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Baking with love

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…..A story of how hard work overcame adversity…..

MASERU – FROM baking scones to sourcing for sea shells, Seithati Tlali has always had a knack for money spinning ventures.
A native of Berea now residing in Ha-Foso, her company Luna Holding Pty (Ltd), is trying to penetrate the market and establish itself as a household name.
Conceived “a long time ago”, the company was only officially registered in January 2019.
Tlali started out by baking scones but later expanded to sea shell products, a move she is sure will help turn her dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur into reality.
She is now making ornaments, fashion earrings and necklaces using sea shells.

This second year Hospitality Management dropout from Lerotholi Polytechnic has refused to let her future be buried in the sand. So she pushes on despite the odds.
The 28-year-old says she realised her desire to venture into business in April 2018 when she was employed at one company in Johannesburg as a casual worker.
“Well, my working hours were abnormal and that’s when I started thinking to myself about what I could do during the early hours of my time instead of being in bed,” she says.
Tlali says it was during that period that the idea to bake scones struck.
But start-up capital was a challenge for someone who was battling to fund her own personal needs. Undeterred, she dug deep into her pocket and spent her last M300 to buy the necessary ingredients to start baking.
Fortunately for her, the venture performed better than she expected and in two days she had doubled production.
“That’s when I saw potential in me as an entrepreneur and saw my purpose being unveiled,” she says.
While her scone business was showing signs of success within the first three months, she had to stop due to illness.
She says she was diagnosed with TB and had no choice but to stay in bed.

Taking a deep breath, Tlali says those were the worst days of her life when she couldn’t continue with her business.
Tlali says all her hard work came to naught as she had to use all the resources and money she had generated to cover her medication which was too expensive due to the severity of her illness.
She says after her recovery, she started to move from pillar to post seeking a job and luckily she got one at a company called Chumile Holdings, which is owned by a Mosotho woman based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
“There I got a job as an administrator. I was still on TB medication and my early days were not the best days because I had to be at work wearing a surgical mask,” she recalls.
Tlali says within a week she was forced to go on unpaid leave for a month.
“All that did not pull me down,” she says.

As rough as it was, Tlali’s entrepreneurship spirit kept on burning.
She says after three months in Port Elizabeth, she began visiting the beach to collect sea shells that she would use to make ornaments during her spare time.
And, boom, a new business idea was born. At the back of her mind she knew that this was where the real money was.
“Well in my collection, I had mussel shells and when I was busy washing the sand out of them, a new idea was born,” she says.
She says in November last year when she arrived home from South Africa, she told one of her cousins about the idea.
They formed a partnership and JaneMarshells was bred.
“I have an idea of making jewellery and ornaments, wall arts and anything that will need the life of an ocean,” she says.

Tlali says they both worked on the idea and she then reintroduced baking.
That was when Luna Bakes became the second subsidiary to the registered company called Luna Holdings (Pty) Ltd, she says.
She says Luna Bakes is doing wonders.
“It looks like Basotho have a sweet tooth and that’s what keeps the company moving,” she says.
She says so far she is supplying Thapelo Donny Ntsiki with biscuits when holding workshops called Molao le Khoebo.
Tlali says she also supplies Chumile Holdings, a company she once worked for in Port Elizabeth.
In a good month, the baking company makes a net profit of about M3 500.
But JaneMarshells’ performance is still low because its market depends more on exhibitions that are held in Lesotho.
“I think people are not aware of it. I think the whole idea will take people by storm on one of these good days,” she says.

She says what makes the Luna Bakes the preferred choice for many Basotho is that they do not use any ready-made ingredients.
Tlali says their products are an end-product of “what was made from scratch with all the necessary ingredients to make any product”.
“So far I can safely say I am pushing for the market. A word of mouth and the feedback we are receiving shows that we are doing great work,” she says.

Refiloe Mpobole

 

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Start-up companies win big

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TEN start-up companies were awarded about M130 000 each as capital at a ceremony held at the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology yesterday.
The companies include Rosemore Couture, Techno Map ICT Company, Nkhekhe Innovative Solutions, Travel Tag Lesotho, Weekly Observer Electronic Newspaper, Media Lab Multimedia, and Green Lovers.

The awards were given under the Limkokwing Entrepreneurship Acceleration Platform, part of higher education institutions and corporations and companies that spearhead incubation programme for start-ups.

These Enterprise Support Organisations are from the Limkokwing University through its LEAP, the National University of Lesotho’s Innovation Hub, Basotho Enterprises Development Cooperation (BEDCO), The Entrepreneurs Network (TEN), and Gem Institute.

Each of these organisations was awarded M1.9 million, totalling M9.5 million.

The initiative sprang from Lesotho’s acquisition of a loan from the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank to execute the Lesotho Competitiveness and Financial Inclusion (CAFI) Project.

CAFI’s purpose is to enhance the availability of business support services and financial products for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs, with a special emphasis on women and youths.

Limkokwing’s Enterprise Support Organisation manager, Lisema Ramaili, said the ceremony marked “a significant milestone into our journey and highlights the impactful work we are doing to support entrepreneurship and economic growth”.

“It also marks a significant step forward in our allegiance to foster innovation and entrepreneurship,” Ramaili said.

“I look back in all the journeys that we have travelled, from application to this programme, consolidating our proposals,” she said.

Limkokwing University’s Vice Chancellor, Advocate Tefo Macheli, said it is good that the small businesses are being helped to stand on their own as Lesotho marks its 200th anniversary.

Advocate Macheli said Limkokwing and the government awarded more than M1.2 million to small businesses.

“The Limkokwing University of Creativity Technology and innovation in cooperation with the Lesotho government made history that small Basotho enterprises are supported,” Advocate Macheli said.

“It has always been a challenge to the youths to start or have their own businesses because they were not supported financially” he said.

He said the Lesotho government is working hard to promote small Basotho enterprises which has not been happening in the past.

The university also provides business space with all necessary resources like water and electricity for its students in the understanding that “students are fresh from school and do not have any means of funds to have their own resources”.

Moleboheng Rose Molatelle, co-founder of Rosemore Couture, said that they first filled application forms with their business ideas and bankable business plans.

“Very fortunately I was among the top 20 that were to pitch and was able to meet the requirements,” Molatelle said.

Rosemore Couture is a clothing company.

Molatelle said the company needs equipment to grow its clothing footprint in the market.

“We need to go on with the production and add more workers so that at end of the day we could have a big company,” she said.

Staff Reporter

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Khemisi bags the big prize

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HOA Hlamatseha is a Sesotho expression that means lots of riches. Econet Telecom Lesotho is running a campaign by that name.

This week, Mamiki Khemisi struck the jackpot after she won the M150 000 prize during the Hoa Hlamatseha #EconetBlueOceans campaign for January.
The winner, from Masowe in Maseru, was announced at an event held at the Sefika Complex on Monday.

The Hoa Hlamatseha campaign allows customers to participate in a series of engaging activities, ranging from sending SMSs to opting-in as they purchase data or calling bundles.

Each participation earns customers points, contributing to their overall tally and increasing their chances of winning the grand prize.

Beyond being a celebration of connectivity, the campaign demonstrates Econet’s commitment to fostering a sense of community and shared joy.

“This campaign, a hallmark of Econet Telecom Lesotho’s commitment to celebrating and giving back to its loyal customer base, represents a culmination of joy, generosity, and community spirit,” ’Mapusetso Ntšekhe, Econet’s General Manager for Marketing, Communications and Customer Experience, said.

Ntšekhe said Econet recognises the importance of cultivating lasting relationships with its customers and understands that customer loyalty goes beyond the quality of service alone.

She added that by organising such campaigns, the company aims to foster a sense of belonging and appreciation among its customer base.

“Handing over this M150 000 grand prize winner for the month of January symbolises Econet’s dedication to make a meaningful impact in the lives of its customers and the broader community,” Ntšekhe said.

“In a world where communication is crucial, Econet is not only bridging the digital gap but also creating a bridge of shared joy and celebration,” she said.

Khemisi joins a distinguished list of individuals who have been positively touched by Econet Telecom Lesotho’s commitment to excellence and innovation in Lesotho’s rapidly evolving telecommunications industry.

Her selection as the grand prize winner serves as a testament to her loyalty and the enduring bond between Econet and its valued customers.

“I’m overwhelmed and equally excited to be announced by Econet as the winner of the M150 000 grand prize,” Khemisi said.

She further noted that “this amazing reward for my involvement in the campaign will be essential towards establishing a juice bottling company that’s already in the pipeline in partnership with my mom”.

By unveiling staggering cash prizes of M100 000, M150 000 and M200 000, Econet is setting a new standard for corporate generosity aimed at alleviating challenges faced by individuals and families in tough economic times.

In addition to the grand prizes, Econet customers also have the chance to walk away with M500 in daily prizes, M2 000 in weekly prizes, and smartphones.

Staff Reporter

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Chicken import ban lifted

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BASOTHO will finally have chicken on their dinner tables after the government lifted a ban on poultry products from South Africa imposed four months ago.
The Department of Livestock Services said the decision was with effect from yesterday.

Keneuoe Lehloenya, who is the Director of Livestock Services, said the department had decided to lift the ban imposed on poultry products from South Africa “except Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and Western Cape provinces”.

She said import permits will be issued only for compartments certified free from the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), a serious bird disease that requires a rapid response because it is highly contagious and often fatal to chickens.

Lehloenya said it is South African veterinary authorities that will issue certificates for farms that are free from HPAI.

The import permits by Lesotho authorities will not be given for poultry products from “farms situated near or epidemiologically linked with affected farms”.

“They will not be considered for import,” she said.

The lifting of the ban comes after Agriculture Minister Thabo Mofosi temporarily banned imports of all poultry and poultry products from South Africa due to the bird flu outbreak last November.

The highly infectious bird flu had struck several provinces in South Africa, affecting major chicken farms.

There were reports that South Africa had culled 7.5 million birds, between 20 and 30 percent of its production chicken stock.

Mofosi issued the directive revoking all import permits for poultry and poultry products with immediate effect.

The bird flu outbreak came as South Africa’s chicken industry was already grappling with power shortages which have hit their production.
Chicken is the most imported meat in Lesotho.

In the 2019/2020 season, chicken constituted 81.1 percent of meat imports from South Africa.
Pork was at 15.8 percent, beef at 2.3 percent and mutton at 0.7 percent.

Nkheli Liphoto

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