25 Apr 2021

When the Citizen Entrepreneural Development Agency (CEDA) rolled out Letlhabile stimulus programme to boost business activities in the micro and informal sectors that were hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic during the three months lock-down phase, many welcomed the programme.

Those who made use of the programme managed to emancipate themselves from the lockdown hardships and bounced back.

One such individual  is Mr Martin Modisenyane,  who trades as a fashion designer based in Gaborone’s Block 8.

He said when he first heard of the programme he was skeptical because he relied on the naysayers and negative comments about the programme from the public.

However, as his lockdown aftermath road to recovery seemed all impossible, he was left with no choice, but to visit CEDA offices in Gaborone.

Mr Modisenyane said after consultation and satisfied with explanation from  CEDA officials,   he settled for the loan of P10 000.

He said he requested the amount after all the necessary business assessments and through the loan, he managed to pay out his rental arrears and also bought some materials.

A self-made entrepreneur said upon receiving the loan, he was also given a three months grace period and was expected to pay it back for a period of 12 months.

“To my surprise, when I contacted CEDA for inquiries, I failed to pick up all the critics that were said outside about the programme, all that was required were the legal documents of my company,” he said.

Mr Modisenyane advised other informal traders to seek firsthand information about the programme for their own benefit instead of relying on hearsay.

Mr Modisenyane said he had been in the industry since  completing his studies in Apparel Fashion Design at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology.

He said he had  played a role in empowering and mentoring other trainees in the same field, saying every year he took in two students for attachment at his workshop.

The other beneficiary, Ms Maureen Letsweletse expressed gratitude over the financial assistance she received from CEDA; Mma T as she is affectionately called by her legion customers, has been in the business industry since 2011 selling different food items for breakfast and lunch at Ledumang taxi rank.

Mma T said she started off relatively small and never hesitated about knocking at CEDA doors.

At first it was through Mabogo Dinku loan facility in 2017.

“Early this year I went back for another loan when the existence of my business was threatened by the three months lockdown and a break-in at my Kiosk that left me empty-handed, but with all the assistance I received at CEDA I managed to get the basics and started operating again,” she said.

She said she did not complain about her waiting period that took a month for her required loan to be approved because she said she  understood that the delay was largely due to the assessments and other required necessities.

Mma T’s legion customers have become fond of the daily dishes she served and they named her kiosk ‘Blue Wimpy’, this was so to say from her blue kiosk, she prepared tasty meals that equaled those from fancy restaurants, hence the name ‘Blue Wimpy’.

Job creation is one of the matters that Mma T carries closely to her heart.

The profits she generated on a monthly basis enabled her to create employment opportunities for five people including herself.

One of the challenges she decried of was that of lack of adequate space to accommodate all her customers, especially on rainy days.

Mma T was critical of some vendors who tarnished the programme due to different reasons that they failed to meet the requirements and get assisted.

“Whenever one fails to get assistance, they should not bad mouth the programme, instead they should keep seeking relevant help.

One’s failure does not mean all will fail or that the programme was not worth trying,” she said.

For his part, communications manager at CEDA, Mr Neo Tumelo said since the inception of the programme to date 7 365 vendors across the country had been assisted accordingly.

He said Gaborone and Selebi Phikwe had the highest numbers of approved projects for loans at 1 713 and 1 576 respectively and assessment was still ongoing in other parts of the country.

Mr Tumelo said some challenges they encountered that led to some applications be rejected for funding were those of failure to produce a credible applicant’s personal information and that of the business.

He said the other challenges were those of applicants engaged in permanent employment opportunities and operating vendors on part time basis, which disqualified them for the programme.

Other challenges, he said,  was that of some clients who were reportedly in isolation and quarantine as a result of COVID- 19.

He said this had a direct impact on their daily operations and also resulted in difficulties with loan repayments. Ends