Parkhurst nanny Yaya builds viral rusk business from home kitchen
With nothing but an old family recipe and a heart full of hope, Parkhurst nanny Nelia Nglube – better known as Yaya – has become one of Joburg’s most beloved small business success stories.
For 16 years, Parkhurst nanny Nelia Nglube, affectionately known as Yaya, has cared for children like they were her own. In between school runs and bedtime stories, she discovered her gift for baking homemade muesli rusks.
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“I used to bake them just for the families I worked for,” says Yaya. “Then one day, my employer said, ‘Your rusks are too good not to share.’” That spark turned into Yaya’s Rusks, launched on April 16 with just one Instagram post.
Within weeks, orders flooded in, and she hit 10 000 followers in just seven weeks.
Made with a recipe passed down by a kind grandmother in 2018, her rusks – packed with muesli, raisins and sunflower seeds are handmade with care in small batches. “I bake with love. Lots of love,” she says.
Despite juggling full-time nanny work, she dreams of opening her own bakery. Her biggest support? The Parkhurst community. “People really appreciate hard work, which gives me the strength to keep going.”
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