14 Oct 2014

When many go looking for regular employment some take the risk to use their talents, skills and experience to create jobs for themselves.

One such individual is Mr Kakanyo Mmoloki of Khuis in Kgalagadi District, who chose to stay home to start decorating bottles with soils as a business venture in order to lead a better life.

Mr Mmoloki’s passion of decorated bottles started when he was a lab assistant testing soils for a construction company called Red East which was carrying out a road project in Middlepits between 2011 to 2012.

During his spare time he would play with soils trying to come up with different creations but never doing anything concrete. With time, he says he came up with the idea of arranging soils accordingly, making shapes with it and that was when something concrete and attractive resulted, he says.

“After a year the company was done with its project and that meant I was jobless so I had to come up with ways of sustaining my living,” he says, adding that because he was fond of working soils, he decided to give a try.

He says he was forced to put extra time going around the village looking for empty fruitree bottles and different kinds of soil because he wanted to implement his idea.

Mr Mmoloki says it was hard to find such bottles in the area because people no longer drank bottled juices like before as they prefer tinned ones.

He adds that he did not lose hope as he used the little that he picked, asking for help from villagers to help him with the kind of bottles he wanted. He says using such bottles was part of recycling and keeping the environment clean since that would minimize the number of littered bottles in his area.

The artist uses a manmade sieve to filter the soil before putting it into a bottle using a small wired pipe, and, as he does that he uses different kinds of soil to create decorated shapes.

He explains that he paints the bottle caps with a color that matches with the soil. Furthermore he is using fruitree bottles because they are clear and thicker compared to others; they can also hold soil for a long time.

The hardworking man says he once showcased his works at one of the cultural activities recently and that was great moment of happiness because he was able to market himself. 

He says sometimes he takes his product to Tsabong or Gaborone where it sells like hot fat cakes. During the Khawa Sand Dune challenge, he was there to sell his special bottles and the business was good, he says. Mr Mmoloki adds that his clients are also tourists who pass by Khuis because they never pass him without buying anything. 

The Khuis born is optimistic about his business and he is looking forward to registering his business name soon since he wants to take it out of his house now. 

“As the family breadwinner and this business being our only source of income, finance is a bit challenging; therefore I will soon be seeking assistance from government,” he says.

The 37-year-old says soil has become a bigger part of his life and for that reason he cannot think of anything that he can do except using soil. 

He notes that he makes his decorations depending on his client’s preference, adding that he can also decorate a traditional hut using soils and he once tried his luck in presidential competition for Lokgapo in 2012. 

Even though he did not make it he was happy that he managed to compete as it is rare to find men taking part in this kind of competitions.

“I would like to see my business growing bigger and better and I want it to be known nationwide,” hopes, adding that to achieve this he definitely has to go to school to study business management to gain more knowledge about how to manage a business.

However, he is worried that clients who appreciate his decors often never really buy to show that they like what they see.

Mr Mmoloki has a problem from his villagers who still mix business with friendship as some who believe that just because they know him he should give them his products for free.

He says other people sometimes ask him to decorate their huts but when he talks about money they just say that they will get back to him then they go forever.

Mr Mmoloki says he is passionate about what he does and he optimises his through hard work.  He says people should put in mind that there is no cheaper business in life than using soil by just coming up with something that is unique and will catch the eye of people. ENDS