01 Sep 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic may still be causing havoc globally, but way of life is gradually returning to normal, albeit with a twist.

Most people have begun to learn to live with the pandemic in what has now been referred to as the new normal.

Granted that the economic impact has been of untold proportions, but if every cloud has a silver lining, the promise of new opportunities in this new normal has never been so alluring. All it takes is resilience.

Ms Tuelo Ntsatsi of Khukhu ward in Thamaga knows better. Her story makes for an inspiring and many a lesson to other Batswana especially those of her ilk.

When life seemed to have grounded to a halt as country after country recoiled into isolation during extreme social distancing periods, for many that was the most challenging episode of their lives.

But not so with those who in their moment of solitude took time to reflect and use that rare opportunity to become a force for productive and innovative ideas immediately their ‘freedom’ is restored.

Who else would have thought that instead of wallowing in misery and praying for providence, Ms Ntsatsi (45) would beat the odds and come out smiling in the face of economic abyss?

She lost what she always thought was a permanent job when the country went into lockdown.

She was working for a Gaborone based company, which closed shop, because it could no longer provide any service following closure of borders.

Together with other employees, they were promised they would be rehired should the situation return to normal.

However, in this new era of the new normal, the promise turned out to be a two-year contract. That meant she no longer had a permanent and pensionable job as it had always been.

Conversely, Ms Ntsatsi would not let that push her into the abyss she always feared, a life without a job.

Her survival skills immediately kicked in. She looked at her hands profusely and the answer was right in front of her eyes.

Those hands can cook. Ms Ntsatsi is a gifted and she knows it and the family knows it too. Her siblings and children encouraged her to make better use of those skillful hands to embark on a culinary business.

The lockdown period was the perfect time for Ms Ntsatsi to try out new things as well.

Why not a pizza and the family would be her perfect food connoisseurs before she could venture out there.

Try her two pizza flavours, creamy chicken and Mexican flavours and you will not regret it.

Initially, Ms Ntsatsi sold her pizzas from a nearby tuck-shop and customers loved the taste. Her younger sister then lent her a hand to start a full-time homemade pizza business and further assisting her with startup capital. They also advertised the business on Facebook. Orders started flowing in.

All this time Ms Ntsatsi continued to research on the internet to further improve her product.

At the dawn of August, the business was officially launched under the moniker: Tee’s Home Slice Pizza.

Her target market is Greater Gaborone.

Word spread around quickly as salivating tongues whetted the appetite of many a customer who wanted a bite of her mouthwatering pizza especially in Thamaga.

“People love it, but the only challenge I have now is that I use only two home ovens and this makes the process slow especially on a busy day,” says Ms Ntsatsi attesting to the fact that demand is growing each day especially on weekends when people are just home.

She says on a busy day she can take up to 40 orders and work until late at night. At the moment, the pizzas go for P25 for a small one and P50 for a large one.

With an increased demand, Ms Ntsatsi is not looking back let alone go back to her former employer should the company resume business.

For now, her aim is to save for the purchase of industrial equipment to secure her niche in the market and probably expand her business to nearby villages such as Moshupa.

Her mother, Ms Lemme Ntsatsi, says she was not quite surprised when her daughter’s pizza quickly became popular in the market because she demonstrated that she was a phenomenal cook from tender age.

All that she need was just encouragement and to take the loss of her job as a blessing in disguise.

Now the sky is the limit for Tee’s home slice pizza.

A customer, Mr Robert Kesiilwe, cannot help waxing lyrically about Ntsatsi’s pizza was.

The picture in Mr Kesiilwe’s mind is summed up in two words - succulent and mouthwatering – because he says during weddings or parties people never have enough of the Ntsatsi’s pizza. Ends