By: Sizakele Nduli
When the July 2021 civil unrest wreaked havoc on businesses in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, Hlengiwe Shandu saw an opportunity to fill the gap in the supply of freshly baked bread to townships in and around Umlazi, south of Durban. “In 2020 I was retrenched, and I focused more on baking. My bread’s claim to fame was during the looting when bakeries couldn’t deliver to townships, so most people depended on my services,” Shandu told Vutivi News.
Shandu, who established Gemisquare Bakeries in 2017, said she moved to Umlazi to help her business stay afloat.“I was renting premises in the suburbs for 18 months, there came a time when I saw that I couldn’t afford rent anymore,” she said. “I decided to move and relocate to the township where the people most need my bread are located.” This year, the business was given a 12m container with branding from the Hollywood Foundation, which focuses on making a sustainable impact on communities through its enterprise and supplier development programme.
Shandu said her bakery also received a financial boost of R75,000 to help improve and grow the business. “Their help enabled me to bake more bread and reach more customers,” she added. Shandu said that she initially started her baking venture by making cakes and later expanded it to include bread which costs R14. Her offerings include bread, rolls, cakes and custom-made cakes for various events. “My main product is bread. I use quality and affordable ingredients which are specially sourced. My bread is very affordable without sacrificing quality,” said Shandu.
She currently has four permanent and two temporary employees who help in the daily running of the business. Her goal is to expand her business to other provinces. “I already have people outside of KZN who want to distribute my bread in their areas, so expanding is the next step from now on. “My short-term plan is to increase sales [and] my long-term plan is to supply most of KZN and expand to other provides,” Shandu said.
