17 Jun 2019

While some people dread doing laundry, especially on a windy, rainy or chilly day, for some, such harsh weather conditions are money making days.

   Ms Morwadi Monyai is one of those who love harsh weather days.

The 36-year-old laundry owner is steadily making a name for herself in the business.

While some youngsters carp about government’s schemes, Ms Monyai, who benefitted from Youth Development Fund (YDF) scheme, under the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development sings a different tune. A year and some months into the business, she is all smiles when she talks about it.

Ms Monyai, who runs Tjamota Investments, a laundry and dry cleaning business in Serowe revealed that working in various hotels spurred her washing passion.

She said during her working days, she worked as a receptionist, cook and waitress, all of which did not inspire her, but her life changed the day she was assigned to work at house-keeping.

“I immediately fell in love with the job, just operating those washing and ironing machines fascinated me. I knew this is what I would venture into in future,” she enthused.

She said when the ministry called for youth proposals, she did not think twice and decided to revive her dream, hence the birth of Tjamota Laundry and Dry Cleaners.

Unlike those who wish for things and when they get them, they abandon them, Ms Monyai has shown that she means business because in a space of a year, there are notable feats that indicate her aim of becoming the leading washing lady in Serowe.

“While doing market research, I realised that most laundries around do not have dryers and pick and drop services, I capitalised on the gaps hence my advancement,” she said

Like the saying goes, ‘one man’s meat is another man’s poison’, Ms Monyai attested rainy, windy or cold days are her best days.

“Some people cannot do laundry on such days and I have observed that we become swamped on such days. So for me, harsh weather conditions are my favourite days,” she added.

As some people have busy schedules, the budding entrepreneur charges extra for pick and drop services, another first among laundry businesses in the village.

Although the ministry bought her four industrial washing and drying machines, she has added a hoover and a pressure machine to her equipment.

Apart from doing laundry she also washes carpets and couches/sofas and said she has won a couple of government cleaning tenders.

“Laundry or washing is a good business.

House helpers’ main routine is washing clothes and when there are children, they charge more because of laundry services,” she said. 

Ms Monyai said laundry business has minimal challenges, revealing that their only hiccup is clients who drop-off loads of dirty clothes and only come back weeks later to pick their clean clothes.

The promising entrepreneur said that her laundromat is not big enough to accommodate customers’ goods.

 She said so far, she is doing well with repaying her loan and her desire is to finish paying before the stipulated period, because with a good record, it will be easy for YDF officials to recommend her for a CEDA loan to enable her to expand to her business.

The youthful entrepreneur’s desire is to move to a bigger place and acquire a folding and rolling machine.

Her company also offers closet arrangement services, where she goes to clients’ houses to pack their closets or wardrobes, and with a folding machine this will become a lot easier.

Currently, Ms Monyai is comfortable with being a tenant and said she is not yet in a position to move to the new industrial site as it is far from most dwellings.

“Tjamota is presently in a strategic place, moving might disadvantage me, but in future when the village expands, then I will consider such a move,” the mother of three said.

She observed that if nurtured well, YDF funded businesses could reduce unemployment. ENDs