Mthulisi Nkala

Yesterday, my friend Estelle Adams took me to a restaurant in Milton Keynes called Braai Shack Restaurant, a beautiful Zimbabwean-owned establishment run by ladies from Bulawayo. It is situated at 42 Church Street, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, MK12 5JN. To say that I was impressed by the quality of the food, the presentation and the hospitality would be an understatement. I have often complained that we do not have enough high-quality Zimbabwean or Southern African restaurants in England. Braai Shack completely changed that conversation for me. This is not just a place to eat. It is a carefully created experience in a very clean environment. The restaurant is beautifully designed, professionally run and welcoming. There is a dining area where people can enjoy excellent food, as well as a space where customers can sit and watch football together. The presentation is exceptional, with beautiful African-inspired tableware, woven placemats and colourful serving bowls that create a genuine taste of home away from home. The food itself was outstanding. It was not only delicious; it was presented with pride and dignity that reminded me of village Kango plates. You could see that the people behind this restaurant understand that food is more than something placed on a plate. Food carries memory. It carries identity. It takes us back to our mothers’ kitchens, our grandmothers’ homes, family gatherings. Sometimes, a single meal can make a person who is thousands of miles from home feel emotionally connected to where they come from. The portions were simply enormous. I had to take a huge doggy bag home, and since I am alone at home today, I have been enjoying the food I could not finish last night without worrying about cooking. They serve generous portions at very reasonable prices, making it an excellent place for families, friends and anyone who appreciates good food without having to spend a fortune. They also offer a wonderful selection of Zimbabwean and South African drinks like Bohlingers, Zambezi, Castle, Lion, Windhoek, Cream Soda and more, alongside all the other drinks you would expect to find in a British restaurant. It genuinely feels like a little piece of home, presented with warmth, pride and excellent hospitality. What touched me most was learning that, at the moment, much of Braai Shack’s clientele is South African, despite the large Zimbabwean community living in Milton Keynes, Northampton, Daventry and the surrounding areas. This is something we need to reflect on seriously, and change I always remember a conversation I once had with one of Zimbabwe’s biggest businesspeople, the late Sam Levy, who built the Sam Levy’s complex in Borrowdale. I was taken to see him by Zimbabwean media executive and mentor, Richard Mashave. During that conversation, Sam Levy spoke about his own journey and explained how the Jewish community supported one another in Rhodesia. He said they created an environment in which people who started businesses were not simply left to struggle alone. They supported one another, patronised one another’s businesses, shared opportunities and made sure that new ventures had a chance to survive. Their success was not built only on individual effort. It was strengthened by community. That is an important lesson for all of us. When one of our own opens a restaurant, a shop, a salon, a farm, a transport company, a consultancy or any other business in a foreign country, we should not wait for that person to become successful before we support them. We should support them while they are still building. We should be their first customers, their first promoters and, where possible, their first source of encouragement. A community is not defined only by the language we speak, the country we come from or the songs we sing. A community is defined by what we do for one another. If we only attend businesses owned by our people when they are already famous, fully established and profitable, then we are not really supporting them. We are merely arriving after the difficult work has been done. True support means showing up when the chairs are still empty, when the business is still finding its feet, when the owners are working long hours and when every customer genuinely matters. We must learn to celebrate one another without envy. We must learn to recommend one another without expecting payment. We must learn to spend our money in businesses that reflect our identity and create opportunities for our people. When we support one another, the money circulates within the community, jobs are created, families are sustained and future entrepreneurs gain the courage to try. This does not mean that we should support poor service or dishonesty simply because someone is Zimbabwean. Businesses must still be professional, accountable and committed to quality as the Braai Shack is. But when our people are doing things properly, we must not allow indifference, jealousy or unnecessary negativity to destroy what they are building. Yesterday, I was so excited by the hospitality I received that I surprised the ladies by making a video call to the mayor of their home city, Bulawayo. The mayor David Coltart spoke to one of them, and the joy on her face was unforgettable. For a moment, that restaurant became more than a business in Milton Keynes. It became a small piece of Bulawayo in the diaspora. That is the power of enterprise. It does not merely generate income. It carries culture across borders. It gives immigrants a place to gather, remember, celebrate and feel seen. It reminds our children that Zimbabwean identity is not something they have to leave behind in order to succeed elsewhere. I will definitely return to Braai Shack before I go back to Africa, and I encourage Zimbabweans living in Milton Keynes, Northampton, Daventry and the surrounding areas to visit and support this business. Let us stop waiting for outsiders to discover the value in what our own people are creating. Let us be the first to recognise excellence among ourselves. When one Zimbabwean succeeds, it should not be treated as an isolated personal victory. It should become a source of encouragement, employment, inspiration and possibility for the entire community. We do not need to remain scattered individuals competing against one another. We can become a network of people who open doors for one another, recommend one another, invest in one another and refuse to allow the dreams of our people to die from lack of support. Braai Shack is not just serving food. These ladies are serving courage, culture and a vision of what Zimbabweans can build when they combine talent with discipline and receive the support of their own people. Let us show up for them. Follow them on social media. facebook.com/share/p/18fzqCX…