“Great Initiative”: SA Woman’s In-Demand Street Food Has Customers Pre-Ordering Meals on WhatsApp

• Precious Shizinga runs Swidemete Fast Food in Protea South, Soweto, earning between R1,000 and R1,300 per day
• Her chicken prices are nearly half of what Nando's charges, drawing customers from well outside Soweto
• Demand for her food grew so much that customers began placing orders through WhatsApp before making the trip

Precious Shizinga, a Soweto entrepreneur, built a loyal following selling home-cooked food from her meal stand in Protea South, and now earns up to R30,000 a month doing it.

Her business, Swidemete Fast Food, What started as a neighbourhood spot grew into something far bigger. Shizinga does not rely on passing foot traffic alone. Customers outside Soweto now contact her via WhatsApp to pre-order their meals before travelling to collect them. The business runs on cash only and brings in between R1,000 and R1,300 a day. To manage growing demand, she wants to recruit and train kitchen staff.

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It is located near the Protea Gardens Shopping Centre. The menu is simple and satisfying: chicken, pap, atchar, baked fish, and cabbage. A standard plate costs R30, a quarter chicken goes for R35, and a full chicken sells for R120. At Nando's, the same full chicken costs R205.

AI Gives Street Food a Boost

Street food has always been about family recipes, local flavours and tradition, but AI is helping vendors work smarter without losing that personal touch. AI can predict which meals will sell best, suggest new menu ideas based on customer tastes, recommend better pricing during busy or quiet periods, and even help improve food safety with hygiene reminders and smart monitoring. These tools help vendors reduce waste, increase profits and serve customers more efficiently while keeping traditional street food culture alive.

Read the full Daily Investor story here:

Readers react to her story

The story drew a range of views in the comments section on Daily Investor:

@Johnoe01 said:

"Great initiative! I have to wonder if the informal traders are contributing to the fiscus apart from (I assume) paying VAT on the consumable items they use."

@Renee Kearns replied:

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"I don't think they pay any taxes apart from the VAT portion and I don't think she submits any tax returns either. I won't mind putting R30,000 in my pocket without the tax man hunting me down."

@Runnin Bare commented:

"No need for a health inspector."

@Blapartheid Zulu censored agai added:

"At least she's trying to make money."

More Briefly News Stories on food

• A South African woman spent nine hours at a Mugg & Bean, ordering and rating meals throughout the day, with her detailed food reviews and final verdict sparking lively reactions online.
• A Vietnamese woman living in South Africa celebrated unexpectedly surpassing 11,000 Instagram followers by baking a traditional milk tart, earning praise from South Africans who applauded both her baking skills and love for local culture.
• A South African man’s attempt at the RocoMamas spicy wings challenge went viral after the intense heat left him struggling, with viewers reacting to his dramatic battle against the fiery meal.

Source: Briefly News