09 Feb 2016

He has beaten the odds to run a promising self-financed business. After learning shoe repair skills from Thuso Rehabilitation Centre, Mr Gomolemo Morotsi (30) of Sedie ward in Maun never looked back.

He opened his shoe mending business that has proven that  indeed disability is not inability. While a standard two pupil, he was hit by an illness that weakened his left hand and leg. He could not lift heavy things or travel long distances. To leave home, a relative helped by taking his tools into the taxi.

“I am living a life of an able bodied person because I earn money and take care of myself just like anyone else,” he said.

His marketing strategy was price based. He charged P15 to fix a shoe compared to his competitors who asked for P20. He said the pricing had helped him retain customers. Most of his customers were parents who submitted their children’s shoes for fixing when schools opened.

Some of his challenges included clients who sometimes took long to collect their shoes after he repaired them. Rainy days were bad for his business as he had to close shop or risk getting clients’ shoes wet.
He always counted on friends to take the shoes to a sheltered area whenever it rained.

However, he criticised those who brought dirty shoes to him.

“Sometimes the shoes are smelly and sticky but I do not send them back because I know it is my bread and butter,” he said.

He decried lack of a safe storage to keep the shoes. He depended on nearby shops for safe keeping of the shoes when he knocked off.  His dream was to operate from a permanent structure where he could safely stow away the shoes. He also wished to employ an assistant.

He planned to seek help from the poverty eradication office to grow his business. He advised others to use government programmes to improve their lives.

“Living with disability is not the end of the world. I am an inspiration to other disabled people out there that we can still make something for ourselves despite the state we are in,” he says.
He commended Thuso Rehabilitation Centre for helping him and other disabled persons to lead better lives. Ends