New-look Masha’s a boon for Mamelodi
Programme gives spazas a facelift
What started as a small spaza shop selling mainly soft drinks and bread in a shipment container in Mamelodi East in 2006 has blossomed into a fully fledged retail store.
Although there was no electricity in the area when the late Micca Masha started the shop, he succeeded in growing the business into what it is today.
Masha’s ultimate goal was to grow the business into a convenience store at a busy intersection in Extension 20.
His dream was realised in February with the opening of Masha’s Market, which is the first Gauteng-based township entrepreneur this year to join the Pick n Pay innovative spaza modernisation programme.
The project sees the food retailer and its partners upgrade spaza stores to meet the needs of communities.
The innovative programme enables entrepreneurs to remain independent owners, but equips them with cuttingedge systems and retailing techniques to create a unique township shopping experience.
Masha’s Market has been fitted out with new refrigeration and IT systems, and will stock 1 300 lines of edible and nonedible groceries, fresh pro- duce and perishables.
Masha’s Market will also offer Mamelodi residents services like money transfer, ticketing, airtime and data purchases, bill payments, lottery tickets and prepaid electricity.
It boasts a 136m2 grocery trading store, and a liquor store of 91m .
Although2Micca did not live to see the transformation of
‘‘ The whole family has been involved in Masha’s. My dad would have been proud today
his spaza shop into a retail store – he died in July – his 27-year-old son Tiisetso will carry out his legacy.
Tiisetso said he shared his father’s vision and that his old man groomed him well, instilling business acumen in him before he died.
“My father originally started the business selling soft drinks and my mom added a butchery next to the container to sell frozen meat.” he said.
“The whole family has been involved in Masha’s, and I think my dad would have been incredibly proud today. Nothing was handed to us on a silver plate.
“My dad was the first black man to rent business premises in Denneboom in Mamelodi,” he said.
The launch of Masha’s Market has resulted in the employment of 17 people from the area. Tiisetso added that his family’s ultimate goal was more growth.
The spaza conversion programme was piloted in 2016 in partnership with the Gauteng department of economic development.
Six stores opened in 2016 and eight others opened last year, with Masha’s Market being the first store to open this year.