28 Aug 2014

The passion, drive and love for sport and physical fitness is what drove, Goitseone Machola to establish Migdale Investments, a health and fitness centre that encompasses body building, weight lifting, aerobics, cardio and fitness programmes.

Despite the trials and tribulations that he continues to experience as he tries to acquire his own place of operation, he remains unfazed about where he wants to go.
 Coming from humble beginnings, the 34-year-old who hails from Matsiloje said he is grateful for what the government did for him.

He credits the youth ministry for having believed in him and giving him what he terms as a breakthrough in life.
 Machola said it was in 2006 when he got hold of a copy of the DailyNews that had information about government programmes initiated to try and eradicate poverty and it was in that newspaper that he got to learn about the youth grant.

He said because of a dream he always had, he was inspired to apply for funding.
 Machola said he applied for the grant in the 2006 and got his fair share of challenges while processing the application. 


First, he said was the issue of finding a place where he could operate a fitness centre. The other thing was getting quotations for the project. He said he had to travel all the way to Johannesburg to get the quotations for the equipment he would need.
“I did not know Johannesburg, but because i wanted my vision to become a reality, I had to go there,” he said.


He said he had to submit at least five quotations for the application to be processed and after a few hiccups, the application was approved in 2007.
“I remember the date vividly.
It was on the twenty-fourth of April 2007 when i received the approval letter.

This was the day that marked the beginning of the manifestation of my dreams,” he said.
At the time he applied, government grants for the youth had a maximum limit of P50 000 and he received P42 000.


He was then advised by the youth officers to partner with another person, Gorata Mbakile who was also in the same business and had acquired funds from the youth grant as well. “They said that it would make financial sense as the equipment was expensive,” he said.

The two joined forces and operated the business from Satellite in Francistown, said Mr Machola.

He said it was only for two months and he pulled out from the partnership because through his research, he had a ready market in Shashe.

“I had signed with clientele from Water Utilities Corporation in Shashe, so i found it essential to go solo,” he said.

He then moved his business to Shashe where he rented some space at the Shashe dam complex.
“The rent was cheaper compared to Francistown where my partner and i paid P2800 per month, and we had individuals as our clients, with no organizations subscribing.
So the income was relatively low,” he said.

From 2008 to 2011, the business was doing well such that he managed to build himself a house and got himself a car.
“When i think of what i achieved through this programme, i can’t stop preaching about it to other young people.
I am really grateful to the government of Botswana.
It took me from nothing and propelled me to where I am today,” he said.

Furthermore, he said what also fulfills him is that he has created employment for other people.
“I had part-time cleaners and a gym instructor and the gym room was up to standard,” he said.


The father of one said he has discovered that the secret in business is identifying a need in an area and rendering the service.
He said most people usually think business is supposed to be done in towns where there are a lot of people but, the trick is in identifying the gap in an area and doing what nobody else is doing.


He said as with any other business, he encountered numerous challenges.
As fate would have it, Mr Machola recalls the day when he was kindly asked to relocate from the complex where his gym was operating.

This, he said, happened in the year 2012 after his landlord sold the place to another person. 
“The new landlord not only runs a night club but he also had a cocktail bar that operated even during the day.  
So sadly i had to vacate the place”, he said.


He said one client advised him to approach Pelotelele Primary school and ask for permission to use one of the classrooms. He said he was successful even though it was a long process.


The business continued but, it was now slow because the classroom was small and not all equipment could go in and as a result, the number of clients was reduced.


At the beginning of 2014, a new principal took over at the school and suggested he vacate the place as the school wanted to use the classroom. 


The man who once had his business running smoothly now had no choice but to stop the business as he had no place to operate.
“My gym room closed down in March this year, so currently I have no income and the three people i had hired have lost their jobs,” he said.
He said even though this is the case, his passion for physical fitness would not let him give up.

He has since started a follow up on an application for land which he made in 2009 and is hopeful that the outcome will be positive.

He has also approached the youth development fund for a porta cabin and they were willing to help if there was land.


His drive, he said, is derived from his vision for a sports complex. He said his dream is to see more Batswana developing interest in physical fitness
Mr Machola’s gym equipment is currently gathering dust in an old VDC office in Shashe Bridge as he still runs around with the land issue.


He said despite that, he is optimistic that he will overcome the challenge and his business will back on track.


The man who only has a Junior School certificate on his sleeve said he draws more inspiration and motivation from his uncle who is also a business man but is mostly grateful to the government for what he acquired thus far.

To the unemployed youth, his advice to them is that they should acquire information about empowerment programmes and seek help from relevant offices. BOPA