Business is his game

A BUDDING young businessman from Harare, Western Cape, is making waves in his community after successfully launching an interactive gaming café from his family home using his National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) stipend and equipment he already had.

The 24-year-old Lolwetu Maliwa says he is excited about the future and looking forward to expanding his gaming café, Hakumo, into neighbouring communities, after successfully launching the business, using a bit of his NSFAS stipend he had saved up over time while learning from home.

Maliwa, who’s not new to business, having launched his first business, a shisanyama in partnership with his brother last year, makes nearly R130 a day from the steady stream of curious children who visit his café to play games, charging them R1.50 a day.

Speaking about how the idea to start a gaming café came about, Maliwa said he initially wanted to start an internet café; however, after noticing how congested the market was in his community, he went with a more creative version of an internet café that would still ensure foot traffic into Hakumo.

“I noticed how interested the children in the community were in games and saw the gap when I couldn’t spot a gaming café nearby. For me, this was an opportunity to keep these children off the streets and indoors learning creatively, while also learning about running a business and earning some money.”