Entrepreneur's revolutionary model gives low-income earners access to affordable groceries

Bruce Whitfield interviews entrepreneur Miles Kubheka, founder of Gcwalisa.

Multi-faceted entrepreneur Miles Kubheka is on a mission to address food inequality and food insecurity in South Africa.

In 2022 Kubheka founded Gcwalisa, a unique retail model that operates from container outlets in low-income communities. 

The organisation says it is democratising access to nutritious food and basic household products by selling them through a weigh and pay system.

Bruce Whitfield asks Kubheka about the genesis of this transformational idea on The Money Show.

It was during the COVID period that the realisation hit him that most people in townships aren't necessarily poor, they're just poorly paid, he says.

Because of their cash flow problem, the fact that food is sold in pack sizes  rendered them impoverished even if they did have some money in their pockets

"So we sell food based on the amount of money you have as opposed to the pack size, because food is cheaper in volume."

"And, perversely, people don't realise that means a pack size of mealie meal  is effectively almost twice as expensive if you buy it in a smaller quantity."

Miles Kubheka, Entrepreneur

The various domestic and international factors impacting the price of food has now made people more willing to try new things, Kubheka says.

As long as a product gives the consumer good value and consistent quality, they're open to moving away from long-trusted brands that may be costing them too much.

"We don't do perishables at this point. We focus on grains and commodity items as well as home care products, so you can buy detergent per cup and so on."

Miles Kubheka, Entrepreneur

Scroll up to listen to this inspiring interview and click here to read more about Joburg-based Gcwalisa