25 Aug 2020

For some people, starting a business especially an internet café in a remote place such as Motshegaletau does not make sense, but for Ms Pauline Tlholego the absence of such service was an opportunity worth exploiting. 

 While she had always harbored the business idea, the youngster could not implement it due to various factors including starting capital. As fate would have it, one day  in 2010 she passed by the village’s kgotla and a note on the board caught her attention 

“It was a Mascom advert calling on unemployed youth to apply for the Mascom’s Kitsong Centre. I wasted no time but applied for it,” said Ms Tlholego in an interview recently. 

Today she is a proud owner of a successful Internet café in the village.

Apart from selecting the promising entrepreneurs who express interest, Mascom trains and fund the youngsters to join the business world. 

Born and bred in Motshegaletau the 34-year-old budding entrepreneur said the opportunity came at the right time when she needed funds to start her own business.

She said in that same year Mascom Wireless, assisted her to open the Internet café.

The Centre offers services such as prepaid Sim-card replacement, my-zaka registration, typing, printing, faxing, invitation cards, business cards and company profiles among others, services for which  the residents had to travel to Serowe to access.

She said the business, which aims at helping young people to alleviate poverty in their villages, was doing well, adding that she had never closed her caravan doors.

The package included a fully air-conditioned Mascom caravan laden with a couple of Information Technology (IT) equipment which comprises of two printers, a fax machine, three computers, a modem as well as Mascom sim cards.

Since she had a background and passion for IT after they Mascom trained her, the Internet café operation was a cup of tea.

“Information Technology is my calling, I could do it in my sleep. I had an urge to see people’s life changed through Motshegaletau Kitsong Centre and my desire became a reality,” said Ms Tlholego. 

With the Kitsong centres Mascom aimed to take new age services to the people especially in far-off villages, she stated.

The company also wanted to curb unemployment among the youth as well as to ignite youth empowerment. 

Ms Tlholego boasted that she was steps ahead of his competitors. 

‘‘I advertise my company through word of mouth and pamphlets. I go to kgotla meetings and notify people about my services.’’

The promising entrepreneur’s dreams and aspirations was to see her business grow from strength-to-strength. She stressed that Mascom was her life saver as she managed to diversify her business and ventured into chicken business. Through her layers she supplies the local school with eggs.

She also explained that when the business opened in 2010, residents took a while to embrace technology. 

“I am in the process of expanding my business,’’ Ms Tlholego said. 

Optimistic that good things will prevail from now on, she encouraged her fellow youth to take the bull by the horns and follow their dreams.

“I would also like to thank Mascom for seeing the potential in me and investing on the youth since we are future leaders,’’ she concluded.

She revealed that some of her clients were from Mogorosi, Thabala, Sehunou, Mabuo and Moiyabana with most in need of secretarial and Mascom related services.

She also said her determination and patience in growing her business were key values that kept her going.

The budding entrepreneur further said she was reliable, which attracted and retained clients.

 She urged young entrepreneurs to go the extra-mile when serving clients and to stand for challenges that came their way.

Ms Tlholego revealed that she used to work temporarily at Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security as Research Assistant and she was engaged in registration of voters for the general elections. ends