When you have a hankering for a sweet treat on a hot day in Soweto, a scoop of ice cream is never far away. In fact, if you grew up in the popular township, you probably have memories of a white ice-cream van that all the kids love seeing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With a classic melody that echoes through the streets of Soweto as the white van tootles corner to corner, one would witness the kids rushing in their homes to beg their parents for money to buy the tasty, cold treat.

Sipho Mtshali, who has been melting the hearts of Soweto’s young ones since South Africa’s violent apartheid years is a known legend behind the wheels of the famous van and delightful treats.

Now 64, Mtshali says he has worked “Monday to Monday” for the past 45 years, driving through the hilly township that spawned South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela.

Even during the violent liberation struggle that rocked Soweto during the 1970s, he stayed the course.

The owner of an ice cream truck, Sipho Mtshali, sits in his truck in Soweto, South Africa, Nov. 19, 2021. (AFP Photo)

His impressive story is truly inspiring as people who bought ice cream from him when he was a kid are now taking their own children to him

“I have seen people grow up from the ice cream car,” he said, noting that prices were lower during apartheid, which officially ended in 1994.

Mtshali fondly recalls the round baby faces of his first customers, now adults, who today send their children to his van, coins in hand.

“They were young when we started,” he said, serving some people directly through their car windows.

Today, he charges 8 rands (50 cents) for a swirly serving of strawberry or vanilla. Add a couple of rands for a sprinkle of hundreds and thousands or another crunchy topping.

Sipho has mastered the art of selling ice-cream in Soweto and is doing it like no other. We thought we’d give him a little spotlight and also take you guys on a little memory lane.