NOXOLO MIYA
A pensioner, Pinky Mohloyiwa, 71, decided to open a fruit smoothie bar outside Dr Molemela Stadium in Mangaung, Bloemfontein, where the ANC is celebrating its 111th anniversary.
Mohloyiwa said she started her business years ago, but was able to fully focus on it only after she went on pension last year.
“As a nurse, I’m all about wellness, health, and encouraging people to be healthy, and that is why I decided to come here and sell my freshly made smoothies,“ she said.
“My vision is to expand and some day own a mobile container that I can move around with, because that would make things much easier for me and my business.
“I work alongside my son here, who is also very passionate about health, and this is how I sustain my family. I also have grandchildren that I have to look after, as you know that in our families and communities grannies always have to be there.”
“We have got different types of smoothies that cater for energy and detoxing, as well as those that drive the metabolic rate of a person. But mostly people just choose the fruits and/or veggies they want, such as banana, pineapple, strawberries, cucumber, and spinach. Sometimes they mix them with yoghurt. We charge R30 for a 500ml cup,” said Mohloyiwa.
While business was good and Mohloyiwa attracted a lot of customers with her tasty wares, she said it was a struggle to set up her stall because they needed electricity for blending the smoothies and therefore had to invest in a generator, which was a very expensive buy.
“We need professional machinery so that our smoothies become nice and smooth. On a regular basis, you find that the electricity goes out two or three times a day, and that is why we had to invest in a generator, which was not cheap,” said Mohloyiwa.
While the ANC is celebrating its 111th anniversary in Mangaung, South Africa was faced with high levels of load shedding throughout 2022, with last year having had the most blackouts on record.
