Huge Turnout As Sefalana Opens In Shakawe
Monkagedi Gaothobogwe | Monday October 26, 2020 16:21
Many people did not want to miss the once in a lifetime opportunity as they wanted to be the first to get a taste of the new shopping experience.
The new Sefalana, located at the busy taxi rank and marketplace, is not only convenient but has also brought residents new affordable commodity prices.
This is because the shop’s philosophy is to adopt an uniform pricing regime for all Sefalana retail products regardless of location in the country. This has been a godsend for residents in the region, who have traditionally been at the receiving end as traders factor in the long distance and terrain, resulting in expensive commodities.
One critical item that had been expensive for Shakawe is bottled water. However, Sefalana will be retailing the beverage cheaply after installing a water purifier to enable customers to get it at lower prices, while bottled water also goes for the same price as anywhere else in Botswana.
The shop also opened with the theme of ‘freshness’ for their fruits and vegetables, while the deli section for cooked food wowed customers with a rare taste and look of class befitting a tourism capital of the stature of Shakawe. Hundreds of customers who stormed the new shop could not stop marvelling at the style and the cleanliness that characterise the new shop in their location, though some felt the liquor store should have been much bigger for a town of leisure.
The new Sefalana shop opens at an opportune time in Shakawe where the Mohembo bridge construction as well as new road construction project are ongoing in the area. Not far from Gumare, another road construction project is also on, ensuring that there is disposable income in the region despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) challenges.
The new shop has immediately created 70 new jobs for Shakawe residents working in various divisions including manager and assistant manager posts.
Responding to a request from the area councillor to empower local producers with procurement opportunities, Sefalana managing director Chandra Chauhan instructed his team to identify fresh produce in the area and work with the locals.
Chauhan said his company had managed to created 400 sustainable jobs this year out of a target of 600, despite COVID-19. For 2021 Sefalana has pledged 800 new jobs to be created, as per his promise towards President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s job creation call. The Shakawe store opening follows another Shoppers opening in Molepolole, Grand Aria Liquor in Tlokweng, which will be followed by similar events at Sebina, Metsimotlhabe and Ramotswa before the year ends.