03 Apr 2019

Meet Ms Abigail Mogotsi, a woman who has given up the fancy lifestyle of makeup and has no business stopping before the mirror every morning to gaze at self-reflections.

She prefers keeping short hair and carries no hand bag.

Blue overalls and workman’s boots complete the look of 44 year-old Ms Mogotsi.

Her life is centered somewhere in the bushy periphery of Ramotswa at Ditsotswana lands where she keeps small stock.

It all started in 2013 when she decided she has had it with working life of which she was inadequately remunerated to meet her needs.

“I heard from government media about the poverty eradication programme, and that same year I applied,” she said.

The application she rendered must have impressed because she was subsequently assisted with 13 goats.

Although the number, some would argue was small, for Ms Mogotsi it was a good start, the push she desired the most.

By 2016 her flock had increased to 52, and she was now beginning to reap the benefits of her hard labour.

“I sold some of the goats and managed to build a two bedroomed house for myself,” Ms Mogotsi said.

Luckily, most of her buyers were fellow beneficiaries of the programme, hence she was assured of payment from government.

A female goat fetched her P1 000 and P2 000 for a male, an offer she was happy with.

Apart from the house, the proceeds were used to de-bush the field, fence as well as buy Tswana chickens and two pigs.

Ms Mogotsi has been a constant feature at the poverty eradication exposition, and has attended various workshops on small stock to sharpen her skills.

Her commitment now is to improve her assets, which is her livestock.

“I want to sell the older ones and maybe get Boer goats,” she said.Although she started the educational path like most, which led her to Gabane Private School for Form 5 and Ramatea Vocation School where she failed to complete a course in fabric printing and dying, Ms Mogotsi said she was where she wanted to be.

In fact, Ms Mogotsi, who stays with her elderly mother at the lands, believes the poverty eradication programme has answers to those trapped in poverty. “This programme was at first misunderstood,” said Ms Mogotsi who has also been selling Tswana chickens to other beneficiaries, while the pigs have not made much business sense to her. ENDS