Kings of events aim to redefine ekasi as tourist attraction

The Kings of Groove and Entertainment in Thembisa, Bongane Tlhoaele, Lebo Masasanya and Tumelo Mochisane, aim to use Thembisa’s identity to offer connectivity and creative inspiration through events, talks, performances, pop-ups and other cultural programmes to create a tourist attraction in ekasi.

The founders and head of operations of Easy Saturday Street Food Market and Pizza Sunday are not just event coordinators but creatives who wish to embark on a campaign to encourage South Africans and foreign nations to explore the community.

The Eventprofs is a dedicated and hardworking group of individuals who thrive under pressure.

ALSO READ: Thembisan community urged to help locate missing woman

As creatives, the trio at time have a love/hate relationship with events but said they will never consider changing careers and building a tourist attraction in the community.

Their dreams of becoming event coordinators started at the age of 17 when cousins Tlhoaele and Masasanya used their pocket money to host home parties to celebrate their birthdays in a location they considered uninteresting to create a vibe.

As they continued to host memorable events, their enthusiasm grew.

With the drive, motivation and passion, they developed their creative side and found a vision that was appropriate for kasi people.

In 2016, they held their first daytime event, which was successful. Easy Saturday Street Food Market in Thembisa is designed to give small enterprises a platform to promote themselves while also receiving support from locals.

This encouraged them to work harder and participate in additional events.

As a result, the men abandoned their formal professions to chase their dreams.

They were hooked as they had discovered something they loved doing – technically and artistically. Their new-found passion allowed them to be themselves without being micromanaged and to grow and learn daily.

“We also stopped self-sabotage, procrastination, listening to others’ opinions about what was best for our lives and businesses. We know the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. When you look at others who seem to be having the time of their lives, the decision starts to gnaw at you. Do what you care about,” said the Kings of Groove.

“We lacked an education in events hosting and our activities were self-funded. We pushed forward and learned from our failures. This allowed us to grab a piece of our audience’s hearts.

“The second phase of our initiative was Unemployed Package – Pizza Sundays. The concept offers a day of live music and delectable pizzas for everyone, making it the perfect way to spend the weekend. This concept embraced our third concept, which is a restaurant in Thembisa dubbed the Weekend of 1632.

“With us implementing our dreams in ekasi, we’ve played a far more important role in providing jobs and help to reduce unemployment in our area. The more people work, the more stable the economy will be. Jobs are vital.

“Economic stability is necessary for the citizens to make large investments in their livelihoods. When we are creating jobs, it not only enables us to develop independently, but also helps the economy of our community by elevating the unemployed youth,” said the trio.

They have a strong sense of giving back and contributing to society.

“We serve the community as handymen and offer our skills to those who need them most. Sometimes people only need a helping hand to receive a food parcel, motivational workshops or sanitary pads donations. It helps us feel good about our job in our community.”

They thanked the Thembisa community for the ongoing support despite challenges.

“Thank you for your continuous commitment, which is just as crucial today as ever, to our shared mission. We are now hopeful we will continue to be a learning community and a location where ideas may be shared, as all our efforts are needed more than ever in Thembisa to help us all construct a better future.”

Also follow us on: