09 Feb 2016

As people are slowly realizing that one can use their passion to make a living that will not only be beneficial to them but also act as a motivation to others, one youth in Khonkhwa village in the Southern district administration has proven that passion indeed can butter one’s bread.

Keatlholetswe Basupi also known as Ra Matlalo born 35 years ago, operates a leather project which produces products  such as handbags, belts and shoes. He said he started making leather products from a tender age in his village.

Remembering his childhood days, he said that he and his friends used to watch their fathers make shoes and traditional chairs for domestic use by using the skin of the slaughtered livestock.

He said out of curiosity to see if they could imitate the work of their fathers they would cut a small piece of the animal skin and will pass time while herding livestock by making shoe laces.

“Growing up in a small place like Khonkhwa was fun because one could make something out of anything as life was very slow back then, it was even more fun because as a young boy I was a livestock herder which gave me ample time to practice and perfect my curiosity of making shoe laces,” he said.

He explained that as time went by his skill was perfected and he managed to make a bag for himself which he used to carry food and water during his days of being a livestock herder.

Basupi who has never been to school said in 2011, after being encouraged by a lot of people that knew his leather making skill, approached the poverty eradication programme officers in Mabutsane sub district council to help him make a living out of his passion.

“People who were  close to me and knew how magical my hands are with leather were always on my case to seek assistance from the government so that I can have a business and do things professionally and neatly. Honestly I was not confident that I will be assisted because I don’t have an educational background to back my passion,” he explained.

He stated that he was fortunate to have been chosen by the programme officers as a beneficiary for the poverty eradicate as they bought him machines and other miscellaneous equipments suitable for his leather product business.

“When I received the message that the programme will buy me equipment I was over the moon, It was almost like my life was starting to have a meaning because I was now past my livestock herding era where I depended on my parents but I was now a man who has to feed himself,” he stated.

He explained that at the inception of the business it was doing averagely mainly because it was still new and only making belts  but as time went on he saw his business grow from belts to hand bags and shoes.

Talking about the challenges that his business faces, he says that it is costly to market his products more so that he spends a lot of money travelling to Gaborone to buy the leather which is also expensive and other perishables that are used to make a complete product. He however emphasized that had it not been for passion, he would not have survived these challenges.

“When you have passion for something time and again you go an extra mile without realizing because you are doing something that fulfils you and even if you don’t make profit you sleep better at night because you would have filled your soul with the one thing that it needs,” he explained.

Basupi encouraged other youth to enroll in programmes that are availed to them, emphasizing that they should not let other people’s experiences about the programmes hinder them from pursuing their dreams.

He strongly encouraged youth in small villages  such as  his to be bold and knock on government offices for assistance to better their lives. He said that programmes are for every citizen regardless of educational background and therefore they should not look down on themselves.

“If anyone would have told me that a youth like me who has never set his foot in school could own a business, I would have laughed at them but look at me now I am a living proof that support and passion can make every dream come true,” he said.

He stated that with the promise by the government to have a leather industry in Lobatse in the near future makes him hopeful for a bigger business. Ends