19 Apr 2021

Samoxa has claimed dominance in social media platforms, bringing some witty moments to scores of people who religiously follow the page Samoxa ka sebele on social media handles.

Despite the instant fame which he gained through his uploaded videos while highly intoxicated with alcohol, there is more than meets the eye on the tale of Samoxa born Mr Keikantse Samoxhe in Maun 35 years ago. 

While many marvel at his fame status, they might not be aware of the thorny road he had travelled.

Out of the social media fame, Samoxa saw an opportunity to build his fortune, hence the birth of the Samoxa ginger drink.

To kick-start his ginger drink brand, he said he borrowed some capital which he invested particularly in the branding of stickers. He noted that his first 20 litres ginger drink was donated by a woman he identified as Mmaagwe Katlo, which he then rationed to 500 millilitre containers.

“I got many nos than yeses at the initial stage primarily because people preferred the intoxicated Samoxa on social media, but a few weeks down the line they got accustomed to the sober version of me,” he said.

His tale to fame encapsulates the idea that hard work, determination and a positive spirit are the necessary ingredients to bootstrap your way out of poverty and off the streets.

Samoxa had to grapple with the hardships of being raised by a single unemployed parent in an environment where poverty was the order of the day.

Being the first born in a family of three, he had a lot resting on his shoulders and had to turn lemons to lemonade at an early age to put food on the table and fend for the family.

To begin with, fame and entrepreneurship was not his chosen path in life. His desire was to complete his secondary and tertiary education and find a white-collar job in the city. As fate would have it though, he was not destined for employment.

Things took an ugly turn after he completed his junior school at Moeti secondary. “I scored a grade D though I qualified for secondary education. I missed the goal of enrolling at senior school as I had to undertake hand to mouth jobs to provide for the family, and I was crushed,” he said.

As fate would have it, he did not even pursue a tertiary course as his mother could not afford his private tuition fees from her Ipelegeng remuneration.

While he could have given in to poverty and followed the same path as his family, Samoxa found solace in his spiritual healing gift which sustained him during his early childhood.

 “Ke ne ke le moporofiti wa maemo a ntlha. Ke tswa kgakala ke fodisa batho ba le bantsi ebile  ke  itshetsa ka madi a seporofito le  go fodisa malwetse,” he said.

He vividly recalled his days as a spiritual and prophetic healer, a task which he referred to as a special calling highlighting the pleasure he derived from performing such rituals.

His spiritual assignments traversed him the length and breadth of Botswana hence he opted to relocate to Gaborone from Maun for closer proximity with the majority of his clientele.

 The going got tough for Samoxa upon his relocation to Gaborone in 2009 when he struggled to make ends meet to survive the hustle and bustle of the financially demanding city life from his ritual earnings.

With no educational qualification to fall back on, he narrated how he began to look out for casual jobs to no avail. He ended up in the streets indulging in excessive alcohol intake.

His face frowns as he reminisces about his days of constant alcohol abuse. He, however, nonchalantly admits that his alcohol abuse was a blessing in disguise as it earned him fame on social media through video uploads hence the birth of the Samoxa ginger drink.

He said he bought a smartphone in a week of his business operations which he used to communicate with potential clients as he did not have adequate capital to fund a better marketing campaign.

Quizzed on why he opted for a ginger selling business, Samoxa said he used it to spread the message on drinking alcohol responsibly and staying sober.

“The intention is to keep an online presence by marketing my services and interacting with my customers through social media networks. I wish to keep my brand relevant with the hope that the social media fame will result in fortunes one day,” he said.

He is of the view that rags-to-riches stories have been popular throughout history and he is optimistic that he is on course to testify that one does not have to be privileged or have things handed to him to be a success. ENDS