by FUTHI MBHELE
KwaZulu Natal Bureau
DURBAN, (CAJ News) – JUST like she made her mark in politics, Onicca Moloi is making an impression in the hospitality industry.
Prominent as a Member of the Executive Committee for Sport, Art and Culture in Limpopo province, she is the founder of Green Lounge located in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
The local university (UKZN) is the restaurant’s major client since its opening in June 2021 but her catering expertise has previously seen her cook for President Cyril Ramaphosa and Jacob Zuma while he was still head of state in 2009.
“On the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic, lot of clients in Durban wanted our product. We used to courier them from Johannesburg,” she retold in an interview with CAJ News Africa.
“We used to experience a lot of challenges with courier until I took a decision to go to Durban so that we can cook there and send it to people. I was looking for small place but I couldn’t find a small place,” Moloi said.
Eventually, she secured a site that was adequate to open a restaurant.
“It’s when that the idea of restaurants came up. Then, we opened a Green Lounge in Musgrave, in June last year,” Moloi explained.
That opportunity granted by UKZN was a result of tertiary institution’s quest for a place where students can enjoy healthy food at affordable prices.
The first restaurant was opened at the university’s Medical School. In August, another was opened at Edgewood campus.
“Both restaurants serve healthy food,” Moloi said.
She is an activist, chef and nutritional therapist.
Moloi has been a chef for 20 years. She started the catering in 2003.
– CAJ News