Bryanston heats up as businesses battle it out over potjiekos
Fifteen BNI chapters brought their best recipes, plenty of flavour and a competitive spirit to Bryanston for a potjiekos showdown with a purpose.
The smell of meat, spices and slow-cooked vegetables was hard to ignore at Bryanston Sports Club on September 12.
With pots bubbling away and teams keeping a close eye on their food, the venue was turned into a battleground of sorts as 15 BNI chapters went head-to-head in a potjiekos competition.
owever, while there was a competition to win, the day was about more than bragging rights. The event brought together businesses from the BNI Joburg North and West Rand region, which has 26 chapters, with 15 taking part in the competition.
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BNI champion vice-president Trish Arnoldi said the event was an opportunity for businesses to come together while giving back to the community.
“Although we are a networking foundation, we want to show everyone that it is about small businesses giving back to the community.”
Caption: Oasis Haven operations manager Qondani Tshuma expresses gratitude for the generous support of the community. Photo: Xoliswa Zakwe
Description: Oasis Haven operations manager Qondani Tshuma expresses gratitude for the generous support of the community during the BNI potjiekos competition held at Bryanston Sports Club on September 12, 2026. Photo: Xoliswa Zakwe
She added that all proceeds from the event would go towards Oasis Haven, a children’s home in Randburg with homes for boys and girls. Arnoldi said choosing Oasis Haven was close to her heart, as Qondani Tshuma, who runs the organisation, is also a member of BNI’s dynamite chapter.
For the teams around the pots, though, there was still a serious competition to win. One of the winning teams’ members, Lita Jacobsen, said they came prepared and were proud to walk away as champions. Their preparation even included researching the history of potjiekos, which influenced the dish they entered into the competition.
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“I have this booklet which I compiled through my research, and I found some interesting things, like potjiekos was instead made with biltong until it evolved to these new dishes because people in Africa back in the day didn’t have other ways to preserve food, so they made biltong,” Jacobsen said.
The team decided to put that research into practice by making their potjiekos with biltong. “We are so happy people enjoyed it and voted for us to be on the winners list.”
Judging by the reaction from some of the tasters, the food did not disappoint. Sibusiso Kinate, one of the tasters, said: “I am going to roll out of this place definitely. It was so fun and I love that they do this for a good cause.”
Oasis Haven operations manager Tshuma said it brought a sense of pride to see the BNI community coming together for a good cause, because every NPO was reliant on the help of the community to be able to survive in this economy.
“Seeing all these people coming out to cook and to do this all for a good cause, which is our 20 children, is very heartwarming,” Tshuma said. “It is a reminder to us that we are not alone, that there are people who are standing behind us.”
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