Johannesburg – On Friday, 24 September, Sampada Private Equity (Pty) Ltd hosted the annual Bambanani cook-off competition at Bambanani Mall, Diepsloot in a Heritage Day celebration.
To mark the special day a special cook-off competition was held to see who was the Mogodu Chef.
Mogodu is Southern African food and is a combination of chopped serobe and mala served as a stew often with hot pap or dumplings.
Sampada is a proudly South African private equity firm established by a team of professionals with a changing lives passion.
Managed by Umthombo Wealth Limited, Sampada targets strong socio-economic benefits, thereby generating sufficient returns for its investors.
As part of their Corporate Social Investment, they hosted the annual Bambanani Cook-off competition.
The competition
The competition was inspired by the South African public Holiday, Heritage day. It consisted of 5 contestants each competing to be the best Mogodu Chef.
Winners:
Angela Nkosi (34) won first prize: R1000 Shoprite voucher plus a weekend away at Euphoria Golf & Lifestyle Estate.
Nkosi said she entered the competition because she loves cooking and she enjoys partaking in challenges.
“Cooking is my job, I am a chef and I am delighted to be a part of this competition catering for the community. Now I can say I contributed to the community. I made a difference,” she concluded.
Lucky Qutyula (34) walked away with the second prize: R750 Shoprite Voucher.
Qutyula said he joined this competition because he loves cooking and is currently running his own kitchen in Extension 4 called ‘Kwa Chef’.
He says winning this competition will grant his kitchen some recognition and it helps him grow.
“I entered the competition to learn and socialise with the other chefs and to market my business,” he stated.
Namhla Khalipha (31) took home the third prize: R500 Shoprite voucher.
Khalipha also runs her own Kitchen in Extension 2 which specialises in African cuisine. She said qualifying for the competition is an honour for her.
“I feel honoured to be a part of this wonderful competition cooking for the community. It will also help my business grow as I am learning and networking here,” she added.
Sampada Private Equity partnered with:
- O.R.B.I.T (Outliers Reading Books and Influencing Tomorrow), a Non-Profit Organisation offering well-being and educational programs to the underprivileged as a catalyst to help them reach their goals and fulfill their potentials.
The O.R.B.I.T team played out one of their core functions at the cook-off, ‘Orbit Care’ which focuses on providing food parcels and over-the-counter medication.
However, they only presented food parcels at the event, proudly sponsored by Sampada Private Equity (Pty) Ltd.
O.R.B.I.T founder and director Kgosi Mogase said their organisation does its ultimate best to eradicate “wicked problems” such as poverty and lack of access to quality education in South Africa.
- Retail outlets like, Shoprite, OBC, and Dougladale dairy (Pty) Ltd sponsored the event with hampers and food parcels that were awarded to members of the community.
Photo by Nompilo Zulu: food parcels and hampers 
Photo by nompilo Zulu: Douglasdale Dairy (PTY) Ltd representatives - Community leaders: Joseph Mvelase and Maria Mashudu Matshoko.
Mvelase is one of the organisers of the event, he was in charge of identifying underprivileged families within the Diepsloot community.
Mvelase says although he went door to door inspecting households trying to source underprivileged households, he also worked with a couple of Non-Profit organisations such as Africa My Home, in Diepsloot Extension 2, using their databases.
“It is an honour to be a part of this wonderful initiative. I love helping and elevating my community and am constantly available to assist,” he said.
On the other hand, Matshoko works as the liaison officer for Bambanani since its establishment. She says she enjoys being the mediator for the community and the mall.
“I communicate with the community, hear them out and liaise with the mall management to intervene and assist. We work together to achieve as a community,” she said.
- South African actor and rapper, Kope Makgae AKA Tswyza.
Tswyza was stationed at a photo booth where fans and community members engaged with him, creating fun TikTok videos and taking photos.
Tswyza said he made an appearance to help where he can “I do this without asking for money or anything in return”.
He also added that he was honoured to have been invited to this initiative. The community loved and appreciated him.
See how Angela made her winning dish:
- Mix the spices together: salt, black pepper, turmeric powder, paprika, mild rajah and six-gun, and a pinch of bicarbonate soda ( works as a catalyst).
- Grease the pot with butter to avoid sticking.
- Boil mogodu for 10 mins and
- Add minced garlic and diced onions.
- Continue to add spices after every 30mins so that it absorbs the flavour
- Added sliced tomatoes and diced potatoes to boost the thickness of the sauce.
- Season with oxtail Royco soup to enhance thickness
- and serve with pap.
“Today was about taking hands with the community through what has been a tough time for everyone. I hope that we showed that as a company and a shopping center, we care” concluded Shantelle Bhana, Marketing manager for Sampada Private Equity.
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