The versatility of the spud celebrated at the Soshanguve Sphatlho Festival

Potatoes SA took part in the first Soshanguve Sphatlho Festival, held on 24 September this year at the Soshanguve Giant Stadium. The festival celebrated Heritage Day with one of South Africa’s much-loved food traditions: the sphatlho or kota.

The event brought together food, music, culture, and community, giving consumers a chance to connect through familiar and new potato recipes. A total of 12 438 tickets were sold to a broad group of attendees, including families with children and young adults.

The sphatlho highlights the creativity and versatility of potatoes. In a sphatlho, potatoes are traditionally and mainly prepared in the form of slap chips, though mash and mince have recently emerged as alternatives. Potatoes remain a key component of the dish, making the festival a strong platform for promoting their value and versatility.

Potato marketing objectives

Potatoes SA’s participation aligned with its broader marketing objective. This includes strengthening positive perceptions of potatoes, encouraging local consumption, and keeping potatoes relevant to South Africans across different ages, lifestyles, and income groups.

According to this year’s Township Report, 59% of the 1 600 township residents surveyed across all nine provinces say they are more likely to continue buying when a regular brand supports their community. By engaging consumers in a familiar community setting, Potatoes SA continues to show that potatoes are more than a staple food while building brand loyalty.

Participation in community-focussed events such as the Soshanguve Sphatlho Festival forms part of Potatoes SA’s commitment to engage with consumers and to promote potatoes in ways that resonate with everyday local lifestyles.

The event was supported and promoted through a multi-channel campaign, combining social media with traditional radio and television advertising. I was interviewed on two local radio stations, Moya FM and TUT FM, where I elaborated on Potatoes SA, Potato Nation, and the day’s activation.

Through marketing initiatives and activations, Potatoes SA aims to inspire consumers to explore different ways to enjoy potatoes and recognise their place in everyday meals. During the activation, we sampled four potato-based dishes: mash, roasted potatoes with vegetables, potato bake, and fried potato fritters.

These samples demonstrated the culinary creativity potatoes offer and that this starch is ideal for every meal. Patrons could also scan a QR code to the Potato Nation website, where they found more than 500 potato-based recipes to try at home.

Celebrating food

Botha Roodt Market Agency (part of Grow Fresh Produce Agents) partnered with Potatoes SA by donating a pallet of potatoes for the 35 sphatlho vendors. The festival ultimately provided a platform to celebrate food’s role in bringing people together.

As South Africans celebrated their diverse cultural heritage, the event highlighted how local food traditions continue to evolve while remaining an important part of community identity. – Sheila Makgato, Potatoes SA

For more information, send an email to sheila@potatoes.co.za.