Mafato A Bokgwale, literally translated, means “the early bird catches the worm” and these ladies rise very early each day to bake their bread and buns so as to catch the taxi passengers at the nearby taxi rank and visitors to the Matlala hospital nearby.
Starting off in 1991 as a gardening project, the ladies were forced to find an alternated source of income in 1997 when their lawnmower was stolen and water shortages curtailed gardening operations. They then started a sewing business, but again this was brought to a halt when their sewing machine was stolen. So they decided to turn to bread making in order to earn their income. They received the necessary training from the Department of Labour, built themselves a small outdoor brick oven at the Tsimanyane Community Centre and began production.
Working with a cut down broom handle and some sticks to move the bread pans around with over an open fire, they try each day to meet the demand for their bread and buns. Obtaining raw materials has always been a problem as they can only purchase what they have cash to pay for as no mills would grant them credit facilities. Today they still can only afford to purchase one 65kg bag of flour at a time, and this lasts them four days. The ladies are confident that, with the proper equipment, adequate raw materials and the high demand for their product, they could be a lot more productive and successful.
Their catering services are presently very limited due to inadequate marketing skills and their inability to penetrate current markets. It is their intention to form a Close Corporation so that they can be properly registered with Government Departments and other prospective clients.
