By Surihe Gaomas
WINDHOEK
The mouth-watering smell of a barbeque fills the air as you walk by her small stand in the busy residential area of Single Quarters in Katutura.
Wearing a striped maroon apron and cap, she professionally turns the pieces of barbequed steak and boerewors with a fork at hand.
Situated just outside Katutura Community Radio and Gift Supermarket along Clemens Kapuuo Street, 50-year-old Gotty Rukoro is happy with her small business she’s been running for the past six months.
“It helps me buy the small things I need. For me, it is not about making a lot of money, but just to get some small pocket money to buy bread and milk.
It’s just my way of saving up for the small things my family needs,” said the single mother of six children.
“How much is your wors,” asks a security guard digging for some coins in his pocket. “Its only one dollar sir,” says Rukoro with a smile, eagerly waiting to give the customer a good service.
She neatly places the boerewors in a white paper bag with a serviette by the side and pockets the one-dollar coin in her apron. The price for a piece of meat ranges from N$5 to N$10 each.
Like most small entrepreneurs, Rukoro struggles to make a living for her family. Yet fortunately for her, she has another daytime part-time job with which she uses her Mazda bakkie to distribute newspapers for The Namibian and the Southern Times.
She bought the vehicle four years ago.
“A car is like your office, if you don’t have a car you don’t have a job. I use this car for my small business,” she said.
It is a blazing hot day, but this does not discourage Rukoro from going about barbequing her meat and boerewors. She is optimistic that she will be able to sell all her meat at the end of the day.
“I normally start at around 17h00 when everyone is about to tjaila (knock off) from work. I come here every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons,” said Rukoro wiping her hands with a cloth.
Coincidentally, just down the same road of Clemens Kapuuo are other small entrepreneurs selling their products at Herero Mall.
Rukoro said she decided to conduct her business at a street corner as competition was stiff at the mall.
“I don’t want to be there because at Herero Mall, there are so many people doing the same business. Here, I am relaxed and for me, it is very nice and quiet,” said Rukoro feeling proud of her unique spot.
Sometimes when she does not have time, she asks the nearby “tate” who sells sweets and chips under a makeshift plastic shade just a few paces from her spot for help.
For this aspiring businesswoman, the trick is all about starting small and growing from there.
“I like to start small in my business and then dream of building a takeaway later on,” said Rukoro, placing the last batch of meat on the braai stand.
At around 19h00, as the sun sets and the hustle and bustle of people walking by her spot dies down, Rukoro packs up her barbeque stand and empty containers.
Another successful day has passed by for this businesswoman and even though she is tired of standing for the past two hours, she’s indeed very happy.