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No frills or fuss is apparently the secret to a good shisanyama

The obscure-looking BBQ seasoning. (Photo: Ray Mahlaka)

20 Sep 2024

I have never braaied and do not know how to do so. My braaiing learning adventure took me to Kwa Mai Mai, a meat market in the Jozi CBD.

It’s an hour before lunchtime on Wednesday and Kwa Mai Mai, one of Johannesburg’s oldest markets, is buzzing with people and energy.

It’s normally peak productivity across South Africa at 11am, with those lucky enough to be employed stuck behind a desk to meet work obligations. At this hour, restaurants usually slow down considerably and the chances of reaching a crescendo are slim.

This is not the case at Kwa Mai Mai, situated under a bridge in Jeppestown, Johannesburg, surrounded by scrapyards, motor repair shops, and an informal settlement.

Even during weekdays and working hours, Kwa Mai Mai is busy, with hundreds of people flocking to the market. I was one of those people because my editor, Tony Jackman, asked me to learn and write about shisanyama, a term used in townships and which literally means burnt meat in isiZulu. The term is equivalent to a braai.

Ray learning how to braai. Well, how to watch it. Okay, how to eat it. (Photo: Supplied)

Jackman’s request is relevant because the hallmark of South African culture is braaiing, an activity that many people will be doing on Heritage Day on 24 September. It is also relevant for a personal reason. I have to confess that I have never braaied, never started a fire or manned sizzling meat on an inferno.

As a proud South African, I have probably let down my fellow countrymen/women with this confession. Of course, I have attended many braais. However, I am usually a pampered princess, with someone being responsible for the shisanyama and even preparing a plate for me. At my age of 32, knowing how to braai is long overdue.

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My learning adventure took me to Kwa Mai Mai. From what I’ve been told, Kwa Mai Mai has long existed. It is known for selling beautiful Zulu traditional outfits such as, among others, beaded jewellery, isicholo (a Zulu hat), and amabheshu (a cowhide flap covering the buttocks) as well as traditional medicine. However, the game changer for Kwa Mai Mai was in 2020, when South Africa and the world were in the throes of Covid-19 lockdowns.

When lockdowns started to ease, Kwa Mai Mai trended on social media among Millennials (my cohort), with many posting pictures of themselves tucking into heaps of braai meat served on a wooden plank (probably used as a cupboard door in its previous life), while seated on plastic chairs and tables.

Over the past three years, Kwa Mai Mai has become a hotspot in Johannesburg, especially on weekends when it’s chock-a-block with people. Do not expect a fine dining experience when you visit Kwa Mai Mai.

There are more than 10 entrepreneurs who run shisanyama stalls and own shipping containers that are used to store raw meat, cooking supplies and equipment.

There is no menu offered when you arrive and the food offerings are limited. You can choose braaied meat, which includes boerewors, steak, ox heart, and liver, with a side of uphuthu (crumbly dry pap), tomato and onion slices, and chilli sauce.

The Mai Mai veteran

Ntombi Zwane doing what she excels at, at the Kwa Mai Mai market in the Joburg CBD. (Photos: Ray Mahlaka)

I met Ntombi Zwane, one of the entrepreneurs who has been selling meat at Kwa Mai Mai since 2010. She is from KwaZulu-Natal’s town of Nkandla, made famous by former president Jacob Zuma as millions of rand in taxpayer funds unduly went to sprucing up his homestead.

Zwane is now considered a veteran of the Kwa Mai Mai market. She teaches up-and-coming braai masters who want to ply their trade at Kwa Mai Mai. She’s the perfect teacher, especially for a braai virgin (me).

Zwane’s pro tip for a good shisanyama is doing less when it comes to preparing meat, and letting a raging fire do all the flavouring.

“We do not marinate meat or throw too many spices at it,” Zwane tells me. I am shocked at her technique because I thought that the art to a good braai involved marinating meat in a cocktail of spices, and letting it rest for hours.

Zwane goes on: “We only use one spice and rely on the fire to do all the flavouring. The fire adds a smoky flavour to the meat.”

Zwane pointed to a packet of seasoning that she and other entrepreneurs at Kwa Mai Mai sprinkle on the raw meat before braaiing. It’s a barbecue “all-in-one” seasoning that is in an obscure-looking packet.

The obscure-looking BBQ seasoning. (Photo: Ray Mahlaka)

Nokwathemba Mbatha, one of Zwane’s protégés, confirmed to me that the only preparation method used during the shisanyama is a sprinkle of seasoning and “allowing the meat to cook with its own juices”.

Then, there is a technique to the fire for a shisanyama. A shy gentleman, who only identified himself as Sabelo, told me he prefers to use dense or hardwood, which burns slowly and makes the fire last longer.

Sabelo, who also has a stall at the Kwa Mai Mai market, occasionally adds a splash of water to the fire, which then produces a cloud of smoke that flavours the braai meat.

Overall, the shisanyama was juicy and tender.

As for me, I’m no longer a braai virgin. Well, I still haven’t actually taken part — but at least now I know how it’s done. DM

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