On Saturday, 25 October, Johannesburg’s Constitution Hill came alive with the sounds, scents, and stories of township enterprise as the city hosted the Jozi Food and Music Festival. Organised by a group of creatives, it proved to be more than just an entertainment event — it served as a powerful demonstration of what can happen when creativity, entrepreneurship, and culture collide.
Positioned as an SMME empowerment experience open to the public, the festival brought together township culinary brands, established and emerging musicians, and small business owners for a day that celebrated both artistry and enterprise.
The idea behind the festival is rooted in a simple but urgent reality: the township economy, often referred to as the “kasi economy,” remains one of South Africa’s most under-leveraged growth engines. Despite its size and vibrancy, it is rarely integrated into formal markets. Thousands of township businesses operate in isolation, sustained by local clientele and informal networks, but with little exposure to the broader Johannesburg or South African economy. Events like the Jozi Food and Music Festival attempt to bridge that divide — bringing township innovation into the public spotlight and creating opportunities for inclusion, investment, and expansion.
The township economy represents a remarkable but largely invisible layer of South Africa’s economic fabric. Recent research estimates that between 800,000 and one million small businesses operate across roughly 532 townships nationwide. The combined turnover of these enterprises is believed to range anywhere between R100 billion and, when considering the broader informal sector, close to R1 trillion annually. Even conservative estimates show the significance of this contribution. Spaza shops alone account for more than 5% of the national GDP.
At the same time, the wider MSME sector, according to FinMark Trust’s 2024 report, generates over R5 trillion in turnover and employs more than 13 million people. Within that massive number, township-based businesses remain the most dynamic yet least supported segment.
The Jozi Food and Music Festival stepped into this gap by creating a platform where township entrepreneurs could meet new audiences, exchange knowledge, and build confidence in their products. It was a celebration, but also a form of business intervention. Township food brands were able to showcase their products to visitors from across Johannesburg, breaking geographic and psychological barriers that have long kept township innovation contained. The inclusion of musicians — both renowned and emerging — added a cultural layer that amplified visibility and drew a wider demographic, proving that commerce and culture can indeed grow hand in hand.
The data shows why this matters. The township economy employs millions of South Africans — roughly 2.6 million, according to some estimates — and supports a quarter of the country’s urban population. Its purchasing power is significant, with more than 11 million South Africans living in townships, driving local consumption patterns that mirror and sometimes outpace those of the formal economy.
Yet despite this, investment in township-based SMMEs remains limited, and financial institutions often view the sector as high risk. What events like the Jozi Food and Music Festival demonstrate is that with visibility, infrastructure, and proper channels, township enterprises are not just viable — they are vital to South Africa’s long-term growth.
The festival offered a glimpse of what that future could look like. It illustrated that township entrepreneurship, when paired with cultural capital, has the power to redefine what local economic development means in practice. The energy and enthusiasm at Constitution Hill showed that township innovation is not waiting for permission — it simply needs platforms to shine.
For Johannesburg, and for South Africa at large, recognising the township economy as a legitimate, high-value component of national development is a strategic imperative. The kasi economy is not a side story; it is a central one. Its R750 billion-plus potential, creativity, and resilience make it an indispensable partner in building an inclusive and competitive national economy.
The Jozi Food and Music Festival may have begun as a single event, but it carries the spirit of something far greater: a movement towards visibility, equity, and transformation. If sustained and replicated, such platforms could mark the turning point where South Africa begins not only to celebrate its township entrepreneurs but to integrate them fully into the heartbeat of its economic future.