Tissue Manufacturer Aims High

Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Wednesday July 19, 2017 13:45

The director of Ghetto Tissues, Omphile Pule told Business Monitor that currently the family business was funded by an umbrella company called Mmantshetsa Holdings (Pty) Ltd.

Ghetto Tissues have employed more than six youth and it is expected to hire more people after its expansion.

She said Ghetto Tissues started operating in October 2016 with the aim of improving the economy of the city after the closure of TNMC.The 28-year-old said their company manufactures toilet paper (1 ply and 2 ply) in Francistown but looking to expand to other places in the country.

She added that they also will in future introduce other tissue products like hand towels, tissues, serviettes and more.

“Our business was mainly bred to empower the youth and to bridge the unemployment gap in the city.  The company is also run entirely by youth from different professions,” she said.

She said the business has a lot of potential because they are slowly getting support from private companies and suppliers from different parts of the city.

Pule holds a commerce double major degree in marketing management and management from Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia.

“One of the challenges that we face is that we got into an industry that already had key players around Francistown. Our competitors include retails shops around town.

So we have to work hard by marketing ourselves to generate more profit,” she said.

The businesswoman said Ghetto Tissues imports some of its raw materials from South Africa but they buy their paper and plastic for packaging in Botswana.

She encouraged other entrepreneurs to be focused, financially literate and persevere to keep a company going.

Pule said that one of the reasons youth companies are collapsing is because they are impatient and they often give up after failure of their first attempt.

She said the youth should invest in working tireless nights so that they can fulfill their dreams.