11 May 2016

Creativity and patience have paid for Ms Portia Mogapi. 

The resident of Plateau in Kasane grew up in a family that believed in traditional cuisine. 

She had to learn how to prepare traditional dishes and preserve knowledge on the food for posterity. 

Her relatives, especially her grandmother, provided training on cooking traditional food. 

After completing Form 5, she neither had the opportunity to further her studies nor permanent employment. She had to explore different avenues to raise moneys to sustain her family. 

 She turned to her passion for traditional food. In February 2016, she started putting her plan into action by opening a small business in an open space opposite Kasane Choppies. She used her savings from menial jobs to set up shop.

 She started by selling traditional food such as morogo wa dinawa, phane, motsentsela, peanuts powder, manoko, and ditloo, both dried and fresh, raw and cooked sweet potatoes. 

Ms Mogapi says that traditional food is affordable and highly nutritious and reduces the risk of lifestyle diseases such as high blood pressure because it is natural.

The business woman states that her business is bringing positive results. She currently has one employee who is well skilled in preparation of traditional food. 

Ms Mogapi is upbeat that the business will be able to employ more youth, and save them from engaging in unbecoming activities. 

She indicates that she plans to acquire the requisite documents to start tendering for government catering jobs.

However, she is satisfied with the profit she is makes. She is able to pay herself a salary to take care of her children. She invests the remaining balance into the business. 

Her dream is to own a successful and reputable business entity, especially a restaurant providing only traditional cuisine. 

Ms Mogapi says she keeps large stores of seasonal traditional food so that her clients benefit all year round.

Her main challenge is that she does not have a proper storage facility where she could preserve food in bulk during harvesting periods.

She wants to enhance her skills by approaching the National Food Technology and Research Centre for training on preservation and preparation of traditional foods in a safer environment because she is currently selling her food in an open space by the road side, which exposes her food to dirt and dust that might carry germs. Ms Mogapi is positive that she will cater for lodges around Kasane in future. 

She observes that many tourists are interested in Tswana traditional food. 

She is adamant that the moment she completes her paper work, she will hand over the business plan to Gender Affairs Department to seek training, financial advice and funding to fulfil her ambition. 

A regular customer, Mr Buang Mothusi, joyfully states that his interest is in Ms Mogapi’s clean and freshly cooked food, which comes at a reasonable price.

He says that he is also happy with the respect that Ms Mogapi accords her customers. 

He says that the customer service keeps on bringing him back for more. Ms Mogapi is confident that success is within reach.

 She encourages citizens to exploit government empowerment schemes in order to sustain themselves and promote a culture of self-reliance. ENDS