Long Street kiosks and mosaic artwork | Western Cape Government

Long Street kiosks and mosaic artwork

A total of 10 entrepreneurs from across the province have been given the go-ahead to start operating from a set of on-street kiosks in Long Street.

On 9 May 2016, Alan Winde, Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities, officially handed over the keys to the new kiosks, which are located on the corners of Long and Wale streets in Cape Town, to the group of entrepreneurs. This forms part of a joint initiative between the Western Cape Departments of Economic Development and Tourism and Transport and Public Works.

Minister Winde said: “We’re handing over the space to the entrepreneurs, they can now customise and make it their own. Located in the middle of the CBD, from here they will be able to showcase and sell their goods in one of our region’s most vibrant spaces.”

“Each kiosk is equipped with a preparation bowl fixed with brackets to the internal wall, precast concrete serving counter, 2 lockable hand operated roller shutters, electrical light switch and double point plugs. Other facilities are located within the main building. The space has been constructed taking into careful consideration the needs of the beneficiaries, and to aid in the efficient and effective running of their businesses. We are very proud of this initiative, and the impact it will have on the lives of the chosen beneficiaries,” said Minister of Transport and Public Works, Donald Grant.

The kiosks will operate between 7am and 5pm on weekdays and between 7am and 2pm over weekends.

Long Street kiosks’ mosaic artwork

The new Long Street kiosks were decorated in mosaic artworks done by a local group of community artists from Delft, Cape Town.

The original group was started in 1998 with a group of 20 youths that were trained to do mosaic artworks. Of the original group, about 7 people, including Xolani Badli and Mbuyiseli Somdaka, are still involved in the current projects and in training of other youths.

Common themes for their projects include culture, diversity and trees. This is because these mosaics and murals can be made in bright colours in order to create a beautiful settings.

All of their projects and training are self-funding and entirely dependent on the amount of work or projects they get tasked with – similar to the Long Street project, which was an initiative of the artists and Western Cape Departments of Economic Development and Tourism and Transport and Public Works.

Xolani and Mbuyiseli tell us their story

Some of the other projects they’ve completed include:

Investing in your future

Minister Winde said: “We know that entrepreneurs are key job creators, employing over 500 000 people in the Western Cape. That is why we have invested in initiatives like these, which give small businesses the support they need to take their enterprises to the next level. We’ve given over 30 000 entrepreneurs the tools they need to start a business since 2009 and in this financial year we’re investing a further R40.9 million into the development and support of small businesses.”

The content on this page was last updated on 12 May 2016