14 Aug 2014

Deep Shopping Complex offers one stop shopping experience that is hard to forget as it has everything that customers need.  

The complex comprises of a supermarket, restaurant, stock feed outlet, hair salon, boutique, gym room and a spacious hall to cater for social events.

Located in an easy to find area, just along the main road that connects Marobela and Sebina, Marobela residents no longer walk long distance to Sebina to buy goods. It has become the talk of the village.

One cannot help but be fascinated by the frequent visits made by villagers to buy groceries, toiletry, clothing and other necessities.

The owners of Deep Shopping Complex, Mr Kangangwane Botana and his wife Elizabeth, chose to setup a complex of this status in a village, contrary to what people perceive as lack of business in rural areas.

In an interview, Ms Botana explained although the complex was for their gain, one of the issues that also propelled them to set up the business was to address the challenge of absence of shops in the village.

She also said they realised that people from the village were forced to travel long distances to Francistown or other neighbouring villages for their groceries and other necessities.

“We set up the shopping complex in order to try and meet the shopping demands of villagers and travellers who pass through the village, especially during the holidays. 

We felt a one stop shopping complex will be ideal and solve people’s problems towards shopping,” she said.

Ms Botana narrated what they went through to finally have the business, and it was not a walk in the park.

“I must admit that we had a long journey with many hurdles to finally have this shopping complex,” she said.

They started off relatively small, ordering clothes, bedding and vegetables from neighbouring countries to sell.

Ms Botana said although the profits they made were small, they never gave up as passion and hard work as well as the team spirit that prevailed in her family made them prosper and flourish.

The complex does not sustain the Botanas only, but it has also created employment for 18 Batswana who are absorbed in different entities within the complex.

They also advised other Batswana who wish to venture into any business to avoid getting themselves into debts by acquiring high startup capital.

The family also emphasised the importance of meeting customer needs, customer focus, monitoring and evaluation of the business’s overall progress.

One of the employees, Ms Gaongalelwe Ngoni, who works as a cashier at the supermarket, said the complex was a blessing to her because it has given her a source of income, and has also provided her with something positive to do instead of idling.

Kgosi Rapelang Khuwe of Marobela also commended the Deep Shopping Complex and other shops established in the village.

He said such developments have a significant improvement towards the landscape and the profile of the village.

Kgosi Khuwe also acknowledged that the coming up of such developments creates employment for the youth. Ends