A simple act of cooking has become the foundation of innovation for 23-year-old Lebohang Moloi, an entrepreneur from Orange Farm Ext 1 who is redefining how township communities approach both food and business.
Moloi is the founder of OilSmart, a practical kitchen solution designed to control cooking oil usage through a measured spray or pour system. While the product promotes healthier cooking and cost-saving, its deeper impact lies in how it transforms an everyday household habit into an opportunity for economic awareness and smarter living.
Growing up in Orange Farm, Moloi noticed a common but often overlooked issue – the excessive use of cooking oil in daily meals. What many households considered normal, he saw as an avoidable expense quietly affecting already stretched budgets.
“I realised that small things we ignore every day are actually costing us more than we think,” Moloi explains. “I wanted to turn that realisation into something that empowers people.”
Rather than positioning OilSmart as just a kitchen tool, Moloi views it as part of a larger movement towards mindful consumption in township households and small food businesses. By helping users manage portions more efficiently, the product encourages both financial discipline and healthier lifestyles.
What started as a local solution is now gaining traction beyond Orange Farm, with expansion into Soweto – a sign that township-born innovations can scale when they address real, shared challenges.
For Moloi, the journey is about more than business growth. It is about changing the narrative around kasi communities, proving they are not just spaces of need, but hubs of creativity, problem-solving, and entrepreneurship.
“As young people, we need to start seeing our environment differently. The solutions are already around us – we just have to act on them,”said Moloi
Through OilSmart, Moloi is not only building a brand but also sending a powerful message: innovation doesn’t always come from high-tech labs sometimes, it starts in the kitchen.
