Putting bread on the table

Source : Kutlwano

Author : Keonee Kealeboga

Location : Mosolotshane

Event : Interview

 

When her husband died in 1989, Elizabeth Disang was left with four children to care forsingle handedly.

For many years she has been struggling with the challenge.

As life gottougher by the day the 50 year old resident of Mosolotshane village in the Central District decided it was time to roll up her sleeves and step up to the challenge.

Similarly, on the other side of the village, her fellow resident, Onkabetse Goareng, was despondently pondering his own future. Too much work load and poor pay where he worked had become synonymous with Onkabetse’s very existence.

And, fed up with the state of affairs, he decided to quit his job at Pick ‘n Pay’s bakery section, to explore the possibilities of self employment.

The plight of the two residents, though occurring separately, was to become a firm foundation for their unity.

And their similar experiences and passion in bread making saw the birth of their bakery in April this year.

As if by design, Onkabetse already had a traditional oven - the kind that is housed in a small cave like mud structure – and this meant the duo could immediately get nimble with their fingers as there was no time to waste.

Armed with years of experience gained from working for the bakery departments of Pick ‘n Pay and Spar supermarkets, Onkabetse proved quite invaluable to the partnership.

“My cousin encouraged me to bake, and though I like baking different types of bread, I am deeply passionate about making cakes, particularly wedding cakes” he notes,adding that he has shared his cake making skills with many people in the village and beyond.

For him, teaching others how to make cakes is an investment that he is willing to plough into whoever is willing.

On the other hand, Elizabeth has offered her personal vehicle for use by the business.

“We don’t have transport as a business, that is why I have availed my family vehicle for business activities,” she explains.

The business currently supplies the local primary school with bread under the school feeding programme, after winning a tender from Mahalapye Sub district Council.

Apart from the mapakiwa, (traditional scone), supplied to the school, the bakery also produces an assortment of bread related products and delicacies such as cakes, pizzas and biscuits.

As the business prospered the duo were inspired to make better and bigger ovens, hence they bought more modern and dual purpose ovens which double as both raisers and bakers.

Though initially the introduction of the new ovens was meant to make their job easier, Elizabeth and Onkabetse say they later decided to manufacture and sell the new ovens as another aspect to their business.

The price tag for the raising oven stands at P4 000, while that of the baking oven is pegged at P4 500.

Though they are yet to make a single sale,they say they have had countless enquiries regarding how their ovens work.

They are nevertheless optimistic that since they have resolved to sell both in cash and in kind, sooner than later orders will begin streaming in, they hope.

“The prices for our ovens are negotiable because we don’t want to turn people away just because they cannot afford P8 500. This is our contribution to the war against poverty; therefore we want anyone who has a passion for baking to be able to do so and earn some income,” elaborates Onkabetse.

The fact that the ovens, once installed can be removed and re fitted elsewhere, is clearly a bonus.

Regrettably, just as is often the case with any business, Elizabeth and Onkabetse’s bakery has its fair share of challenges. Mosolotshane, wherethe business is located is a small village with a low population for a lucrative market.

“Business can be terribly slow; so slow that on average we make as little as P70 a day.

However, low as the profits often are, we will hold on toour dream.”

With great resolve and determination in her voice, Elizabeth asserts their position and faith in what they do.

The partners say they are prepared to soldier on in their quest to be ultimately successful, adding that they are deeply grateful for any amount of money coming in regardless of how little it may be.

Lack of places to display their products especially cakes is also a drawback.

“We wish there were exhibition places that we could use to showcaseour cakes. Right now we depend only on events such as this one,” says Onkabetse in reference to the poverty eradication campaign recently held in Sehunou and Motshegaletau.

At big events such as the one referred to above, Elizabeth and Onkabetse often make a killing, at times raking in over P3 000 in a matter of a few hours, say the two partners with apparent confidence.

Challenges aside, there is no doubt that Elizabeth and Onkabetse are proud to be living their dream.

They must be happy to have decided to takethe route they have chosen.

For 37 year old Onkabetse, he cannot tradethe joy, peace and contentment that characterise his life today for anything.

And toiling his life away for someone else will never again be acomponent of his life, it appears. To him though, this is not about being able to make decisions and calling the shots, it is about having the leeway to positively impact on other people’s lives.

For Elizabeth, she is yet to discover if there is any feeling or emotion that beats the gratification that comes with being able to live from the sweat of one’s brow.