Good people, good times and great pizza are some of the things you can look forward to on a visit to Lavay’s.
The former shebeen-turned alcohol-free eatery in Khayelitsha is one of the success stories of a groundbreaking initiative by Distell which is converting unlicensed liquor outlets into new, sustainable businesses in support of township development.
With a passion for food and hospitality experience, having worked in the hotel industry and as a private cook, Lungiswa “Lavay” Bonda was left jobless by the Covid-19 lockdown.
Her son, James, was also unemployed at the time and attempted to coax the family into starting a business.
Lungiswa was concerned about crime in the area and was reluctant to take the risk but she eventually gave in and began operating an unlicensed shebeen.
The rowdy hangout soon gained a reputation among the community hence her nickname, “Lavay” (Afrikaans for noisy).
Then, the family was approached by Distell’s development partner, Supply Pal, with the idea of going legal, offering Lungiswa and James a way out of the liquor trade.
Times have changed. Today Lavay’s is a neighbourhood treasure, with a traditional pizza oven, deep fryers, deep freeze and a renovated interior.
“Lockdown didn’t break us,” said James, as he removed another pizza from the new oven, earlier this week. “We started doing deliveries by car and today we even have ‘Lockdown’ and ‘House Arrest’ burgers on the menu!”
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To date, 10 such outlets have transitioned from selling liquor illegally to becoming registered food businesses.
“We’ve always said that Distell is about more than alcohol,” explained head of the Responsible Alcohol Programme Clarence Sibiya. “We are committed to empowering our communities to thrive, growing employment and helping to address some of the deep socio economic challenges in our country.”
“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,” Sibiya said.
“If you multiply that by 50 000 outlets that have no licence, it’s clear there is great employment creation potential as well as growth opportunities in township economies that can stimulate further localised development.”
Supply Pal Director Andre Titus explained that along with the equipment, training and investment in infrastructure supported by Distell, specialists would help with registration and certification, building plans and approvals required to become fully legally compliant.
“We’ve gained some fantastic learnings from this process which will help us to expand this project from here and ensure the outlets in the program become sustainable businesses for the long term.”
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Photos: Cape{town}Etc/ Murray Swart