…cook up to success
GOBABIS – She is a dynamic woman who radiates authority, self-discipline and leadership.
She has been a role model to many, and for the second consecutive year, Tekla Hengari of Ngaturijame Kitchen Paradise from Windhoek is offfering refreshment to tired feet and empty stomachs at the Omaheke Trade Fair at the Legare Stadium in Gobabis. Translated loosely from Otjiherero, her company’s name means ‘to first be able to look after yourself before you can care for others’. And Tekla lives by that motto, because she is a firm advocate of self-employment and the empowerment of others.
Speaking to New Era in the shade of one of many acacia trees in the Legare Stadium, Tekla related how she started her company in 2005 in Windhoek. “I have always been fond of cooking and catering, and decided in 2005 it was time to put my culinary skills to the test on a much bigger scale. Finding clients was no problem, since my dishes were already widely known and liked. But then I was faced with the hurdle of expanding with a limited budget. That was when I realised what problems aspiring entrepreneurs face. In my case, things took off fairly quickly and my products proved very popular, but not every entrepreneur is in the catering business, so everyone will be faced with different challenges. The important thing is to overcome those challenges, whether it’s finances or skills.
My message to aspiring entrepreneurs is never to give up. And they must remember that nothing comes to you without hard and honest work. Even more important is my motto of first looking after yourself before you can look after others,” she explains, while wrapping another take-away order of delicious chicken and salad. Tekla has catered for several ministries in the past years, as well as for private functions, corporate events and countless weddings. She says she pricked her ears on Tuesday this week when the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Tjekero Tweya, urged the Omaheke community to support aspiring entrepreneurs financially and in any other way.
“We sometimes forget that small and medium size enterprises are the breeding ground for business leaders of tomorrow. In most cases, these aspiring entrepreneurs struggle to get on their feet financially and otherwise. I see this every day, and therefore urge all Namibians to support the endeavours of these entrepreneurs in the making. They are indeed one of the pillars of our economy,” she noted. She praised government for its initiatives to get the businesses of such entrepreneurs off the ground, but stressed that communities countrywide could still do a lot more to assist these people. “The private sector must get involved on a much bigger scale, and loans should be made easier and more accessible to aspiring entrepreneurs,” she said.
By Deon Schlechter