Vilakazi street s vibrancy giving Soweto the groove

FOR locals and tourists visiting the worldfamed Vilakazi Street Precinct in Orlando West, Soweto, the place has more to offer than only food and drink.

No doubt, house number 8115, is the most distinguished-house on this epochal street. It was once the home of Winnie and Nelson Mandela, the Father and Mother of the Nation, respectively. It is now a museum always teeming with tourists.

Explore the dozens of curio shops and stalls, visit the authentic shebeen called The Shack, specialising in home brewed traditional beer umqombothi, served in ukhamba (calabash), visit the Wine Bar, a venue popular for its variety of local and imported wines and the etiquette of wine drinking. Take a helicopter ride for a birdseye view of the township, or for a lavish ride on your wedding day contact Fly SA Wise

– for an unforgettable experience.

Although, according to the worldrenowned Sakhumzi Restaurant s

’ marketing manager Archie Tsoku, their establishment, founded by Sakhumzi Saki

“” Maqhubela 15 years ago, attracts the bulk of the patronage, it cannot accommodate all the visitors as seating is limited..

Tsoku says on busy nights, such as weekends, all restaurants and pubs in the precinct can only accommodate about 1 500 patrons. Obviously there is room for growth and “expansion. The whole place is full of potential for growth and diversity in the form of business operations. Other eateries and entertainment places “help absorb the overflow of patrons.” On the future of Sakhumzi, Tsoku says: We are looking at global expansion, to “have franchises in places such as London, in England and New York in the US. We are taking advantage of the name “Sakhumzi, as a brand and as the local pioneers of African cuisine, to take the business beyond South African borders. But before we go abroad we need a “footprint in southern Africa and possibly Africa as a whole.”

Tsoku says they were also looking at setting up a hospitality school to train youngsters in the food and beverage.

Another restaurant and pub that is fast breaking new ground as a hip and happening eatery on the Vilakazi Street Precinct is the elegant Nex Dor.

Founded by co-directors Colin Amos, brothers Thabo and Mangi Mdluli in 2012, the establishment was once the house of one of the oldest medical practitioners in Soweto, Dr Matlhare. Situated next to Sakhumzi Restaurant, Nex Dor, is a pozi