Culinary skills, coupled with years of experience trading as a kapana vendor at the Single Quarters, have led to Mandume Hasheni qualifying for the next round of the Nedbank Kapana cook-off competition, a step closer to owning a food truck.

The 20-year-old is one of the four Namibians who won the competition’s third preliminary rounds that were held at Soweto Market recently.

“I am over the moon, and can’t contain my excitement; it feels great, and I am proud of myself. I honestly hope I win,” said the overzealous Hasheni.

The grade 12 learner from Eldorado High School told Youth Corner that this is his second time reaching the finals, and even though he never reached the final stroke, he hopes to win this year.

“If I happen to win, it will be an honour – then I can open my business with the capital plus the food trailer. That will help me a lot,” said Hasheni.

He added: “I don’t panic; I am calm because I work with this every day. I have been a kapana vendor at the Single Quarter for the past four years. I work with this stuff every day because this is my job. I am not under a lot of pressure at all, and I have a lot of experience,” said the shy Hasheni.

He  also  hopes to employ other Namibians, in the long run, should he be creative enough to prepare the best kapana meal that will make him the judges’ favourite.

Hasheni’s winning recipe was a salsa, made of tomato, onion and a dash of green pepper. 

He added the secret ingredient, which was thinly sliced green apple strips. 

He modernised the kapana by mixing thinly sliced onion and green pepper, making sure the kapana was not overcooked but tender and juicy.

The Nedbank Kapana Cook-off Competition was launched in May 2023, and it has three regional rounds as well as a final round.

The Cook-off caters to two categories – entry-level food vendors and a professional round for experienced chefs who have a chef qualification.

The three regional rounds take place at the coast – but this one happened at Oshakati, as well as in the central and northern regions, with a final round to crown the winners. 

At the regional rounds, on-the-day entries take part in a pre-round, where they are judged on their skills and hygiene during a salsa round. 

Nedbank’s spokesperson Selma Kaulinge said the competition is an opportune time for Namibians to make use of it and create a venture they can sustain.

“Year on year, we see a bigger interest in Namibians being part of the competition – and in 2023, we got the most participants,” said Kaulinge.

She added: “I think that is just proof that there’s a lot of Namibians out there in the informal market, which is a very important market. Nedbank acknowledges that this is a very important market”.

She said the mission is to make the informal market a gateway into the business sector and ensure inclusivity.

“Kapana is a Namibian dish, and that was the purpose of taking it across the country; there is a possibility of taking it to the south next year as well. We want to take the kapana competition to the people,” she stated.

Kaulinge was happy with the testimonies of previous winners of the competition and how that has transformed their lives and those around them. 

“Sakeus Kateya (2018 winner) has gone on to start a business and employs five Namibians – that’s taking Namibians off the street, and he has managed to buy a second food trailer for a second location. That goes to show how much work should be put into this. He came to Windhoek from the northern parts of the country and was selling tomatoes on the street,” she shared.

Kaulinge said the competition is changing lives because the winners change their lives and in the process impact others – and the chain continues.

- psiririka@nepc.com.na