I first encountered a kota in Soshanguve, while studying at university. The township burger was very popular with students, who brought the delicacy from the aunties at the main gate during lunchtime. They called it sphatlho.
Alongside a meat pie, sandwich, bunny chow, magwinya and sausage roll, the kota has held its own as a meal-on-the-go. It is so popular in our townships that it even has its own food festival, the Soweto Kota Festival. The kota sustains many families and is easy to prepare.
It differs in price depending on what you curate it with. The most popular fillers are atchaar, polony, cheese, Russian sausage and of course chips. As far as I know, kota has never been registered by anyone or any company, like certain pizzas and fried chicken recipes. What distinguishes one kota from another are the ingredients, such as the quality of your Russian, bread and how you fry your chips.
The kota remains popular in the townships, especially among school-going kids. Imagine my surprise then last week when some guy pointed an accusing finger at renowned Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) for expropriating his idea for a kota without compensation. Romeo Malepe posted on social media that he approached the food franchise with an idea for a kota called the Streetwise Kota back in 2019.
That kota would be filled with tried and tested KFC fillers.
In Malepe’s own words: “After we presented the Streetwise Kota idea to KFC back in 2019, they are now doing it without us in 2023, copying our idea and our creations. The original idea is owned by the Sharpeville Food Festival and Romeo Malepe.”
Fellow South Africans fell over themselves with laughter upon hearing Malepe’s claim, while KFC denied stealing the idea for their latest offering, which costs R80. In the light of the outcry, Malepe seems to have backed out and decided not to pursue KFC any further. However, when you look at pictures of Malepe’s KFC Kota and what the franchise has just introduced, one cannot help to notice similarities.
It would have been interesting had Malepe pursued KFC for the courts to decide whether the franchise stole his idea. Malepe’s story is a case study for any budding entrepreneur to register their intellectual property before big corporates plunder their idea without compensation. However, Malepe’s supporters reckon the KFC kota is expensive and cannot stand alongside Aunt Rosina’s kasi kota.
“Re nyaka ya Mmane Rosina wa bana ba seven, who stays mo corneng ya bo Mokgadi wa dichilana, ya makhura a last week. That kota slaps harder!” one said.
I rest my case.
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