By Staff Reporter
WALVIS BAY, July 10 — The coastal preliminary round of the Nedbank Kapana Cook-Off Competition took place at Walvis Bay this past weekend and saw three finalists secure their spot in the final of the competition.
Laura Egumbo, Rivaldo Pietersen, and Veueza Kasemba all impressed the judges with their Kapana-making skills, and will now go on to compete in the final of the competition, which will take place at the Ongwediva Trade Fair on Saturday, 26 August.
The overall winner of the competition will walk away with an SME business-starter package which includes a fully kitted mobile food trailer worth N$ 100 000, N$ 10 000 cash in a Nedbank account, and a N$ 5 000 Bakpro vetkoek voucher.
Laura Egumbo, who has been taking part in the competition since 2019, said that she was determined to win this year. “This time I had to be extraordinary. That trailer will come to the coast, I have faith and have no doubt that it will come to the coast,” she said.
First-time entrant, Veueza Kasemba, who drove from Swakopmund to take part in the competition, says that if she wins, she will use her winnings to expand her business in Swakopmund.
Nedbank Namibia Communication and Public Relations Manager, Selma Kaulinge, expressed her delight at the immense growth of the competition.
“Seeing just shy of 60 participants at this preliminary round of the competition, shows us that we are indeed on the right path when it comes to the impact this competition has in the communities. Having the participants turn up with expectations of making it to the final and hopefully winning the competition, says just how much this competition means to each person and the life-changing effect the grand prize will have on the winner. The intention of this competition is to uplift the informal market as it enables the winner to venture into entrepreneurship so they can provide for themselves, their communities, and the nation at large,” she said.
The third and final preliminary round of the competition will take place in Windhoek. This preliminary round will feature the professional chef’s category, where 10 professional chefs will battle it out to win a cash prize of N$ 10 000. This round will take place on Friday, 4 August, which will then be followed by the third preliminary round of the competition on Saturday, 5 August, where the last three participants will be chosen to take part in the final of the competition. – Namibia Daily News
