20 Feb 2017

Lack of employment and rural urban migration did not deter Ms Oshebile Legeru and Ms Otlametse Khwae from venturing into business.

Neither did the fact that they would be operating from a rural area shutter their hopes of becoming business women of repute.

The duo, both from Tshane and aged 40, hail government’s efforts of fighting poverty for helping them own a business.

The directors of Triplets Bakery said after realising the need for a bakery in Tshane, they sought funding through the Poverty Eradication Programme, which was made possible in 2013, the same year they started operating.

It was after clinching a tender to supply Tshane Primary School that things started to look up and we also did house to house sales and the support from the community and the sub-council has been positive, stated Ms Legeru.

‘’My life has changed because I have bought small stock using the proceeds from our business,’’ said Ms Legeru

Like many other businesses, Triplets Bakery is not without challenges, mainly to do with what customers prefer.

Most customers prefer fat cakes to baked bread and we end up remaining with plenty of bread.

Also, operating in a rural area in itself is a challenge as people expect sympathy, making it difficult to make profit, Ms Legeru said. She said power cuts and shortage of water interfered with the day to day running of the business.

However, efforts were underway to come up with solutions, stated Ms Legeru.

The two have expressed determination to grow their business and not let challenges stand in their way.

They encouraged youth to take advantage of available programmes, adding that owning a business was gratifying and helped one to be independent.

Ms Khwae said beneficiaries should not allow setbacks to stop them from following their dreams adding that the same commitment they showed when applying for the programme would go into running the business. BOPA