12 Oct 2015

Everyone has something they are good at. Some are born with abundant talent while others are academically endowed. What we possess or don't possess does not matter, what matters is how we use the knowledge we have to make our lives better. 

And the Nteba family are doing just that. The Mahalapye based couple  Moses and Masego Nteba are known for the work of their hands. Nteba is in pottery while the wife is a knitter.  

Nteba decorates pots and vases while his wife knits clothing to make ends meet.

With a motto that one's talent has the power to put them in places they have never imaged, Nteba never sat back when he was retrenched from the company he worked for three years ago. 

Instead they joined heads and decided to venture into business as it was not easy for him to get another job given that he went as far as Standard Seven. But growing up as a crafty man who could do anything with his hands, he knew it was time to apply what God has given him.

Nteba said the talent he neglected over the years grew even more after witnessing and learning how people prosper through their talent and gifts. 

He said some had the same talent as his, and that it inspired him to fully venture into pottery and enhance his knowledge on decoration pieces. 

“I started my business with limited resources. I had to buy required materials such as sand and cement, and I also used recycled materials like used ceramic tiles and mesh wires.”

Nteba said although his business wass still in its infancy, he was optimistic about its growth as he has managed to attract customers in and around Mahalapye. 

“My talent has worked miracles for me, I have been able to do my duties at home by taking care of my family, sending my children to school and I even bought a farm,” said Nteba. 

He said his business was flourishing because of the support he gets from the community. He added that was willing to teach those who were eager to learn how to make decorative pieces so that they could also turn their talents into careers to better their lives. 

The promising entrepreneur said his dream was to run a large scale business able to employ unemployed graduates with expertise in organising, advertising and marketing his hand-made pieces. 

Like the saying that behind every successful man there is a woman, the potter credits his success on his wife who has endlessly stood by him. 

His wife is also running her own small scale business of selling knitted clothing.

 For her part, she said she started knitting when she was still young, having learned the skill from her mother. She noted that even before her mother formally taught her, she had already learnt to make knitted clothes.

Nteba said she started her knitting business in 1983. 

“My business doesn’t require me to buy any expensive materials as I only use wool and knitting needles. I knit a variety of clothing ranging from girls’ dresses, beanies, jerseys, winter gloves, scarfs and table mats.” 

She narrated that turning her passion into a career offered her the direction she’d been looking for. 

Nteba said her business has been a blessing, as she's been able to help her husband raise their children. She also bought a ploughing field with the proceeds. 

The vivacious Nteba said she taught a lot of people how to knit so that they could take her path of running their own businesses to improve their state of living. 

She said people should stop being spoon fed and develop the spirit of self-reliance. 

She revealed that she detests laziness and sluggishness as they are the two main traits that lead to absolute poverty. She said her success was built from patience, determination and perseverance. 

Nteba believes that when the community encourages and supports each other, it produces incredible results. She said she aspires to continue teaching more people how to knit so that they may start a large scale knitting company together, whereby she would be able to help those who were struggling with finding jobs and providing for their families. 

The talent driven couple said that they need financial assistance to grow their businesses and to export beyond Botswana borders to countries such as South Africa and Namibia. Ends