. . . death of bread winner leads to establishing of catering business

‘Mantoetse Maama

UNTIL the death of her father when she was only eight years of age, Reitumetse Molapo was a happy, lively child who was as carefree as any child her age and not worried about where her next meal would come from.

However, the passing away of the family’s only breadwinner in 1999 was to change her life overnight, forcing her mother, who had never been employed in her entire life, to look for a job.

The family’s dramatic change in fortune meant many painful adjustments for young Reitumetse and, 15 years later, and now the proud owner of a catering firm, RTee’s Snack Bar, memories of those difficult years remain fresh in her mind.

“My father, who was a senior officer in the National Security Service (NSS), passed away when I was only eight years of age. His death was the most painful experience ever in our lives as a family,” Ms Molapo told the Sunday Express last week.

“My poor mother, who was a full-time housewife when this tragedy struck, had to look for a job in order to put food on our table. She had never worked before and did not have the necessary education that could have helped her find a lucrative job to maintain the standard of living we had been enjoying when my father was still alive.

“It was a very difficult time and turning point in our lives, but here we were, stranded but still with lives to live, and it was left to my mother to decide how her family was going to survive.”

However, according to Ms Molapo, her mother had to pull herself up by her bootstraps and join many other families hustling for a living on the streets of Maseru.

“I am proud of my mother because she swallowed her pride and went to the streets to sell apples for an income,” added Ms Molapo.

“They say half a loaf is better than no bread at all, and at the end of the day, we never went to bed on empty stomachs, thanks to the resilience of my hardworking mother.”

Yet the family’s big break was to come in 2006 when King Letsie III’s birthday celebration was held in Quthing district.

“While my mother was in the streets selling apples, she heard that organisers of the birthday celebration wanted Quthing residents to provide catering services for the event,” she said.

“She decided to use the little money she had saved to register a catering company, and by the grace of God, she was among those who were selected to provide services at the ceremony.

“That tender opened doors for her, and she had to switch to this new business, and our life changed. I had done food and nutrition studies at school, and because I also naturally loved cooking, I ended up helping her in the business.”

Ms Molapo has since registered her own catering company, RTee’s Snack Bar, at the beginning of this year.

“At RTee’s Snack Bar, we cater for government departments, schools, individuals, weddings, graduations, prisons and hospitals, you name it,” she said.

“We also provide breakfast and lunch for individuals wherever such a service might be needed in Maseru, so no job is too big or too small for RTee’s Snack Bar.”

In order to enhance her business, Ms Molapo says she intends to further her studies and become a highly qualified chef.

“I would love to pursue my studies to become a professional chef and hopefully open my own big restaurant,” said the married mother of one daughter.

“RTee’s Snack Bar is successful because of the support I get from my husband and my family from both sides.”