MZANSI — CAPE TOWN’S BEST EVENING OUT

Block out a Cape Town evening and head to the township of Langa for an authentic meal, a bit of culture and some fabulous food courtesy of Mzansi.

South Africa is rightly nicknamed the Rainbow Nation, but of that rainbow, 76% of the population are black Africans. To visit Cape Town and skip over the townships, where a large chunk of those 76% reside, well, you would be doing yourself a disservice.

Langa Township

My Uber driver turns off the N2 and into the narrow streets of Langa as Cape Town proper fades in the distance. Squat brick homes, many with iron gates, line each side of Harlem Avenue. Established in 1927, Langa is the oldest of the sprawling townships which spread east from Cape Town.

I am looking for Mzansi. And I am here for dinner.

I step from the car just as the sun dips below the horizon on a glorious, blue sky Wednesday evening. The faces are friendly, the air crisp. The streetscape is not particularly unique. Children are playing ball while neighbors chat away. A man about my age points me toward the front entrance of Mzansi.

Mzansi Restaurant

I walk through the door and am immediately greeted by Miss Nomonde Siyaka, who throws her arms around me like a long-lost friend.

“Welcome home!”

This is my first full day in South Africa and I already feel like more than a visitor. That will be a recurring theme throughout the country. It’s a nice feeling. Nomonde and I chat for several minutes.

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The communal dining table is occupied by visitors from seven different countries. A Scottish couple and their 6-year old son, Swiss schoolgirls, an Israeli couple, an Angolan woman. Turns out I am the lone American — always a plus in my book.

Cape Town’s #1 Dining Experience

Mzansi serves up a variety of traditional foods. The delicious offerings include eggplant wrapped squash, spicy creamed spinach and juicy chicken from the braai (that’s South African for barbecue or grill).

The entire operation relies on local suppliers whenever possible, so the benefits of your visit to Mzansi extend deep into Langa.

A handful of neighborhood musicians take up spots in the adjacent room and soon go to town on drums, xylophones and saxophone, Marimba style. The music makes socializing a bit difficult, so I head in for a front row view of the band. I thought they would be kind of “Meh”, but no! These guys rocked out.

Dessert is a luscious Malva pudding drizzled with custard. My sweet tooth knows no bounds, so I am definitely a happy camper.

Next up? A ten minute group dance session. I feel a bit self conscious, but who cares? I’ll never see these people again.

Nomonde’s husband Vukile led the dance session and mixed in some inspiring thoughts on life and friendship. When someone who grew up with nothing speaks about gratitude, you listen.

I grew up playing the drums and still consider myself a world-class finger tapper, so I was quite looking forward to the impending jam session. All interested parties got behind an instrument, followed Vukile’s lead and went to town. I can’t quite say the rest of my fellow diners held up their end of the performance bargain, but all was good.

When the jam session wrapped, everyone sat down and heard the inspiring story of Mzansi from Nomonde.

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Can Mzansi succeed?

Opening a restaurant in a notorious neighborhood was not easy, to put it mildly. Hurdle number one? Local unemployment of sixty percent. Walk-in business simply did not exist. Lack of money was also a problem. Would visitors even come? Nomonde’s neighbors were pessimistic. But if they did, would the international guests enjoy the traditional Xhosa cuisine?

The advice dished out by those in the local hospitality industry didn’t help.

“Don’t go there.”

“It is dangerous!”

“Why go to Cape Flats? There are plenty of fantastic restaurants nearby.”

Some of that true, perhaps, but also narrow-minded and a bit boring. South Africa is almost eighty percent black and to avoid the townships is to willfully neglect the essence of this country.

For years the verdict was out. Months went by without a single booking. Back in 2015 a group of visiting American students talked Nomonde into marketing her establishment on Trip Advisor.

And that was that.

Positive reviews started to hit, and the rest, as they say, is culinary history. A decade after opening, Mzansi is Cape Town’s number one dining experience.

DO IT YOURSELF

Mzansi

Dinner is served 7pm nightly at Mzansi throughout the year. Reservations essential! This is not your standard walk-in restaurant.

Cost is R320/pp (~US$16). Alcohol and soft drinks are sold for an additional charge.

Langa is about 15 or 20 minutes drive from the main tourist areas of Cape Town. Taxi or Uber are your best transportation bets. Count on R210-240 (~US$10-12) one-way for Uber. Mzansi’s staff will call a taxi upon departure if you opt for the former.

Instead of going solo, why not save a few Rand by sharing a ride back to town after dinner? Everyone is going in the same direction.

Cape Town

There is plenty to occupy oneself in what may be Africa’s most photogenic city. From climbing Table Mountain to hopping a cable car, understanding the appalling history of apartheid or walking in Mandela’s footsteps on Robben Island, you will not want for things to do. Enjoy!