12 May 2017

A 60-year-old Kasane resident, Mr Asael Motaung has found a niche in serving cooked Chobe bream fish with pap and vegetables not only to residents but to tourists alike.

Despite the fact that Chobe bream fish is a staple in the district, Mr Motaung has packaged it as authentic Chobe street food.

The addition of phaleche and vegetables dictates a sit-down, which Mr Motaung has catered for with a make-shift eating space comprising benches and tables.

For 17 years now, Mr Motaung has been frying fish in a small structure next to the local hospital earning him loyal clients both locally and beyond.

For international tourists looking for a taste of Chobe, Mr Motaung has been able to provide that service as his food centers around a local favorite.

“I have tourists who come from as far as the United Kingdom and the Western Cape in South Africa booking into my restaurant through travel agents almost every month to come have a taste of our local cuisine,” he said.

This number, he said, ranged between eight and 20, which is good for his business.

The father of six has always been business minded and has used his business as a means of providing for his children and wife.

In the early days, he sold bananas, sweets and snacks, before the Chobe District Council allocated him an open space to start up his business.

“I have always loved cooking and when I was allocated an open space, this provided an opportunity to showcase my skills,” he said.

Not only does he attract and impress tourists, locals also pack his eatery for his famous fried fish way before lunch time.

“I never used to like fried fish, but once I tasted the fish cooked by Mr Motaung I have never stopped eating it. I simply enjoy the way he cooks it,” said one loyal customer Mr Mothusi Ntseme who is an environmental expert at the ongoing construction of the Kazungula Bridge.

Mr Ntseme even takes his foreign business partners who come for meetings in Kasane to Motaung’s joint for a local taste, giving them a break from the monotonous hotel meals. However, with a booming business primarily based on fishing comes a myriad of challenges, some of which threaten the very existence of the business and inadequate fish supplies being the most persistent.

“With fish being the signature of my dishes, I am forced to sacrifice and buy fish as far as Zambia when there is shortage of fish as is currently the case. And this is very costly,” he explained.

Over the years, Chobe River, which was traditionally known for inexhaustible abundance of fish, has been hit by a serious decline in fish stocks, especially Chobe bream.

Fish-related businesses have had to relocate to Ngami areas as fish stocks decreased dramatically.

As a result, businesses like Motaung’s are forced to source their fish from outside the district and of late, from outside the country.

Needless to say, this comes with additional costs, which hikes the price of the end product and Mr Motaung further stated that his place of operation posed a challenge as there was no electricity and water, limiting his business from growing.

To date, Mr Motaung operates alone with no employees due to limited operating space and has as such decided to expand his business by building a bigger kitchen at home so that he prepares the food at home.

He then has various stalls around the malls to serve from there and often anticipates reaching more customers that way.

His word of advice is that people should use their capabilities to set up their own businesses to make a living for themselves.

He uses his life as a testimony of how running a business without financial government assistance was possible to even provide a decent house and cars for his family. ENDS