Hustling in the streets

Hustling in the streets

Ezekiel Morake

With the high rising unemployment rate in the country and the world over, many young people in their prime years are seen eking a living in the streets of our small towns and the capital city Maseru.

Young, gifted and tired of begging for jobs or waiting for recruitment agencies and government to advertise for job positions, young men and women aged from 16 years old upwards are taking the bull by its horns by improving their lives. They do this by selling fruits in the busy main south 1 road from Maseru to Mohale’shoek to passing motorists and passengers in the taxis. These are young people who are changing the narrative that young people are lazy and good for nothing.

Many of these young people who spoke to Lesotho Street Journal indicated that after completing their high school education, for some various reasons could not afford to further their education at institutions of Higher learning. And as a result could not wait to be given jobs by the government which, according to them, is practicing nepotism throughout its different departments and have lost hope that even the private sector would ever hire them.

Refumane Makhohlo (29) is a former Teacher at a primary school at Ha-Moruthane who is now selling fruits ranging from Peaches, Apples, Oranges and Grapes to passing motorists. He said while he was still teaching primary pupils and studying for his Teaching Diploma at Lesotho College of Education, he decided to augment his income by opening a Spaza shop. Makhohlo said he realized that when he returned from his teaching work, the goods had not been sold at the rate he needed. He then decided to start selling to motorists by standing in the middle of the road and many of his homeboys started following his unique selling strategy.

“It has been six years since I started selling fruits to motorists in the middle of the road. I started with a spaza shop which is still standing but I was not making enough profit from my sales, that is when I realized that I should come and sell directly to the motorists who wouldn’t want to stop outside the road to buy. Ever since I started selling this way my profits doubled and noticed that I made the right decision by selling in this manner. I was able to provide for my family as the money I was earning as a teacher was not enough,” said Makhohlo.

He added that he never looked back as he was often looking for the next day to go to the streets to provide much needed service to his clients. Makhohlo never cared what people would say about him selling in the streets because people always had something to say whether one did good or bad. He said he focused on the bigger picture of turning his life around and never liked the idea of always begging for spoja (M2.00) from people as he was not disabled but fully functional.

Makhohlo said it was always his dream to be a businessman but circumstances beyond his control are not allowing him to start his own supermarket but said while he was still alive, he would work hard to make his dream come true. Proving that he knows what he is doing and talking about, Makhohlo said big companies such as Apple Iphone, Amazon and Facebook were started by young people in the garages of their homes but were big companies now in the world which are impacting the everyday life of many people across the globe. He also said that one of his role models South African serial Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Dj Sbu (Sibusiso Leope) had established many companies by taking calculated risks which are now paying off through his initiatives such as Mofaya energy drink, Loko Flame Vodka and Massiv online radio station. Makhohlo said Dj Sbu has also written three books about business in which he advises young people to start their own businesses by ghubuluzing (hustling in township language) in the streets.

Dj Sbu despite his celebrity status is often seen on videos posted on social media selling his Mofaya energy drinks to passengers at Bree and Noord Taxi rank and other streets in Johannesburg and even on the Highway of the busy African city. It is reported that more than 2 million cans of Mofaya energy drink are sold each and every month in selected supermarkets and streets by street hawkers, and Makhohlo says he would like to move in the footsteps of Dj Sbu who is unashamed to sell in the streets yet he has millions in his bank accounts.

Another Youngman Man Motlatsi Moima (23) is also selling fruits in the busy road at Ha-Moruthane to motorists passing to Mafeteng or Maseru whilst waiting to be admitted at National Health Training Center (NHTC) where he would be studying for a Nursing and Mid-wifery Diploma. He said he did not like the notion of just sitting idle at his home doing nothing as an idle mind is the house of the devil. Moima said he liked to make money for himself as he did not have many responsibilities of looking after children or his parents.

He said he was learning a lot of things such as patience, street-smarts, negotiation skills, pitching and how to accept rejection as some motorists wouldn’t even bother to buy as they waved them away like people with leprosy. Moima said some motorists thought that they were being nuisance on the road not knowing why they ended up selling in the streets because they were living in comfort. He said that motorists should learn to have empathy for people who are trying to do some work not stealing from anyone.