A sweet tooth for the Ballito shores

For as long as most coastal families can remember, a trip to the beach would not be the same without hearing the ringing bell of an ice-cream vendor strolling along the beach with his cooler box full of assorted cold sweet treats.

But did you know how important your support is to them?

The Courier spoke with local vendor Meshack Myeni, who has been selling ice-cream in Ballito for the past 25 years.

The Tshawini resident said he supports 13 children and two wives back home in KwaHlabisa.

“When I started selling ice cream it was much easier because I could order stock from anywhere I wanted at a cheaper price, which meant a cheaper price for our customers,” said Myeni.

Ola apparently approached the vendors and offered to sponsor their uniforms and cooler boxes. They also offered to pay for their licenses, but they must only sell Ola products.

“To keep the ice cream frozen, we need to use dry ice and it is very difficult to find it. Luckily Ola has made it easy to buy the dry ice from them,” said Myeni.

Myeni wakes up at 6am every morning to get to the beach at 9am to start walking and ringing his cheerful bell at Willard Beach until he knocks off at 3pm.

During the busy days, he orders R2000 worth of ice-cream and makes a reasonable profit, but during the quieter times, he walks away with less than R400 in profit.

“My top sellers are the Granadilla Tornado and Magnums and that makes them my favourites.

Despite the challenges he and his colleagues face, Myeni said the beach goers are always fantastic and he enjoys serving them their ice-cream.

“My license allows me to sell ice cream at Willard beach only. However when there are no vendors at the other beaches, I occasionally go there, just to ensure that our customers are served,” said Myeni.

>>  Expect to find the latest trends in Health, Wellness and Beauty in Ballito.

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