17 Jul 2019

Hawkers have commended the Mmathethe Sports Festival(MSF) giving them an opportunity to sell food at the three-day long event.

In its fourth year, this year’s edition attracted participating teams from 15 villages in the Southern District competing with football,netball,snooker, marathon and bicycle race.

Speaking on the sidelines of the games held over the President’s Day holidays, Ms Thato Aron of Mmathethe said she had been selling food at the festival since it started and had been making reasonable profits every year.She said the money helped her augment her income from her formal job.

However, she said competition increases every year with some hawkers selling at low prices.

She said her wish was for the food prices to be regulated so that they could all sell at the same prices. She also called for the introduction of stalls for organised business during the tournament.

Another hawker,Ms Olerilwe Ketshabile-Tsie said the increasing number of spectators each year impacted positively on her business.

She said since she started selling during last year’s event,she has learnt her customers preferences when it comes to food and that has since been her focus.

“Small things such as fatcakes,chicken feet and chips sell fast as compared to full meals and that is my focus,”she said.

She said the organisers should prepare more for the event by clearing the bush ,marking designated parking space as well as marking one place for food hawkers.

For her part,another hawker from Gaborone Ms Omphile Sello said even though it was her first time to sell at the festival,she had been making profits since the tournament started on Saturday.

She also said her short experience and feedback from the customers would help grow her business and she would come again next year.

The headman of records for Mmathethe Kgosi Reuben Mosala said the increased number of participating villages in the festival had bore positive results for hawkers.

However,he said such business had the potential to pollute the environment,hence called on business people to advise their customers to put litter in one place.

Additionally,Kgosi Mosala said they were oprimistic that next year the event would be held at Hatlhogang Recreational Trust,which is currently being built through Constituency funding.

“The intention is to have all games in one place for a more organised event and easy management of the spectators as well as the hawkerks”. ENDS