The City Makoti on winning over in-laws with traditional cooking

As part of her “ukukotiza” duties, content creator Anika Dambuza, also known as The City Makoti, has used her love language of cooking African traditional dishes to wow her in-laws.

“The only thing I cooked for the in-laws was chicken livers, which my husband said I cooked in a private school way, but they enjoyed it,” Dambuza says.

“I never seem to cook enough food because there are always more people than expected and I must dish up for everyone. So, I ended up serving small portions to make sure there was enough for all.”

Dambuza is taking a break from participating in a pasta cook-off hosted by SMag’s 2025 Woman of the Year in Food, Nthabiseng Mathole, and Knorrox in Parkwood, Johannesburg.

Fellow content creator Nompumelelo Nkosi (SMag’s 2024 Woman of the Year in Digital Content Creation) is also sweating it out in the kitchen, making a creamy spaghetti bolognese dish.

Dambuza’s viral social media page, The City Makoti, was inspired by the playful duality of being a modern wife – balancing makoti responsibilities with a contemporary lifestyle. She married her sweetheart and property broker, Siphesihle, in December 2023.

“My family calls me Kungi, which is short for Kungentando, my makoti name,” says Dambuza, beaming with pride.

“The things that I never had, that I cooked, were chicken feet and they came out very nice. I’ve made mogodu, but I cheated and bought the one from Woolworths Food. I liked it, but when I had it again the next day, it was too sharp.

“I can cook chicken hearts, chicken livers, which I learned from varsity from my husband. He would go home once or twice a year and I would ask him what I could cook that reminded him of home. Even when I would visit, I would see, oh, they eat chicken hearts in the morning and eat chicken livers. I will come back home and I will try them.”

Their beautiful wedding, which catapulted her content creation career, was featured in the March issue of SMag.

“I posted our wedding video on TikTok and then it went viral and I thought, okay, let me just go with it,” says Dambuza

The Dambuzas relaunched their YouTube channel on Sunday with the addition of a vlog series showcasing their life since the viral post.

“We have been good and we’re very blessed to have our cute little boy. I have so much [love] for him and sometimes I look at my husband and I’m like: ‘I love you too and that we are still us’. But I love them both,” she says.

Tuck into a hearty spaghetti bolognese dish, perfect for a quick under-30-minute weekday dinner

KwaMsonco Spaghetti Bolognaise

Ingredients

For the Pasta

•  400g spaghetti
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil

For the Sauce

• 500g beef mince
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp crushed garlic
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs (or oregano/basil)
• 1 tbsp Knorrox stock powder (beef flavour)
• ½ tsp paprika (optional for a kick)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil

To Serve

• Fresh parsley (optional)
• Grated cheddar or Parmesan

Method

• To prepare the pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Add the dry spaghetti and cook according to the packet instructions until al dente.
• Drain out the water, drizzle with a little olive oil and set aside.
• Prepare the sauce by heating 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
• Add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant. About 2 minutes.
• Add the grated carrot and cook for a further 1 minute.
• Brown your beef mince by adding to the pan with the onions and garlic, gently breaking it up with a spoon. Cook until browned (5–7 minutes).
• Season the beef mince by stirring in tomato paste, paprika, and Knorrox stock powder, beef flavour. Mix well.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and dried herbs. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens.
• Taste and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.
• To serve, either toss the cooked spaghetti into the sauce and dish up or serve the sauce spooned generously on top of spaghetti on a plate.
• Garnish with parsley and grated cheese.