29 Jun 2015

Kenalebetsho Mompati, 46, of Maun, woke up one good morning in 2012 with the urge to run his own business, in this case a pre-school named AU Pair Superkids Academy.

He set up the business with his pension money from the Botswana Defence Force with the help of his wife who is knowledgeable in pre-school education.

Mompati says the desire to provide a place where parents could leave their children under safe hands and well trained baby sitters, motivated him. He notes that in most instances parents leave their children with maids who treat them badly because they are not trained in baby-sitting.

However, AU Pair Superkids Academy provides baby care and pre-school lessons to children from two months to five-year olds.

Mompati says he does not regret early retirement since the pre-school business is a lucrative venture.

He implores the youth not to rely on government but venture into business with the little they have since the business will develop and sustain itself with time.

“Foreigners are taking over the pre-school business in Botswana because they noticed a gap in the market,” he says.

Mompati is grateful for the mentorship he receives from Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) which provides him with financial management tips. He says he is able to keep records, bank his income and pay himself a salary like any other employee which he attributes to LEA’s financial mentoring.

“The financial advice I get from LEA  is important because I used to misappropriate funds but now I can account for every amount spent,” he says.

Mompati says he and his staff have training in areas such as letter land and baby sitting from the UK through correspondence as well as THRASS in Zimbabwe to offer quality service to their clients.

His dream is to see the AU-Pair Superkids Academy in Maun operate from its own premises instead of renting.

Meanwhile, Mompati is spreading his wings as he opened another pre-school at Sehithwa village in the Ngami Sub-district in February. Ends