01 May 2017

Armed with a Diploma in Secretarial Studies, Molepolole youth, Ms Malebogo Ntsima of  Bokaa ward never despaired for not getting a job after graduating.

Instead, she decided to turn her culinary skills into business.

Ms Ntsima, a mother of one, whose passion for cooking started way back, says she used to watch her aunt, who raised her up, prepare different meals.

Again, she often watched an international cooking programme that used to air on Botswana Television.  

She learnt a lot from the show and that cooking is an art that needs passion, interest and versatility.

That inspired her love for cooking and she never looked back.

From her P7 000 savings and bonuses from her past job as a secretary in a construction company, she managed to buy most of the culinary equipment such as the industrial stove and chaffing dishes/

“The youth should not rely on government to provide them with employment nor wait for government funds to start businesses. Rather, they should think of ways of getting started in life” she says.

Ms Ntsima’s love for food motivates her to wake up each morning, saying she wakes up at 4am everyday to prepare fat cakes, tripe, soup and three different meals.

By 930am, she says everything will be ready, before going to one of her serving spots, where she will serve food, before relocating to another spot later on.

At times, she says her mother, helpd her with cooking.  

The young businesswoman,who  caters to a different clientele, says most of her  regular clients are the elderly people, saying this is so, because according to the feedback she often gets from her clients, is that she has good customer service, her food is not spicy and not very oily.

She notes that there is no limit in culinary education, adding that one can never say they have learnt cooking and it is enough as one learns and tries out new dishes everyday.

She says she prefers cooking even during events such as weddings so as to learn new things.

“One can play around with food, by using different ingredients like herbs, spices and soups but what is important is the taste, because no matter how beautiful or appetising the food may look, if they are tasteless it’s another story,” she says

Ms Ntsima, who radiates with happiness, when speaking about her achievements since 2013, says she has managed to buy a residential plot, to provide to her son’s educational needs and her family.

She admits that it’s never smooth sailing in business as there are challenges along the way.

Harsh weather conditions, especially during rains and very sunny days make her business suffer, adding that  if it is very sunny, dishes like stews and salads will go bad.  Ms Ntsima dreams big.

Her future plans is to own a restaurant different from the rest, which will provide breakfast, lunch and supper and a specific meal during weekends.

She says owning a restaurant will make her hire some of the youth who are unemployed. ENDS