NEIGHBOURING countries are set to have a bite and taste the delicious kota from Mzansi.
This was revealed by Xolani Machele, the head of sponsorship at Kota Festival.
The launch event took place at City Lodge Hotel in Newtown, Joburg on 31 January 31.
Lesotho and Eswatini have been selected as venues to host the Kota festival this year, according to Xolani.
The festival, known as #Kota2TheWorld, will kick off in Ekurhuleni on 2 March and will also be held in various locations, including Newtown, Vaal, Mpumalanga, KZN, Eswatini, and Lesotho in September and November, respectively.
“People in countries such as the Kingdom of Eswatini and Lesotho will also get to taste and have a bite of this proudly South African cuisine.
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"In Lesotho, they have popped up kota shops, and we are going to show them how they can grow their businesses. Eswatini doesn't have much of this kind of business, so we are going to host a workshop before the event and teach them how to do kota. It will also empower them to open their own kota business," said Xolani.
He said the Kota festivals will be family-friendly, with activities catering to young children.
"We will have a kid's entertainment area, where kids can play games. We are going to have a controlling system that makes sure that the kids don't get lost so it's a family event bring your family for everyone to come and enjoy this lovely cuisine of ours," he said.
Xolani said the events will create business opportunities for people.
"With this, we're assisting people not to rely on the government as 50 kota stores will be available at the events. The festivals will uplift the small businesspeople and we believe this is the way to create direct and indirect job opportunities," he said.
Albany brand manager Abongile Dzai said they are delighted to be among the sponsors of the festivals.
“Several years ago, research was conducted on the kota market, and it is valued at over 10 billion and continues to grow. It's mostly informal and anchored within townships,” said Dzai.
