23 Aug 2018

Thirty-five year-old Mr Thabo Tupane is testimony that determination and passion can drive one to his/her desired destination.

Born and bred in the small village of Mokokwana, Mr Tupane has become a household name in most villagers as he supplies them with chicken and goat meat for their various events and occasions.

In an interview recently, Mr Tupane revealed that he had worked for a number of construction companies in Gaborone, amongst them, one where he worked as a laminator.

He said he felt he was stuck in one place and was not advancing financially, and therefore took a decision to quit his job as he felt there was a void that needed to be filled back home.

He said he knew where he was heading with his life as he had already mapped his road, and that it was to pursue his dream of being a farmer. The year 2010 saw Mr Tupane venturing into the farming business, using his mother’s piece of land at Setshweumane as a stepping stone.

He started by fencing it using the little he had from his previous job and began to plough vegetables and then expanded the business to rearing broiler chickens.

He said he started with a 100 chicks that saw him supplying residents of the two villages of Mosweu and Mokokwana with broiler meat.

Mr Tupane said as the money came he did not squander it but was able to sustain his business.

Like any other business minded individual, Mr Tupane said he then took advantage of the water shortage in 2011 and 2012 when the Lotsane Dam was not yet operating and bought 250 litres of water storage drums in Mogoditshane and sold them to Tswapong North villagers in exchange for goats.

He said the battering system landed him 40 goats, which also helped him make ends meet.

Furthermore, he said he did not receive any financial assistance to build his business, but the passion to be a self-made entrepreneur and cattle farmer of note drove him to work hard to sustain his business.

‘Finchos,’ as he is called by most villagers, is not only an inspiration to the youth in the area, but even village elders cannot stop raving about him and reference is made of his endeavour to motivate others.

Even Kgosi Goitsekgosi Balebetse of Mokokwana could not stop singing praises of the young man, saying a lot could be learnt from him.

Kgosi Balebetse emphasised that the youth should refrain from wanting to be employees and take advantage of the available opportunities to start their own businesses.

He said it was through the hard work of the likes of ‘Finchos’ that has seen his village develop and be recognised by neighbouring villages. Ends