08 Oct 2015

Ms Bokamoso Kaijela’s business has taken Mmanoko by storm. Mmanoko is well known for its vicinity to the road that connects the Bakwena capital to Gaborone. The village has goat and chicken meat in abundance, thanks to the 27-year-old Ms Kaijela.

After being assisted with goats under Livestock Management and Infrastructure Development (LIMID), Ms Kaijela made it her business to always meet her customers’ expectations; be it delivering to one’s doorstep a live goat or a slaughtered animal or meat cuts.

Slaughtering goats was initially a mammoth task for her, but due to her determination and zeal, as well as the help from her assistants, she managed to master the trade.

How she got to be so popular Ms Kaijela says it is still a mystery to her. She remembers how she used to be unpopular even at school, having a hard time making friends. Some even made fun of her since she was not that good academically.

Being a below average student, the dream of being where she is today was a far fetched one. Now that she drives a Toyota Cambry, the envious eyes of her past school foes cannot get off her. The stars have been kind to her and blessings rain on her so much that she cannot even meet the demand. 

Her business has penetrated the lucrative Gaborone market including big establishments in the likes of Senn Foods.

Ms Kaijela never knew she was going out to meet her destiny in 2010 when she was tired of staying home and asked  her mother for money go to Molepolole just to see if she cannot find a job. 

When she arrived, by chance she found herself at the district youth office, and as they say, the rest is history.

Ms Kaijela recalls how inappropriate she was even dressed to get into the government ‘clean’ offices. After meeting the  Youth Development Funding (YDF) representative, they recommended to her to go to LIMID offices because she had an idle field then, the gold mine she never knew she was sitting on.

Reluctantly she went to LIMID offices in Molepolole and she managed to get assisted with 20 goats. From there on she developed the passion for entrepreneurship and even enrolled for small stock management week-long classes at Local Enterprise Authority(LEA).

Her business was growing at a steady pace with her customers being mainly Mmanoko residents. She used to think her business would never amount to anything since some of the goats became easy pickings for foxes and jackals, which had found residence in the nearby forest proximate to her field.

In 2012, she decided she needed more goats and went to ask for financial assistance from YDF and luckily  she was granted her request of P100 000.

She used the money to buy 57 more goats and divided her kraal into four paddocks; one for male goats, pregnant goats, another one for kids and the last one for those that have just given birth.To conquer the water shortage at her field she bought a 1 000-litre tank, which she hires the local youth to fill with water from time to time using a donkey cart.

Her motto of always pleasing every customer gained her popular fame in no time. Everyone knew that in order to get goat meat with a great service one must go to Ms Kaijela’s farm.

Her popularity not only gave her a name among meat lovers and dealers, but also fattened up her account. Soon she felt she could offer more than just goat meet.

“Since no one ever stops dreaming of having more, I bought chickens to sell for meat,” she said proudly.

The chickens require more care. She has to check on them from time to time even at night. With the chickens in the field she is now troubled by rats, which often bite the chickens to death. Besides, the rodents bring in diseases and when they eat or drink from the same source as chickens, they transmit diseases.

Although the medicines and chicken feed are expensive, she always recovers the expenses right after sales. Her poultry is always sparkling clean to avoid unnecessary diseases.

The chickens give her a lot of profit since there is a great demand for chicken meat around Mmanoko and Molepolole. Just like goat meat, she hopes to expand her market to Letlhakeng and Gaborone.

Ms Kaijela explained that the goats take time to sell because they take time to reach maturity, unlike broilers, which mature in six weeks. The chicken sale keeps her farm going and assistant paid while is waiting for the goats to mature.

Ms Kaijela also has her eye on goose rearing. She has been visited by many people asking if she does not have any goose in her field. Even though it is something completely new to her, she is keen to learn the trade and take the bull by the horn.

Ms Kaijela’s assistant was an unemployed youth before. She explains that she pays him on time every month because she comes from humble beginnings and understands the pain of being unemployed.

She praises the government for such initiatives that help the youth escape poverty. Every day she reminds herself that if not for these government initiatives, she could be working an income that can hardly make ends meet.

In the future she wants to be able to buy expensive machinery to produce feed for her goats in her own field without having to always go out to buy them. This year’s drought, which has not spared her area has made her to think hard enough to come up with such a brilliant idea.

All in all she now has the responsibility of looking after 102 goats and 120 broilers every day. Even though she admits it is hard, her efforts are greatly rewarded. Ends