13 Nov 2016

Ms Paseka Thumpe of Werda in Kgalagadi District has made a decision not to be part of the poverty statistics.
Ms Thumpe is a shrewd kiosk manager who started honing her skills in 2003, but found the ultimate break 10 years later, thanks to Social & Community Development (S&CD) poverty eradication initiative.
The reality of growing up without parents forced Ms Thumpe to single-handedly pave her own economic path.
After realising that she had the wherewithal to manage a business, she took a decision to venture into kiosk trade in 2003 with the little savings she had.
Unfortunately, her little establishment failed to sprawl to greater heights due to lack of working capital.
In February 2013, the mother of two approached the S&CD offices seeking financial injection.
The S&CD office in Werda granted her all the necessities needed to run the kiosk business.
“I was provided with the stock that included all the necessary stuff for my customers as well as  a refrigerator to keep the perishables. The stock amounted to P2 544.”
The first few years of operations witnessed bumper profits, attested Ms Thumpe. She, however, said the booming profits were not a surprise because she worked her socks off in manning the enterprise.
Such bountiful returns were mind-blowing, she conceded.  
Notably, Ms Thumpe cited that perhaps profits came her way in huge proportions at that time because competition was not that stiff.
Ms Thumpe, now 40,  stated that the investment sustained  her family.
“During bountiful days I opened a savings account and I have since constructed a house with those savings.  I have also channelled the savings towards the construction of a pit latrine.”
She added that plans of her home being electrified were  underway.
She stressed that the kiosk business also paid her eldest child's secondary school education.
She further stated that her youngest daughter, who is at a junior school, was provided with all the resources needed to excel in her studies.
Ms Thumpe said the expansion of her store presented even better profit-making opportunities. “I'm currently constructing another semausu so as to best boost returns.”
In an eventful week, Ms Thumpe said she could surpass the P3000 profit mark.
Despite recording impressive returns in the first two years of operation, the entrepreneur said 2015 and 2016 was imbued with challenges.
“Businesses similar to mine are myriad now, I have already felt the effects of cutthroat competition.” she lamented.
In addition, Ms Thumpe bemoaned that some of her customers were content with taking stock through credit arrangement.
She said some then refused to pay or the few that paid for their dues did so after a struggle.
In attempting to weather the storm, Ms Thumpe said  diversification was of paramount importance.
This year in June, Ms Thumpe noted that she stocked clothes, but later realised that selling clothes was not a bad idea after all. She vowed to explore the industry to see where it could take her.
The workaholic pointed out that her success story was a living testimony that poverty eradication programmes were fruitful. Ends