11 Aug 2015

As one joins the road that connects Letlhakane and Francistown, just a stone throw away from Ditsweletse Secondary School smoke is seen rising from the relatively thick Mophane trees. 

A gesture that is bound to raise the antennae of an inquisitive mind for literally there is no smoke without fire. 

The smoke keeps curling towards the barren blue sky. 

A closer inspection of the area reveals a well-crafted man-made kitchen from Mophane tree branches.

The ambiance that is in the surroundings have a powerful effect of exhuming memories of any cultured Motswana to reminisce about the past times before our lives were permeated by the Western culture. 

There are a number of three legged pots that are perched on the desolate and dying small fire. 

The same pots house Setswana delicacies of different types 

A young lady then energetically leaps towards an approaching potential customer, beaming with a smile. 

Her thoughts are seemingly inclined in the only believe that the customer is king. 

She is none other than 30 year old Boitumelo Lebotse, a Letlhakane resident. 

In an interview with BOPA recently she said together with her husband, 34 year old Gosiame Lebotse, Dimpho Tinkane and Boipuso Sabokone who are also in their early thirties, decided to eradicate poverty by cooking traditional food for Letlhakane residents. 

Mr. Lebotse pointed out that initially they started by cooking a cow head and immediately there was an overwhelming interest in the customers who suggested that they cook different traditional cuisine using traditional fire. 

“They said that we should cook food that they never have time for at their residences,” he said.

Since they started this project they were never inundated by stiff competition and the fact that they do not compromise where cooking traditional food that has value for their customer’s money is concerned also make them stand out.

“As a result we get customers who often tell us that they heard about our food through word of mouth,” she said. 

They deem their business to be in a prime location as it is near the tarred road that has a high density of traffic. 

This to them is a hallmark for their future successes. 

Their customers range from employees of the surrounding diamond mines, teachers, nurses, students and passersby. 

The variety of food they cook is based on the feedback they get from a pool of clientele which ranges from porridge made from melon (lerotse), pap, lehata ,samp, indigenous vegetables like morogo wa dinawa (vigna unguiculata), Tswana chicken and pounded meat (seswaa) for both beef and goat. 

At the weekends they cook cow heads and hooves. 

Mrs. Lebotse, however decried that there is general lack of millet in their area and this automatically hampers their efforts to include it in their menu despite its high demand.

Since their prices are affordable the frequent clientele base promised that they will hire them in their social events like parties or even weddings if the need arises. 

As for the transactional analysis of the business they revealed that it does not leave a lot to be desired because the demand surpasses their supply. 

They asserted that normally as a result there is always nothing to offer their customers in the afternoon. 

What keeps them inspired is the fact that currently there is a call for people to consider traditional food for healthy living. 

Traditional Tswana cuisine from time immemorial was covertly a panacea for the proliferation of human diseases the current surging ones being those that are non-communicable. 

The high rise of fast food in our contemporary times being the linchpin of these ailments hence the need for go back to our roots.

According to World Health Organization on Unhealthy Diet and Physical Inactivity it state that unhealthy diet especially those which have a high content of fats are among some of the leading causes of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including cardiovascular diseases (CVD), type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. 

Therefore in their response they say they always make sure that they keep their meat lean and fat free. They also buy meat which has been inspected before slaughter for any possible livestock diseases especially beef. 

Like any other start up business they were deluged by multifaceted challenges chief among them capital. 

“We financed everything from our pockets and most of the things that we are using here like pots were borrowed from our immediate families,” said Mrs Lebotse said.

They once again made another call for farmers who have a reliable supply of Tswana chicken and goats to approach them. One demoralizing factor is that farmers place exorbitant price tags on their goats hence thwarting their efforts to have continuous supply of this delicacy. All in all they asserted that these phenomena will never dampen their high spirits. 

They would like to advise the youth especially those living in villages to get out of their cocoons and stop relying on the government for employment.

 

She said the current government is also supportive to the youth because it allows them to do businesses in our homes and even to sell our products in public offices. ENDS