10 Oct 2018

Mr Thapelo Scotch, 28, is one of those youth who heeded the call that as challenges of unemployment among the youth continue to mount, it is incumbent upon them to take responsibility and engage in projects that will help them eke a living.

Mr Scotch fixes and supplies waste bins and it came after he identified the need for waste bins around town.

In an interview, Mr Scotch said he had observed that ever since the Francistown City Council (FCC) ceased to supply homesteads with waste bins, waste management became a challenge.

He said as the message of keeping the environment clean was said over and over again, some households still felt challenged to live up to it because they had no waste bins, or any other proper way to collect and keep their household waste in one place.

He said though some resorted to the use of plastic bags, it failed as the bags would be easily torn by domestic pets leaving waste lying around.

Mr Scotch also indicated that due to lack of proper means to dispose waste some individuals have developed a tendency to burn household waste  causing air pollution.
 

“When the relevant officials from FCC stopped supplying households with waste bins, I identified a market gap that needed to be exploited hence I settled for the project,” he said.

Mr Scotch said he has been engaged in the project since this year and that he does not only limit himself to the city of Francistown.

“Although I operate from Francistown, I don’t limit myself to the area and my winning formula is that I go house to house and also use a Facebook page to advertise my services,” he said.

He said through the strategy he has managed to gain momentum, adding that word of mouth by those he had supplied also made a contribution to his growth.

Mr Scotch also said although he had not had any tenders that would require him to give out his services in bulk, he was content with the profit margins he generated from serving individuals.

He further said his services were charged at P350 catering for supplies, delivery and fixing the waste bins at any place in Francistown and other villages in the outskirts such as Tati Siding, Mathangwane and Borolong. Mr Scotch understands well the importance of job creation and currently has one employee on a permanent basis.

The description of a go-getter suits him as he always looks for more business opportunities.

He started to break into the entrepreneurial circles in 2015 with a video games business that he operated from a rented space.

“I have always had the zeal to make a mark in the business industry. I started off with a video games project that I financed from my savings,” he said.

As the project gained momentum, he said he felt the need to explore other opportunities so as to diversify, hence he ventured into supplying and fixing waste bins.

Mr Scotch understands the importance of customer care and customer satisfaction and he never wants to do shoddy jobs and always strives for the best. Ends