Coffee shop co-owner reunited with husband and staff

The team at Brownies & Downies welcomed Wendy Shultz back to the restaurant on Monday May 20.

It was a joyous and tearful moment when Wendy Shultz, the co-owner of Brownies & Downies coffee shop in Long Street, was reunited with
her husband, Wade, and the team at Brownies & Downies last week.

A few weeks ago, the future of the Brownies & Downies coffee shop was threatened when its Ms Schultz, who is Dutch, was banned from re-entering South Africa for five years due to an error at the Department of Home Affairs. Wendy and her husband, Wade Schultz, received news that her ban was lifted by the Department of Home Affairs on Election Day, May 8.

Brownies & Downies runs a training and development programme where young people with special needs are taught culinary skills so that they are empowered, can have a sense of purpose, and can contribute meaningfully to society.

The programme has seen the successful integration of 12 people with intellectual disabilities into work environments, with seven to be placed in the coming weeks.