SOLD: WHEN VILAKAZI St. LIVED UP TO ITS NAME

Any tourist travelling to the most famous black township in South Africa will most probably end up at one of its most famous streets; Vilakazi in Orlando west, Soweto. It is the only street in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize laureates, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela once lived. Those with a cursory knowledge of contemporary South African history will remember that Soweto was made famous by its young, school children from surrounding schools including Phefeni Secondary high school, Matsike, Thloreng primary, Bhele and surrounding townships who took to the streets in opposition to the Apartheid government’s plan to use Afrikaans, as the language of instruction in African schools. The children wanted to continue to learn in English and saw the introduction of Afrikaans as the final nail on black people's coffin. The march which ended with a dramatic violent killing of hundreds of children by white soldiers, made Soweto and South Africa famous throughout the world. The March and subsequent massacre defined the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, and brought the African National Congress, a liberation movement forced underground by the Apartheid regime to international prominence. But this week’s blog is not about ancient history.

It’s a bout Vilakazi Street as it is today.

The word Vilakazi, is a family name (read surname) which is derived from the Zulu or Nguni word, ivila – which means a lazy person. Vilakazi means someone who is very very lazy. Of course this does not mean that those who have this surname are lazy people. On the contrary. But this past weekend it felt like most establishments on Vilakazi Street were just that – lazy. The last time I was on the street was in December 2013 right after former president nelson Mandela passed away. The street was teeming with people, South Africans and travellers from all walks of life including foreign media came to pay their last respects. Everyone was open and willing to share just how much Mandela meant to them. Most spaces were eager to serve. There was a party everyday. But this past week after visiting family in Soweto, I saw a different side to Vilkazi.

Sakhumzi - to build a home?

We arrived at around 11 am hungry and eager to eat breakfast. The first stop of course was Sakhumzi Restaurant at the bottom of Vilikazi Street which was already filled with people many of them runners who’d just completed the Soweto marathon. The waiters greeted at the door and showed us a bench to sit.Then immediately lost interest. We ordered the menu and were told that only a buffet meal was available at 160 rands a head. Excluding refreshments. The buffet meal consisted of the regular South African Sunday meal of Seven Colours ( white – rice or mealie meal, brown gravy and meat, red- beetroot, orange – butternut, green – cream spinach or beans, cream – potato salad or cabbage and carrot salad) We ordered drinks and moved to another restaurant for hoping for a more diverse menu.

THRIVE?

We crossed the street to Thrive, A newer restaurant which opened in 2013 as a BEE initiative with no visible black partners. The place was open but the staff was still cleaning and setting up. We started to order drinks and were surprised at the prices. A starting price for beer was 35 rands, a glass of wine was 55 rands. So we readied ourselves for an amazing experience. But the service was poor. The toilets were dirty. The kitchen had nothing on the menu. But because we were hungry we decided to stay. It took a while to find something on the menu that was available. Then we decided to move to another restaurant to wash down the bad service at Thrive. We went to NexDor, next to Sakhumzi. By then both places were brimming with people and the sun was hot. The prices at NexDor were more affordable normal prices. But the service was lacking, the waiters weren’t attentive. We left before placing any orders to another more authentic space; Chaf Posie in Orlando East.

It was quite amazing to see the sheer number of people who populated Vilakazi’s main restuarants despite the high prices for below average service. They were satisfied. I wondered what’s wrong with this picture. When we spoke to the assistant manager at Thrive about poor service we were given a number of reasons why things were like that. The staff was tired because the restaurant opened until 2am in the morning, and the same staff which worked until 3am was expected to be back at work 10am in the morning. The manager was stingy, they didn’t want to hire more staff – our waiter told us. They had a busy night and ran out of ingredients the manager told us. As patrons we are expected to understand and still pay the full prices and a mandatory 10 percent tip for appalling service. But they didn't understand why we were concerned.

Vilkazi Street we are told is not for locals.

It is meant for foreign tourists who pay in Dollars and Euros, because the prices are affordable for them. Everything is cheap in Africa. Vilakazi Street is not for locals. It’s for rich black people, abo'skhothane who have money to show off and spend. I left feeling slightly annoyed. Because Vilakazi street’s most popular restaurants, had lived up to the stereotype. They had become charity cases. Foreign tourist visiting the street were not paying for great excellent service, but paying out of guilt and empathy. We are not viewed as equals by them. None of the restuarants on the street would get a single michelin star. No one would expect that from vilakazi street. What will happen when the Foreigners stop coming?

The reason we go to restaurants is to be served and to enjoy great tasting food.

Otherwise we could just stay at home and make the food ourselves or order take away. So restaurateurs can’t make excuses for bad service. It is not acceptable since they won’t accept lack of payment for services rendered. Ironically Vilakazi Street was named in honour of the first black South African to receive a Ph.D, Benedict Wallet Vilakazi (1906-1947). A Zulu Poet, linguist and novelist who wrote the first book of Zulu poetry in a western style. He was not lazy. Perhaps if the youth of 1976 had known about him, they would have taken to the streets to demand that isiZulu or any number of African languages be used as the medium of instruction at black schools instead of Afrikaans and English. Because then maybe might understand that while money is almost indispensible in life, it does not by itself, build excellence.

#culture #money #SouthAfrica