04 Aug 2021

Outside Bakgomong Mall in Bobonong, right on the peripheries of the paved parking, the dusty ground carries hope especially for women in the greater Bobirwa area.

Metal rods welded together make stalls that have become a daily habitat to hopeful women who hire or board taxis and trucks every morning to eke a living around the recently mall owned by the Selelo family of Bobonong. 

The mall, which started operating on June 4, has become a beacon of hope for many small businesspersons and potential customers. It has also become a convergence point and a one-stop shopping centre.

The women arrive around 8am and unload their stock onto their tables.

The metals stacks hang some packaged vegetables like tomatoes, green pepper and onions.

On the table rest some cabbages, potatoes and other somewhat heavy vegetables. 

In the evening when customers have left for home, they pack their commodities and head home to count losses and gains of the day whilst simultaneously drawing a plan for tomorrow.

Before the opening of the mall by the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Development Dr Thapelo Matsheka, people of the greater Bobirwa area went to Selebi Phikwe for their shopping but this has now changed.

Ms Mohau Sekgobokgobo of Mathathane, who stays in Bobonong has been trading at a complex that houses Choppies and Furn Mart before relocating to the southern part of Bakgomong Mall three days following the mall opening.

Though she reports improved financial gains, Ms Sekgobokgobo said initially, the shop prices were lower and hence stifled the vegetable sellers. The situation was also not helped by the fact that the vegetable hawkers drew their stock from the same farmers as the major shops.

Ms Beauty Bolaane who sells drinks and snacks at the bus rank, a stone throw from the mall concedes to the challenges birthed by the mall. However, she is grateful that the opening of Fours store was a gain to her since she buys her stock from there.

The challenge is that she in turn has to compete with the same store. However, Ms Bolaane has somewhat restricted herself to the taxi and bus rank clients who usually want to ‘quickly grab something for the road.’

“COVID-19 has worsened the situation as people now want to buy from retail stores to save their little money that seems to be eroded by the challenges brought by the pandemic,” she said.

Airtime hawker who also peddles cigarettes in her stall, Ms Gladys Kolobe has been trading at her current spot for the past six years  and is excited about the mall.

Although the mall first posed challenges especially with cigarette prices, she devised means of approaching suppliers who then helped her with a plan to make a profit.

She earns her greatest financial gains from Orange Money. She found that many users of the facility would come to withdraw money before spending it at the mall.

“Many of the people don’t have VISA cards and would come and use Orange Money services here as the closest point for withdrawals,” she pointed out.

Although a positive development, the mall has also become a challenge especially to the buses linking Bobonong and Selibe Phikwe.

One Mr Christopher Peter who directs the buses at the rank has observed that with the opening of the mall and shops, many customers have stopped travelling to Selibe Phikwe where they once did their shopping.

The mall houses Fours store, CB Store, CFC Chicken and Bahumi shop. Ends