Intro [Music]
My name is Dominic Zitha, I am from Mpumalanga, Bushnuckridge
Now I'm in Johannesburg, Bloubosrand
This street is called Northlands corner
on a daily basis all I do is come here and prepare my fire after I prepare my fire I make sure that
the veggies are on point and then that's where I get to start working and then I cut the chickens
put them in the braai stand make sure they are well cooked for the customers to come and eat when
they come in I started 2020 [Music] um during actually after lockdown yeah after lockdown
and what were you doing before this business? before here I was working at panarottis as a
chef making pizza so I just lost my job when it was locked down what gave you the idea we know a
lot of people in South Africa they they lose their job and they just sit at home and fold their arms,
what made you decide that you know I can do something with my life um when I was out sending
out CV's I've realized that a lot of people from the places that I was selling food from
they did not have anybody selling food around this corner so hence I decided to come and start here
so I was alone when I came into this corner working with the chickens and stuff before
the rest of the Neighbors come in so I just saw that Gap a lot of people need food most of them
they walk to the mkhukhu it's like a 20 minutes walk and that takes most of their time in their
lunch so I just decided to come and let me try to put like the fast food next to them so they
can be able to save time and go back to work so what do you specialize in what do you sell here
what what really goes well with your customer oh yeah what goes well with my customers my chicken
so my chicken is the best one that we have here and steak is also on number two but chicken is
number one we specialize in chicken hence they call it doped chicken okay yeah no chicken yeah
yeah that's my nickname so they decided to call it dog chicken so I decided to call this whole
business dope chicken yeah how much is a plate and what would be in a plate oh a plate is 30 rands
and then there's another one for 35 quarter leg is 30 rands it's like in quarters the chicken is
four quarters so the wing the wing quarters they go for like 35 and the quarter-leg will
go for 30 and then half chicken goes for 60. and then on the plate we found three different salads
there's chakalaka and then the salsa and then the coleslaw it depends sometimes we have some
Morogo depends on the day we change on a daily basis our salads and then pap so and then our
full chicken is 120 it goes with double Pap and goes with double salads and a full chicken uh my
typical things I come here mostly around seven I start making my fire and preparing the food and
then at nine I start expecting the first customer to come in and so from nine on from nine until at
least two o'clock P.M in the afternoon that's when the customers start to be scarce but they come
little by little so we start from Seven until until two o'clock how many plates do you push
difficult to count the plates but since we're in one chicken we have four different plates
so it can go up to 100 or 120. In my business I work with my little brother and my little sister
yeah and how long have they been working with you here um they just came last year so I was
working with another brother of mine who has left to to go home in Mpumalanga isn't come back
the most problem that I have right now is Metro Police because I've been after Metro police for
so long you know wanting a permit and all that and they haven't given it to me even though I
paid it I'm still waiting for a call for them to tell me that I must pick up my permit so they do
come here and disturb the whole day most of the times when they come they take everything they can
find including the meat and everything so that's the biggest challenge that I have because without
Metro Police I can be able to hustle without any problems my customers are great no customers comes
and eat without paying or anything and I do give them credit and they come and pay next time so
I don't have any other problems other than Metro Police since I started Dope Chicken I've managed
to be able to provide for my family which was hard at first because I was homeless so I've managed to
get myself out of the streets and I've managed to get myself a nice place to stay and also I've
managed to call my mother with the rest of the family my little sisters and my little brothers
to come and stay in joburg they just came recently last year so that's one of the biggest things that
I've been able to accomplish with this business my short term plans is to at least open another
restaurant not here but in another place and then here I just want to upgrade it after I
get my permit I want to make sure that everything here is it's nice get a caravan a big one where
customers are going to be able to come with no questions because oh what's going on there they
will know with the Caravan and everything they will know that uh you know maybe there's nice
food or something yeah uh what keeps me coming back is because it feeds my family you know
every time I'm home and I see them happy they're not struggling they're going to school they're
getting the clothing they want so that to me is the whole happiness my family being provided for
Dominic what does it take to run such a business? um it does take a lot but sometimes it doesn't
because the universe conspires against everything and then if you are pulling in the work and doing
everything right even if while you were studying it was not going well but if you keep on going
keep on going and have faith and believe in what you're doing and always make sure that what you're
doing is what you love so whatever you make or you produce out of it it becomes beautiful you
don't need much Capital because when I started here I only had a hundred rand on me so that end
up trying to produce everything that you see here so you don't need much of capital all you need is
the heart to want to do it and they love to want to do it if you're sitting at home and you have
nothing to do and you look around your environment just look around your environment and try to find
gaps things that people need it can be sweets it can be bananas can be apples and try to sell
and then believe in what you're doing because it always starts from small so you don't need much
capitalism just a 100 rand you can be able to make up a nice business which people can be able to
support and over time it's going to produce more money so what I can say is that all you have to
do is go out there and sell something it doesn't matter what but sell that something instead of
at home or looking for a job sell something and then from selling something you can become big
from something small as long as you have faith and you believe in what you do if you want to
support me or help me with my business you can get me at Northlands corner it's always
run back so you can get me there or Facebook and go by the name of Dominic Zitha on Facebook
and then I can always give my number zero six eight five eight five nine four five
seven so that's the only thing that I have right now my Facebook and my number okay
[Music]
Dominic Raps [Music]