is a term used in many South African townships to describe a barbecue or braai where people (friends or families) come together to grill meat in an open fire (usually near a butchery). The site is usually provided by the butcher owner and only people who buy meat from the butcher are allowed to use the facility. Shisa nyama is a Zulu phrase and, literally, means to "burn meat".
The poor people earned a living in Chesa Nyama. In South Africa, poor people who didn’t have or qualify for a formal job earned their living through informal ways like in spaza shops, car wash, chesa nyama etc. Some worked and some owned these units. All the three services are grouped as one to engage the customer in different things under the same roof. The customers get their car washed while enjoying a shopping spree at the attached Spaza shops or eating at the Chesa Nyamas.
