02 Sep 2015

The saying that disability does not mean inability can never be exhausted and Mr Matthews Kesalopa is a staunch exponent of the phrase. The young man aged 28 years from Shoshong said in an interview that despite being born with some defects, he has never allowed the condition to stop him from being independent.

He said after he completed his junior secondary education, of which he did not perform well he then enrolled at Shoshong Brigade to do a course in horticulture.

He noted that his goal for his choice of studies was to venture into commercial vegetable production.However, due to his health problems he did not, but this did not deter his dream of being self-reliant.

Being an optimist, he realised that local taxi drivers had no one who controlled the movement of taxis in an organised manner, and  he decided to approach them with a proposal to fill the gap.

He said he was welcomed with open arms and became their ‘rabuka,’ a term which explains his job as he controls taxi movements by recording the order in which taxis are to be arranged, depending on which one came first.

Mr Kesalopa said his job was easy for him as it does not require much effort. 

He said the only qualities needed were vigilance and attentiveness to ensure that no taxi was placed where it does not belong. He added that this could cause conflicts between him and the taxi drivers.

According to him, the work environment and atmosphere was conducive as the taxi drivers’ work well with him.

Mr Oagile Lesole, who drives a taxi, said they value Mr Kesalopa as not only a mere help, but also their leader. Mr Lesole said it was not easy working without somebody who controls them, but that life has become much easier for them. He added that the decision to bring Mr Kesalopa on board was to empower him as a disabled person as well as to show love and compassion as the national vision implores citizens.

When it comes to renumeration, Mr Kesalopa revealed that his earnings were more than satisfactory as he was able to sustain himself and help in buying groceries on a monthly basis.

Meanwhile, taxi drivers complained of the poor conditions of the village’s internal roads which they highlighted as a huge challenge for them. They expressed concern over some constructors who do not do a diligent job when hired to grate the roads which were of gravel.

They said this was a problem for them as they could not do their job well, adding that often the constructors do not remove stones from the roads, something that destroys their cars.

Another problem emanating from this was that they could not take customers all the way to their destinations as it was required. They noted that this causes conflicts between customers and themselves. They said this was also not good for business, as some people would rather walk than to pay for a taxi that would only take them half way. Ends