05 Dec 2016

Ms Senzeni Tumedi is one of the many who eke out living through catering business.

Ms Tumedi has emerged as one of the few who are termed as the best in preparing ‘succulent’ breakfast.

Auntie as she is affectionately known by her customers, provided details in an interview on what made her stand out from other caterers.

The 39-year old, who originates from Moroka, said she moved to Jwaneng in 2011 from Gaborone. She said she worked at Curry Pot restaurant in Gaborone where she refined her skills in cooking.

Although she has education in professional cooking, she praised her former workplace giving them credit for her excellence in cooking skills.

When she arrived in Jwaneng to stay with her husband, Ms Moroka could not bear the feeling of staying home doing nothing while her husband did everything; instead she started cooking bread which she carried around selling in workplaces.

“I had just had a baby when I started this business but despite my baby being small, I would walk around selling the bread and then go back home,” she said.

She said it was from that time that she concluded that she could earn a living by selling food.

Eventually in 2013, she approached the council to apply for a license that would allow her to set a table and sell her food freely.

“Initially after acquiring the license, I prepared all meals for both breakfast and lunch but as time went on I realised that breakfast was more profitable and I decided to focus on that,” she said.

Ms Tumedi serves fatcakes, mapakiwa, menoto and liver for breakfast.

Her business, which operated in front of Jwaneng police station, attracted customers of different stages and social status.

According to Ms Lesego Tlhong who presented herself as a regular client, she was drawn to Ms Tumedi’s food more especially the fatcakes because they were appetising.

“When it comes to the taste, I don’t know how she cooks them because they have less oil which is something that I value,” she said.

Ms Tumedi said she mixed holsum and the normal cooking oil to make fatcakes.

“Holsum contributes about seventy-five percent of the oil that I use for cooking fatcakes,” she said. She said on daily basis, she cooked fatcakes worth P120, mapakiwa worth P120, liver and menoto worth P60 respectively.

Amongst other things, there is also airtime, drinks, sweets and other things which she also brings to the table.

“I am able to earn a living with this business because on a good business day, I make P500,” she said.

Ms Tumedi said it gave her great pleasure to know and be able to contribute towards her family provisions.

“Sometimes at month end, I tell my husband not to worry about buying groceries as I would make provisions in that regard,” she said.

She said she woke up early daily such that she arrives at her operational place at 7:15am and leaves at 4:30pm.

As with every business, Ms Tumedi’s catering was not spared from challenges.

She said although there were not many that she encountered, the one that she could reveal was the problem of leftover food.

“Sometimes not all food get bought and in that case I find myself obliged to give out the remaining food for free which is a loss,” she said.  ENDS