By Kefiloe Kajane
Rose Leather Works was established in 1996 when ‘Mateboho Mathibeli – the owner – was retrenched from her then job at Kabi Leather Productions.
Rose Leather Works specialises in making bags, jackets and slippers using cow, sheep and pig skin.
Speaking to theReporter, Mathibeli said lack of formal education resulted in her struggling to find employment; that is when she opted to start her own company.
She said since her company started over two decades ago, their biggest achievement has been the fact that they learned a lot.
She revealed that they are experiencing many challenges presently because the market now is very tight and highly competitive compared to when they first started out.
“We do not have pig skin in the country so we import it from South Africa for our products. It is challenging during this time of pandemic because crossing the border is not that easy anymore.
“Over the years we have learned so much from doing this business and we believe there is still so much more still to learn. We are not exactly where we would like to be because here at home we really do not have a market,” she said.
When asked how platforms like Sethala which was launched last month is helping small businesses like hers Mathibeli said they are not much of help as she believes “leaders in this country still do not understand business.”
Sethala is a platform established by the government of Lesotho that gives Basotho businesses and cooperatives a space to bare challenges that inhibit their growth. These include access to finance, low production capacity as well as access to national and regional and international markets.
She said it is not really helping them because when there are trade events, they do not sell much. She said during such events it would be better if foreign investors could be invited to such events.
She said leaders in this country have many good ideas but which are not pushed through to success.
“If they would implement many of the ideas they come up with, as people who own businesses we would not struggle the way we do. Nonetheless we are grateful for the little that we have,” she said.
She further said that they welcome the interns from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology who join them as trainees. She said they also learn a lot from the trainees as they bring in new minds.
She wished that universities could have relationships with small businesses to help in training the graduates.
