo Shisanyama BUSY CORNER resulted in the explosive growth and inspired the creation of hundreds of Shisanyamas around the country offering sustainable employment to thousands of South Africans and thus changing the entire landscape of food and beverage industry.

Conquering the poverty of the mind

Currently with the new Imbizo Shisanyama open in Midrand CBD Rita supports over 150 families from the local community, employing them as car guards, braai masters, and women who make the salsa, chakalaka, and dumplings that patrons enjoy.

In June 2016, she established the Bambanani Community Upliftment Campaign, feeding more than 400 children that pass Imbizo Shisanyama on their way to school every.

Conquering the Poverty of the Mind is for every aspiring entrepreneur, it teaches valuable life lessons and inspires one to take the first step and to seize every opportunity that life presents.

About the Authors

Rita Zwane

In 2012 Rita was appointed as a Youth Ambassador for the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and she launched the Imbizo Shisanyama Bursary Programme to pursue a career in the dynamic food, beverage, and hospitality sector.

In 2016 she became an advisory board member and coach to entrepreneurship challenge participants for Youth Leadership & Entrepreneurship Development.

Rita has received many accolades along the way:

• In 2012, she was appointed by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) as an ambassador of their Ithubalentsha Micro Enterprises initiative.
• In 2013, Rita was awarded the National Small Business Champion Award by the NSBC.
• In 2015 the establishment was the first runner up in the Africa Growth Institute SMME awards (Services Sector category).
• For her clear commitment and dedication to the advancement of her community Rita received the welfare’s Caregivers award in 2015 bestowed on her by the Department of Social Development.
• Paying high tribute to Rita’s incredible journey to success and her sheer perseverance, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) awarded her the 2016 Business Woman of the Year title.
• International recognition was awarded to Rita in 2016 when she was nominated at the Socrates Awards for the Golden European Award for Quality and Business Prestige.
• Furthermore in 2017 Rita was nominated for the Premier Service Excellence award for the Gauteng Province.
• In 2019 Rita received the Gender Mainstreaming Award from Business Engage for Positive Role Modelling.

Conquering the Poverty of the Mind is her first book.

Isabella Morris

Isabella Morris is an award-winning South African writer, editor and communications strategist. “So many people have inspirational stories to tell. The most exciting part of my writing life is bringing these important stories to the page.”

She is the author of four non-fiction books and over 50 short stories, which have been published locally and internationally. Her travel and feature articles have appeared in South Africa’s major newspapers.

Isabella has a master’s degree in writing (Wits), and is now pursuing a PhD at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, focusing on the non-Western short story cycle through the lens of decolonised or non-Western trauma theory.

• PUBLISHER | Tracey McDonald Publishers |
• ISBN | 978-0-6399929-1-4 |
• Recommended Retail Price | R260.00 |
• Classification | Business, Memoir, Inspiration |

For more information | Janine Daniel | +27 (0)83 327 3393 | mail me |