#ThisIsUs: Thembisa’s Kings of Groove inspire resilience post riots

Local event organisers recently discussed their recovery from the riots and looting earlier this year and how they managed to bounce back as a small business.

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Bongane Tlhoaele, Lebo Masasanya, Isaac Maobane and Tumelo Mochisane, from Thembisa’s Kings of Groove and Entertainment, want to use the kasi’s identity to design working solutions that create positive social change through events, talks, performances, pop-ups and other cultural programmes following the looting amid the pandemic.

The founders of Easy Saturday Street Food Market, Pizza Sunday, and the Weekend are not simply event planners.
They are also creatives who want to launch a campaign to boost the economy’s confidence amid the pandemic and post looting.

However, the problems the lads experienced following the looting and throughout the pandemic did not deter them from attaining and seeking to develop a tourist attraction area as part of their activities.

For the trio, it is important to sustain a community’s long-term stability, thus as local entrepreneurs, they strive to achieve the best level of social and environmental performance possible.

As a result, they want to inspire other businesses to follow suit.

The riots, according to Masasanya, had a severe influence on the community’s goal of relieving unemployment, poverty and inequality by providing high-quality services to its residents via entertainment.

Their goal is to make 1632 Groove a top tourist destination.

“The riots and looting quickly evolved into a manifestation of dissatisfaction among the country’s lower-class populations in response to the Covid-19 regulations implemented over the last two years and the resulting job losses,” said the trio.

“For years, the country has battled to instil confidence in its economy. Now, as the country struggles to recover from a depression exacerbated by the Covid-19 outbreak, destruction and looting have pushed it even further behind. Nonetheless, the turmoil has had a major impact on community access to products and services, employment and the economy,” said Masasanya.

The fact that looters targeted businesses rather than houses, according to Tlhoaele, symbolises the economic challenges that kasi communities endure.

“They are frustrated with job losses. People are unable to afford basic essentials like food. Furthermore, certain communities, such as Thembisa, have seen high hospitalisation and mortality rates, causing emotional anguish,” said Tlhoaele.

“Returning to ‘normal’ for many individuals entails resuming daily activities such as going out to dine or attending festivals,” said Tlhoaele.

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For Maobane, the new normal for the event industry, post looting and amid the pandemic, has enabled people who want to explore deeper, more meaningful relationships with their communities through experiences such entertainment.

“Residents have evolved with new demands, interests and values, as a result of being confined for so long. We are likely to see life experiences as we know them again but in a different way.

“People are brought together by events. Audiences are educated, empowered and inspired by them. Social movements can be sparked by events. They have the ability to increase earnings and brand exposure. Getting ‘back to normal’ is the topic of conversation among event planners. Nonetheless, the future is unlikely to resemble our pre-pandemic normal. As event planners, we’ve become accustomed to presenting events in ever-more inventive ways. We’ve witnessed the comeback of in-person events now the lockdown limitations have been lifted,” said Maobane.

“In light of the attempts to salvage the events industry, with our events we aim to present some unique activities to assist this sector survive the crisis and, perhaps, return to its former glory.”

“As event organisers, we must continue to think outside the box as we organise future events. Given that we may be dealing with the impact of the coronavirus and post-looting for a long time, as organisers we need to account for health concerns, follow strict safety standards,” said the trio.

Rosina Khunou, a cashier, expressed her gratitude to the kings of 1632 Groove for allowing her to work under their guidance throughout the pandemic and after the looting.

“Many people lost their employment as a result of the events. I believe I am assisting young people in becoming effective citizens. My job challenges me to reach my best potential. Since starting here, I’ve gained a lot more self-assurance. I enjoy helping people by drawing on my prior experiences,” said Khunou.

It’s no secret that businesses in the catering industry have faced challenges during the pandemic and looting crisis, but as the holiday season approaches, they’re becoming creative with their service delivery to garner income and clients, said Club26Eatery owners Given Mahloko and Mbalenhle Hlatshwayo.

“Orders into Club26’s cuisine dried up overnight as the virus spread, and with joyous events coming to a standstill, there was no longer a desire for the exquisite snacking tables for which we are known. We are grateful, though, to the lads we have known for a long time for having our backs and allowing us to sell our traditional home-cooked meals amid the trying times.

“However, after overcoming the hurdles we had in the aftermath of the looting and the pandemic, the club is developing and implementing new inventive methods to prepare for the holidays by providing home-cooked meals full of love and flavour to individuals and groups,” said the founders of Club26Eatery.

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