The coastal preliminary round of the Nedbank Kapana Cook-Off competition, held this past weekend in Walvis Bay, saw kapana fans Laura Egumbo, Rivaldo Pietersen, and Veueza Kasemba clinch their berth in the competition’s final, where they have a chance to win.

From all the different participants of the day, the trio worked their way up to become the three finalists. They had to first make it through the salsa phase, in which each contender created a salsa dish for the judges, before moving on to the kapana meal preparation round, where they wowed the judges with their kapana making abilities.

The overall winner of the competition, now in its ninth year, will receive an SME business-starter package worth N.dollars 100 000, N.dollars 10 000 cash in a Nedbank account, and a N.dollars 5 000 Bakpro gift voucher.

Nedbank Namibia Communications and Public Relations Manager, Selma Kaulinge told Nampa on Monday that having just under 60 participants in the preliminary round of the competition shows the bank is on the right track in terms of the impact this competition has on the communities.

“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.

Egumbo, who has been competing in the competition since 2019, stated that this time she needed to go above and beyond.

Kasemba, a first-time participant who drove from Swakopmund to compete, stated that if she wins, she plans to expand her business in Swakopmund.

The third and final preliminary round of the competition will take place in Windhoek. The professional chef’s category will be included in this round, with 10 professional chefs competing for a cash reward of N.dollars 10 000.

This round will be held on 04 August, followed by the third preliminary round of the competition on 05 August, where the final three participants will be chosen to compete in the competition final at the Ongwediva Trade Fair on 26 August.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency