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Fanny Mokoena admits that she easily gets bored doing the same thing.”Why would you want to keep doing the same old thing when there is so much you can do with your life?” beams the 57-year-old Sowetan. Fanny first opened a tavern at her home in Ramolongwane Street, Zone 8, Meadowlands, back in 1988, the same year that the shebeen was licensed. In 2002 thousands of international delegates came to Johannesburg for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Fanny used that event to re-invent her business, to turn the tavern into a restaurant. Ever since, Fanny’s Restaurant has become a hit with various audiences; locals from Soweto, groups of tourists and corporates who book the venue for workshops and team-building exercises. To meet friendly Meadowlanders in their own environment, at lunch or over a beer and a game of pool, there is no better place than Fanny’s Restaurant. For many visitors from outside Soweto, a highlight of a meal at Fanny’s is the chance to meet the smiley, talkative owner, a renowned local mover and shaker and a leading light in the community. Fanny has lived in the house since the mid-1970s. “They call it a ‘matchbox’ house but to me it’s a mansion,” says Fanny. “This is where I raised my family. This is where my business started and where it is still going strong.” She believes that Meadowlands is under-appreciated as a tourist destination, pointing out that when forced removals began in the 1950s it was to Meadowlands that many of the displaced persons were first sent. An important leg of the business is catering. Fanny and her full-time staff of three (supplemented by part-timers whenever there is a big event to cater for) provide a full event-management service, including food, planning and equipment and venue hire. Clients have included SABMiller, Daimler-Chrysler, the SABC and several government departments. Never one to keep doing the same thing, Fanny recently added a small craft shop at the restaurant. The shop sells beadwork, necklaces, pottery, shirts and other craft items, supporting a number of local women. What makes Fanny’s Restaurant special? “People come here because they want to feel the warmth of Meadowlands. This is a very welcoming place. We will not serve you Sandton-style, we’ll serve you Meadowlands style,” says Fanny. Staff try at all costs to avoid wasting food so meals are prepared as orders are received, to client requirements. Community upliftment is a key part of Fanny’s multifaceted business. Every year she hosts a “Christmas in July” event at the restaurant for local pensioners. Fanny takes on the tasks of arranging sponsors, motivational speakers and gifts for the elderly. The result is a day in which senior citizens get to feel appreciated and, as is Fanny’s maxim, everyone is guaranteed a good time. She also regularly hosts workshops for local women involved in the liquor trade at which they are empowered by learning about new career and business opportunities. And, whenever there is a big function coming up, teams of students are brought in to help. By regularly hiring the same students, these youngsters receive a thorough grounding in hospitality, while Fanny’s patrons are assured a consistent level of service. Fanny is an enthusiastic participant in TEP’s Soweto Cluster programme which she is optimistic will help market businesses like hers far and wide. “But it’s up to us, everybody involved in the cluster, to really make it work,” she says. “I don’t want to disappoint TEP, so when people come to my establishment they must find a place that is always presentable.” Fanny’s next project – and one which she is hoping TEP will support with advice and training – is a B&B she is busy setting up next door. Recently she bought her neighbour’s property because, she says, she doesn’t want visitors to only eat at her restaurant; she wants them to stay a bit longer so that she can show them some of the many aspects of Meadowlands life and culture. “At least with the B&B I know that I won’t get bored,” she says, “because I will be meeting different people all of the time.”
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