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What started off as a simple plant collection hobby for Colleen Mary Makgato has now turned out to be a big income earner for the energetic pensioner.
Like the ever green plants she takes care of, Makgato is just as vibrant, with no signs of ageing at all. She is like the ageless baobab whose sprouting leaves continue to give her youthful energy.
Perhaps Makgato has her plant collection hobby to thank for all that.
After retiring as a bank teller A few years ago, the Serowe woman now does not have to worry about sources of income. She is not looking forward to death either. For Makgato, 61, it is just like a new beginning with new purpose and challenges in life, and she is breaking ground like a fresher.
"All my life I have been a plant collector. I enjoyed buying plants whenever I could. There was no business motive. I found fun in bringing a new plant home. At the end, my yard was beaming with all types of plants. It is this passion that enabled me to learn about all types of plants, their names, and how they are looked after. I became a gardening expert in the process", explains the cheerful, urban
woman who claims to have a passion for her moraka (cattle post).
Despite her glowing success in gardening, Makgato, who today employs five people, and many casual labourers, says it was by coincidence that her passion turned into a thriving business idea. She says a walk into BBS Bank in 1999 kick started her business move by chance. She narrates that it was during one of her routine trips to the Bank that she noticed a familiar plant inside the building. According to Makgato this particular plant was wilting, and the Bank authorities seemed resigned to letting it die.
"I recognized the plant well and I offered a little advice. I said this particular plant requires a lot of sunshine; it is not for any interior décor. My passion for gardening moved me, and I offered to bring them interior plants, while I put their plants outside, where they were supposed to be."
Makgato says for six months her gardening passion moved her to help the company for free. She relates that she would come every day during lunch time to water the plants and check them for any ailments. The authorities were impressed by the woman's dedication and the vibrancy created by her gardening talents. They awarded her a contract. Makgato had found her first corporate client and there was no turning back since then.
While today Makgato's nursery is home to hundreds of plants species, including fruits and ornamental plants, she says she continues to expand her gardening talents. Now she is not only into gardening and
selling plants, Makgato now does landscaping.
She says her business also supports the pottery industry as her plants are grown in pots. "We buy quite a lot of pottery for our service. In that way we contribute to employment creation. We are a busy company and often we also hire more labourers as we deliver manure, lay out the lawns, and so forth".
"My passion is to teach other women how they can use simple gardening skills to sustain themselves. This is a job that any woman with passion can do and I am confident it can earn them a living".
By Monkagedi Gaotlhobogwe
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