03 Sep 2019

A young Motswana takes the driving school business to greater heights despite an economic downfall caused by the closure of BCL which was the backbone of Selibe Phikwe’s economy.

Mr Nobleman Gaokitlane, a 34-year-old man of Goo-Tau, who resides in Selebi Phikwe, started as an instructor for Mack Driving School, another popular driving school and now runs his own driving school called Isco Driving School.

He said while employed at Mack Driving School  he realised that there was an opportunity to be seized in the driving school business.

Mr Gaokitlane benchmarked from his employer and in 2014 he started his own driving school which currently employs three workers despite having obtained his driving instructor permit.

Mr Gaokitlane said he faced some challenges at the start of the business, mostly because of the demise of the BCL mining company as most the customers were mine workers.

“I attribute most of my success to Mr Mbakanyi Rodgers, another popular driving school owner and instructor for his support and tutelage as he taught me almost everything I know about the business,” said Mr Gaokitlane.

He obtained his driving instructor permit in 2008. 

He explained that the Department of Transport introduced new regulatory standards to adhere to in 2015, which compelled them as instructors to have a Train the Trainer and Assessor Certificate credited by the Botswana Qualification Authority (BQA) which allowed them to assess their students before going for tests.

In 2018  he obtained a TOT certificate which allowed instructors to train and assess their learners to see if they were ready to go for tests.

Mr Gaokitlane said his school was different from all schools in the quality of service that he provided.

“My driving school is not like any other in Selebi Phikwe, we serve customers conveniently, we do not allow learners to wait for too long which is why we use four vehicles,” said Mr Gaokitlane.

Furthermore, Mr Gaokitlane said he would recommend people in Selebi Phikwe and surrounding areas to come and train at Isco Driving School because they assess learners thoroughly before they go for tests.

According to him, his  business had grown tremendously and  has transformed to be one of the best driving schools in Selebi Phikwe.

This is evident in the number of learners currently enrolled in the school. Mr Gaokitlane said he currently has about 180 learners in his books.

He directed his gratitude towards the Department of Transport for their cooperation. However, he acknowledged some challenges in shortage of examiners. Ends