27 Jul 2020

The reality that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought devastating effects on the informal sector is undisputable.

For some hawkers in Good Hope, it was a wakeup call as they had ample time to reassess their businesses.

Speaking in an interview with BOPA recently, Ms Mary Gobatlwang said she had been selling clothes for many years, but the income had never been enough to make ends meet, hence the lockdown period provided her with an opportunity to explore alternative sources of income.

“At the time of movement restrictions, i developed business diversification strategies that will provide alternative sources of revenue,” she said.

She revealed that she planted potatoes during the lockdown, which she was now selling and had proved to be a viable business.

Ms Gobatlwang noted that due to lack of finances, she was in the process of sourcing seed capital from the Citizen Entrepreneurship Development Agency (CEDA)’s Letlhabile programme, an initiative that is intended to relieve the informal sector of the adverse effects of extreme social distancing and movement restrictions.

Meanwhile, the period was also a time of reflection for Ms Mosadi Modibedi.

She said she used the lockdown to brainstorm new business ideas that would enable her to diversify her businesses.

“I have always been passionate about horticulture, but it had never occurred to me that I could make a living out of it until the lockdown period, when I was forced to find alternative means of putting food on the table,” she said.

Ms Modibedi revealed she now planned to turn what had been a hobby into a business. ENDS