21 Jun 2018

Physically disabled Mr Oagile Ditau is one person who has proved that disability is not inability.

The 63-year-old Mr Ditau hails from Xaxao in Ngamiland District.

He was not born with disability, but lost one of his legs in an accident in 1987.

Losing his leg did not deter him from following his dream and making a living for himself and his family.

Although life was not easy for him during the time, he explained in an interview that he did not fold his arms, but looked for other alternatives to make ends meet.

Mr Ditau relocated to Maun and started fixing shoes, a vocation he prides himself after 30 years.

He said he learned his trade from another physically disabled person, Mr Durban Onkamile, who also repairs shoes.

However, after fixing shoes for a long time without any formal training, Mr Ditau found it fit to upgrade his skills and thus enrolled at Thuso Rehabilitation Centre in 1996 doing leather works and vegetable production.

He said in 2013, he advanced his skills to leather works level 1 at TSL Business Academy, further improving his skill by training in hides and skins improvement in 2015 thanks to the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security.

As the learning bug had beaten, in 2016, Mr Ditau went to Morongwa Institute of Leather Technologies and leather works in Gaborone. After training, he said, he became the popular shoe repairer in town, and he now also designs leather products such as sandals, wallets, bags and belts.

“I specialise in leather products only,” he said, mentioning that like all businesses, his faced challenges such as shortage of leather, which forces him to buy from outside Maun which he said was costly.

He stated that the market was not a challenge as most of his products were bought by tourists and some individuals in Maun and surrounding villages.

Mr Ditau urged people living with disabilities to stand up and fend for themselves, advising them not to let their status demoralise them.

He said they should follow their dreams and refrain from the dependency syndrome. ENDS