Minister Alan Winde, together with Pick ‘n Pay management conducted a site visit to the Ndwamba market in Nyanga today.
Ndwamba market, which is owned by local businesswoman Khosi Liwani, is one of two Western Cape stores which have been upgraded as part of an exciting partnership between Pick n Pay, the Old Mutual Foundation, Masisizane Fund, Brimstone, the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism and the City of Cape Town.
The Pick ‘n Pay spaza modernisation programme upgrades local stores with new refrigeration, IT systems and new product lines. It also offers training for the business owners and staff, allowing them to give customers more choice and offer them service excellence.
So far, stores that have received the revamp both in the Western Cape and Gauteng have shown excellent progress. At Ndwamba, the revamp has allowed Liwani to triple the amount of jobs she previously created, now employing 21 people from the surrounding areas.
The store has also seen foot traffic almost triple from about 500 people per day before the upgrade to approximately 1200 people daily. On Good Friday, the store recorded its biggest numbers of around 1450 people.
As part of the Ndwamba upgrade, new services including money transfer, ticketing, airtime and data, bill payments, lottery tickets and prepaid electricity were added, contributing to the convenience.
Liwani, who took over the store after her father died in 1995, now runs it with her husband Zongs.
She said the response from the community had been excellent.
“It’s doing very well. People are responding very well. They are so positive, they are so happy. When I’m on the shop floor, people will just grab me and say, ‘thank you for what you have done for us’, but really I should be the one saying thank you for their support!”
Liwani says she is thinking of expanding more, potentially adding a pharmacy as there isn’t one in the community. She says there is also a need for a fourth teller, as queues can snake around the store.
The revamped store has a bakery, butchery and a hot foods counter, creating jobs for bakers, butchers and a chef.
Minister Alan Winde said “it’s incredible that they have managed to triple their staff complement, and any new expansions will help to create jobs in this community. We’re looking forward to working with Pick ‘n Pay on more projects like this in future, so that we can create new jobs and teach people valuable skills.
“The Pick n Pay spaza modernisation programme is creating a new generation of modern retail entrepreneurs by equipping local spaza owners to offer more choice and services to their community. The success of the programme to date demonstrates how we can work together to unlock exciting new opportunities,” said Pick n Pay deputy CEO Richard van Rensburg.
Media Enquiries:
Bianca Capazorio
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Economic Opportunities
Tel: 021 483 3550
Cell: 072 372 7044
Email: bianca.capazorio@westerncape.gov.za