The Genesis of K1 Kota Zone

They say the food you never eat haunts you. After seeing an image of a stacked kota drenched in cheddar cheese and garnished with pepperoni-like meat (which I later found out is some Italian sausage) floating around on social media I decided to exorcise that ghost.

Tracking the uploads on social media revealed this ode to cheese and all things greasy was in Palmridge, Ekurhuleni.

On arrival, we found the young man behind the famed K1 Kota Zone, Siyabonga Mdlalose. The soft-spoken humble man describes himself as "an innovative person who loves to meet and interact with new people".

And innovative he is.

Mdlalose started his kota business a year ago in a bid to raise funds for his education. He had resigned from corporate work due to financial difficulties and a calling.

He says he doesn't use any pork products or chicken polony in his kota but he does use chicken fillets. Other meats on the menu are French polony, beef sausage and beef patties. Mdlalose also makes his own sauces.

His kota prices start from R7 to R35 - yes, you read that right.

Despite a lack of funds, Mdlalose started his business. He works out of a tiny shiny shack, opposite the famed Eagles of Faith Ministry hangout Extension 9's taxi rank and car wash.

The 25-year-old made us his famous kasi-style kota which goes for R10. The kota is heavy, crammed with russian, cheese, chips and polony. The top oozes crust to give it that kota top look.

It's also a lot of food, ideal as a hangover cure after a wild night out but not something that should be consumed on a daily basis.

One of the drawbacks of Katlehong's popular kota is that it takes a while to get ready. Mdlalose has a small team of four working in an even smaller space, and the ingredients used take a bit more time to prepare. So you do wait a while for your order.

When asked how he'd sell his kota to potential customers he had this to say: "I would say come and try something new, come and support me and try something new."