#MakingIt – Man ventures into pizza business

An academic career path doesn’t always lead you to where you want to be.

Ask Oliver Mokakabye, who decided to shun the traditional academic world and embark on a business venture involving pizza.

Mokakabye holds a tertiary qualification in office management and technology and served in the administration offices of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality for over 10 years.

“I had reached my zenith and there were no more challenges in the job and I decided to try something new. I went into carpentry for a couple of years while trying to figure out where I could make a change,” said Mokakabye.

He said he was persuaded to take up his office career by his parents, who did not want to see him loitering about the house and doing nothing with his life.

Mokakabye, however, later met his business partner Sipho Ntanjana, who was in the food business.

“We ventured into the pizza business and we are self-taught. I already knew how to cook because I am the eldest child and one of my chores growing up was to cook for my siblings.”

He said the pizza business was set up in December 2014 and operated mainly at local events like the Philly’s Games.

The business, he said, was a success but the challenge was that events were not happening every day.

So Oliver Mokakabye decided to open up shop and offer pizza daily on kasi pavements.

“We have been operating on the pavement for a month now. We want to grow the business and the challenge is capital and more skilled man power,” he said.

Mokakabye is willing to teach pizza-making skills to unemployed kasi people who want to learn them.

Mokakabye Pizza business is situated on George Nyanga Street in Emkhathini Section opposite Tembisa High School.

For more info call 078 350 2899.

#MakingIt