The industrious Gwati

Surprisingly, some Batswana, who are far younger are either dependants on their parents or the government.

Of course, there are those who have to be taken care of - people living with disabilities, the aged or those whose health condition would just make it impossible for them to do anything for a living. That is understandable.

As many Batswana struggle to beat the poverty trap, the government is talking and even engaging in poverty eradication programmes. But, this is a pipe dream, if people who are able are not going to stand and do something to make ends meet for themselves.

Well, for people like Nani Gladys Gwati, this is not a problem. She is doing something for herself despite her age and the fact that she is a retiree. She is a 64 year-old woman, who though aging still marvels at doing something for herself.

She is one of the good number inspirational people who regardless of their age and circumstances are still actively involved in earning a living for themselves.

Gwati is silvery-haired, but does not want to be a burden to anyone because she is still capable of doing something for herself.

Now a resident of Francistown, but originally from Changate, she strongly believes that age should not stop one from working if they are still healthy and energetic. She says that she would not want to bother anyone asking for this and that when she still has the energy to work.

After retiring from her job as a cook at Francistown Senior School, she continued to put her energy to some income generating initiative.

 Twenty-six years of cooking and shouting at students during feeding hours did not weaken her beyond measure. She is still strong. Gwati has that tenacious spirit of wanting to do something for herself.

For all the years that she was an employee, she had always complemented her salary with the money she got from selling firewood, fat cakes, cabbages and tomatoes.

She was very much driven by the fact that she had children to feed. 'I used to wake up at 3 am to make fat cakes before I left for work at 5 am. My daughter would then take that to the market for sale. I have children who had to be taken care of, but my salary was not enough, so I had to do something,' Gwati calmly explained as she smiles seemingly content with the efforts she made in bringing up her children. Yes, she is proud of herself.

As she speaks to me, customers, who are predominantly students, are coming over to buy. When she retired in 2006, she asked for permission from the school head to sell sweets, nik naks, airtime and many other items in front of Francistown Senior School gate. She later on got a vending licence from the city council.

Gwati wakes up every morning to go to her stall. 

'I started off by selling maize and grapes, and then later on sold what you see here,' she said. She targets students with what she sells and it is working for her. With that, she proudly announced that she is able to put food on the table.

'I have to give credit to my father. Looking at what I'm doing here, it has a lot to do with what my father inculcated in me. When I was still young, he had a job, but still cooked bread to sell. He would at times leave to sell this, when he was at work.

Since then, I never looked back, I would have a job and some items that I sell. I'm not going to stop this business any time soon. As long as I still feel healthy, I would continue to do it.'

Gwati said people get surprised when she tells them that she would be soon enroll for old age pension. What she knows though is that active lifestyle improves ones health and counters ageing. 

Gwati is an example of what people can do to improve their lives.