For Phumeza Dolo of Gqeberha, the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant was more than a survival subsidy; it was a strategic lifeline used to resuscitate her entrepreneurial dreams and reverse the hardships of unemployment.
Dolo is the founder of ISthebe Kitchenette, a small-scale farming venture known to locals as Isitya Sam. The business specialises in growing healthy food and natural herbs, including mint, fennel, sage, chamomile, and amaranth. Operating from her home, she has converted a room into a workshop for the drying, processing and packaging of her specialist blends.
The success of Isitya Sam was born from the ashes of a previous venture.
Dolo’s journey began in 2018 in Philippi, Western Cape. After receiving R150 from her mother for food, she decided to spend the money on a business instead. She bought ingredients, pan-baked 10 pies and sold all within 10 minutes.
This early spark led to an opportunity when she was awarded a scholarship for the Woolworths/Infinity Culinary Training Programme. Dolo excelled, graduating with distinctions and securing a job offer on graduation day. Over the next four years, she honed her skills at five-star hotels and restaurants.
In a daring move one week before the Covid-19 lockdown, Dolo resigned from her executive chef role to launch a soup kitchen supported by Woolworths and FoodForward SA.
The impact of the pandemic forced the business to close in 2022.
“Ultimately, I lost everything: my bakery, the soup kitchen and my home,” she recalled.
Forced to return to her hometown Gqeberha, Dolo used her SRD grant of R350 to pivot into agro-processing. The government has since increased the grant to R370.
Her business now employs four people and is a full-circle return to her culinary roots.
By processing her own crops, she adds significant value to her produce, ensuring her current phase of business is built on a more sustainable and resilient foundation.
She also won second place and R30,000 at the Nelson Mandela University Standard Bank SME Exhibition and R10,000 for best young producer at a department of agriculture show.
The Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency has provided her business with marketing materials and branding.
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