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Born Ihsan Mohammed Manal Abdulatife Abdallah in the city of Jeddah, located in hot and sandy Saudi Arabia, he later decided to go by the name David Manal. David had anything but a comfortable childhood. Being one of nine children in a low-income household meant that he had to make his own way in life. Life in the streets of Jeddah was not kind, Manal overcame bullying, poverty, a strained relationship with his dad and many other adversities.

In the hot summer month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide, David used his circumstances to his advantage and started his very first business. He began an ice-lolly stand outside his flat, selling lollies to passersby. Seeing a greater opportunity, he expanded his business, adding fried chips to his offering the next year. Manal began a trend that saw many others in the area jump on the bandwagon- he stood his ground and persevered through challenges to earn extra income which he saved.

At 15, his father decided to move part of the family to Jordan. David had to learn to adjust to a new life, but despite keeping his head down, he found himself dealing with bullies once again. This new lifestyle made him a stronger person, not just mentally, but physically as well. Manal and his brothers, along with friends became somewhat a “gang”- ditching school, gatecrashing funerals and weddings, and being an overall disappointment to their school- teacher father.

At this point in his life, David already knew the importance of saving money. The one thing he knew he had no interest in was school and an education. That did not stop him. David possessed the drive and ambition to achieve his hearts desires later in his life.

Fast forward a few years, David found himself working as a cleaner in the kitchen of the Radisson SASS in Jordan. At 18, he knew he was rising from the clutches of poverty and earning his way in life. David made his way to the City of Gold, Johannesburg, in South Africa.

Being determined to work his way up and own his own restaurant, David managed many restaurants before the opportunity to franchise his own restaurant presented itself. David fought tooth and nail to secure his first real break. He opened his very first restaurant in Umhlanga, Plaka.

With everything going according to David’s plan, at 31, things took a turn for the worst. After his 27th MMA fight, he lost his eyesight, and found out that his wife at the time was pregnant. Despite Plaka booming, and him opening Al Basha, a shwarma take-away in Umhlanga, things were about to change.

Following many doctors’ appointments and surgery, David’s vision returned after 3 operations just before the birth of his baby girl, Eva. It was most definitely the definition of “Miracle”.

Following a fallout with his business partner, David left Plaka behind and started building his new venture, Barrio, into a premium restaurant. Things were going well for David in most aspects of his life, except his personal life. His marriage was falling apart. This led to his divorce from his ex-wife, and subsequently a new relationship. David’s second daughter, Arabella was born.

In 2015, David walked away from Barrio and took a giant leap of faith. The idea was a premium restaurant with a French bakery and boutique butchery. He wanted to create a space for the crème de la crème of society, the socialites and elites. He settled on the name Café La Plage- “Café on the Beach” in French.

Here, the dream was born!

Being the go-getter and trend setter that he is, in 2019 David saw an opportunity in a growing a new brand, “Zuma”. He knew the potential the brand had and trademarked the name in South Africa. The added attention the name got was a bonus for business.

David Manal. Self-made millionaire, author, father, and the ultimate Kitchen Gangster! Don’t take my word for it, grab your copy of The Kitchen Gangster.

Diego dalla Palma

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