Kaffa Hoist Café in Langa
A new local coffee hangout seeking to inspire and uplift community members
UPDATED
Located
on Washington Street in Langa – one of Cape Town’s oldest and most
vibrant township areas situated approximately 12-kms from the CBD – sits
the Guga S’Thebe Arts and Cultural Centre. Established in 1927, the
community building has since acted as a focal point for cultural
improvement in Langa welcoming residents and foreigners through its
brightly-coloured doors and into a space dedicated to the empowerment of
the local people.
While the institution itself holds certain wonderment – inside the
hub is equipped with an amphitheatre, exhibition area, art studio, and
so much more – which all contribute to its artistic allure and community
exploration, one of its greatest charms (and newest upliftment
ventures) is found in its backyard…
Located behind the building – accessed through the centre’s front
door – is an open-air quad kitted with various wooden benches and
tables, it’s in this space that the Guga S’Thebe children’s theatre is
housed and aptly attached is the Kaffa Hoist Café. A new start-up
espresso bar, Kaffa Hoist Café seeks to not only serve great-tasting,
freshly-brewed coffee and delicious fare, but to also encourage
community members to pursue their dreams and aspirations.
Headed by Bulumko Govuza and Chris Bangira, Kaffa Hoist and Sherbet
(Pty) Ltd – the Langa café’s formal business name – originally started
in 2014, selling coffee, pancakes and home-made ice tea at various
markets in and around Cape Town. Striving to one day open their own
coffee shop, the duo worked tirelessly to follow their passions and
achieve their dream sacrificing many things along the way to meet
financial constraints and keep their new business afloat.
In turn, this saw Chris (who has over 10-years of experience within
the coffee and service industry) devote all of his time to working the
markets while also scouting for a prime coffee shop location while
Bulumko used her expertise as a financial business analyst to get
involved in the coffee industry and running of a successful company.
A year later the team approached the Guga S’Thebe Arts and Cultural
Centre and eventually in September 2016, Chris and Bulumko were given
their big break and were offered their current location on a temporary
basis.
“We first traded for a month as a pop-up shop and then after that the
centre wanted to extend our contract until December 2016, and now until
February 2017,” explains Bulumko. “They’re now thinking of extending it
even further because we’re getting a lot more traffic.”
Seeking to create an alternative space to the more traditional “local
chill culture” in townships (which is often more alcohol and braai
focused), Chris and Bulumko wish to create a place for all to come and
enjoy a high-quality cup of coffee and light snack without the need to
leave the area. What’s more, with the café being attached the local
theatre and community centre, it’s the ideal place for groups touring
Langa – the Guga S’Thebe Arts and Cultural Centre is part of many
township excursions – as well as for Mother City folk looking for a
quick cuppa Joe before work or during their lunch break.
“We’re serving people from all over the world right in our shop,”
says Bulumko with a smile. “We want to encourage locals from all over
Cape Town to come and realise that we can do things very well in our
local communities. We want to show that people can get the best right
here in the townships.”
With a key focus on using locally sourced, free-range produce and
fresh ingredients, Kaffa Hoist Café takes pride in preparing everything
that they can in-house and serving customers high-quality beverages and
food. Besides for the café’s delicious coffee, crowd favourites on the
menu include freshly made sandwiches – the chicken and mayo and egg and
avocado sarmies fly off the shelves – while their homemade sweet and
savoury pancakes with fillings such as Nutella and banana or chicken,
tomato and feta keep customers coming back time and time again. Other
treats include freshly baked scones and muffins as well as various
shakes and homemade ice tea.
The couple are also hoping to raise enough money to also start their
own coffee refinery and Langa coffee brand so that they too can help
others achieve their dreams and aspirations.
“It’s important not to focus on the negatives or what you don’t
have,” says Bulumko. “There are opportunities everywhere, you just need
to see them and use them to get where you want to go.” “We want to
inspire others to create a change in lifestyle,” adds Chris. “We want to
try and inspire other community members to work hard to achieve what
they want in life.”
“We want to encourage others to not give up and follow their passions
and then one day they will be able to realise their dream because it
happened to us so [we] believe that it can happen to anyone. This is
what we want to do; people must change their own society,” the duo
concludes.
THE ORIGIN OF ‘KAFFA HOIST’: ‘Kaffa’ originally derives
from the word ‘kaffe’ – meaning coffee – which is used in larger parts
of the world and ‘Hoist’ is a synonym for upliftment or “boost”.
Therefore, Kaffa Hoist aims to uplift the local community by boosting
the coffee culture in townships and surrounds by providing a space for
people from all walks of life to come together and enjoy good coffee and
great vibes.
Tip: Kaffa Hoist also cooks various pre-ordered hot
dishes. Choose from four of each family member; fruits, vegetables,
protein, dairy, grains and oils and let the Langa team surprise you with
a delicious home-cooked meal. Contact Kaffa Hoist directly for more
information and prices. Meals must be ordered well in advance.
The Bill: Hot Beverages (coffee, tea and hot
chocolate): R15 – R29 | Cold Beverages (shakes, smoothies and cool
drinks): R18 – R30 | Light meals (freshly made sandwiches, pancakes,
scones and muffins): R8 – R30
by Krysia Gaweda | Video Credit: Josh Oates
