30 Apr 2015

Along Moshupa’s old Kanye road lies the ritzy Restaurant DA Blue. Blue because of the dominant blue colour of the adjacent bar in the Mogaung Ward complex.The blue colour makes the cozy eat-out cool too.

Managing director of this top market restaurant is 32-year-old Ms Katlego Baleseng, a beneficiary of a P100 000 assistance courtesy of the Youth Development Fund (YDF) in 2013.
Decent interior, premier service rendered at DA Blue is among the many attributes this hang-out is surely have endeared it to the many customers who are starved of tasty food.

An equally gratifying ambience at this eat-out sums up why this place has endeared itself to many people with a penchant for delicious dishes. BOPA’s recent stopover at this place was a true revelation of a special place DA Blue occupies in the hearts of many. Thirty-year-old Mr Kagiso Batshegi who was on a week-long trip to Moshupa could not believe he found such an eat-out 60 kilometres away from the hustle and bustle of the capital city, Gaborone.

“I asked someone where I could get the best dish my first day in Moshupa and was instantly directed to this place and truly I found out the meals are out of this world. Every time I come here this is the only place where to eat.”

Ms Opelo Moribola, a home economics teacher at Diratsame Junior Secondary School in Moshupa, says the irresistible dishes Restaurant DA Blue offers, makes her to religiously frequent the place.

“Obviously I come here to get fine meals and the fact that the initiative is a brainchild of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture is inspiring.The effort calls for commendation from all of us.Noble initiatives such as this one present young people with a platform to improve their livelihoods and create employment for fellow youths,” says Ms Moribola.

Her colleague, Ms Esther Mabote, a design and technology teacher, says she was also lured to the restaurant through the grapevine and its first impressions have lasted to date. She calls for augmentation and re-engineering of such government programmes so that more young people may become true players in the country’s economy.

However, for Ms Baleseng, getting to where she is has not been all rosy.It was an uphill battle. She had to put up with a few skirmishes along the way. A firm believer on dividends accrued through hard work, she toiled to the bitter end. Armed with only a Cambridge Certificate, Baleseng believes her biggest break came in 2000 at a prize giving ceremony at Moshupa Senior Secondary where she emerged top student in food and nutrition.

“The highlight of the event was when Ms Motlhabane, Lemepe Lodge managing director in Molepolole who was among invited guests and award presenters, pledged to take me under her wings if I so wished and drill me on the nuts and bolts of cooking at her lodge, which I readily acceded to,” she reminisces with a beaming face.

As fate would have it, that was the defining moment that is now unfolding and cementing her childhood dream to be amongst the most sought-after players in the hospitality industry.
Convinced that she had acquired the necessary skills, Ms Baleseng amicably parted ways with her mentor at Lemepe Lodge after two years to pursue a certificate in Business Management to gain a firm grasp of business and management issues.

In 2010, she completed a six-month secretarial course that entailed accounting, management and word processing; all this solidified her business acumen. Her acquisition of the P100 000 albeit having had to go through a rigorous process prior to receiving finances proved handy.

Although she started applying for funding since 2007, the money was released to her only in late 2013. She used the money to buy kitchen utensils, fridges and stock.

However, a lot still needs to be done to broaden her business scope beyond Moshupa. Had it not been for the rowdiness that gripped Thamaga due to unruly behavior by some youth who reigned terror late 2014, Restaurant DA Blue could have set up a branch in that village. ms Baleseng is quick to point out that it is not all lost as she is closely monitoring the situation.

“I dream too much and harbour ambitions to have a franchise and approaching Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS) to standardize my meals and secret sauce.”
 

Although appreciative of the government gesture, Ms Baleseng suggests augmentation of individual funding from P100 000 to P400 000. This, she believes, will allow for expansion of businesses through acquisition of such items as vehicles, and other necessary equipment.

The clause that stipulates that only youth should be hired in YDF projects should be rescinded forthwith, she argues. Her contention on the matter is that most young people are not forthcoming compared to some elderly whom she reckons are reliable and always willing to go an extramile once employed. Ends