13 May 2019

Although too humble to acknowledge accolades, Mr Kgosiemang Ralebala, certainly deserves to be called “The great fisherman.”

While many in his home village of Patayamatebele and his family see fishing as “a hobby,” Mr Ralebala, has compiled an impressive resume of the most successful fishermen in the North East district.

The village of Patayamatebele lies 39 kilometres north east of Tonota and has only two permitted and qualified fishermen, of which Ralebala is one of them.

The 46-year-old Ralebala is fortunate enough to be funded by government under the poverty eradication programme to fish at Dikgatong Dam.

As clueless and unexperienced as he was, Mr Ralebala was privileged to be chosen by the poverty eradication programme, which equipped him with the necessary skills he needed and inducements like a canoe, two life jackets, five fish nets to mention but a few to start his business.

He jokingly said, “Look at me now! I am an expert in fishing and know the type of fishes I catch like the palm of my hand,”. Once a construction worker, Mr Ralebala has now commercialised fishing, which puts food on the table.

“I struggled in the construction industry because the business is not benefiting in small villages like Patayamatebele due to lack of developments,” he added.

 However, in 2015, luck came his way when he ventured into the fishing business. “God has a perfect timing and people should trust in him,” laughs Mr Ralebala who has now graduated from poverty.

“I am able to survive and provide for my family through fishing,” he said.

Though it was smooth sailing for Mr Ralebala at the beginning, he could not hide his sadness when talking about how illegal fish poaching had stolen their bread from their tables.

“I used to sell a cooler box for P300 and could make about P8 000 a month, now it sells for P200 at the most, and I make around P4 000 a month,” he added.

Mr Ralebala said illegal fish was a nightmare, adding that when the fishing season was closed, illegal fishermen invaded the dam and stole the fish.

 He said this disadvantaged the legitimate fishers as they would sometimes find less fish to catch.

 “I used to catch at least 50 fish a day, but now I can go home with 5 fish,” he added.

Lack of transportation and electricity added to Mr Ralebala’s grievances, as he said they hindered the progress of his business.

He said that fishes were fragile creatures that needed good handling and care, and that lack of electricity made it difficult for them to keep the fish fresh for a longer period.

To address this problem, Mr Ralebala uses ice blocks to keep the fish frozen but the exercise is costly and hectic, as he buys ice blocks as far as Tonota.

“There is no network in Patayamatebele and it makes selling and marketing a bit difficult for me.

The stickers I have on my fridge in the back of my bakkie is my number one marketing strategy, people stop me when they see it,” he added.

Mr Ralebala said he has learnt a lot from his fishing experiences adding that ‘what is needed is extra workshops’ to enhance his fishing skills.

He goes by the motto “you have to see failure as the beginning and the middle, but never entertain it as an end.” ENDS