ONE year and seven months since the novel Corona virus outbreak, many lives have changed, some for the better and some for the worst!
And despite the negative economic impact of the pandemic coupled with the loss of many lives of people we knew, somewhere there is a story of resilience, hope and inspiration that needs telling.
Tokelo Eric Sebusi’s is one of those as he turned his life around in the face of a hostile economic climate.
A cop by profession with a degree in IT and knowledgeable in car theft recovery through the Interpol office based at Maseru headquarters, Covid-19 opened his eyes to see life through a different lens of entrepreneurship; something he never imagined.
Aged 41, Sergeant Sebusi’s mind had to shift drastically for the betterment of his welfare. For a family man of two kids, a wife, and other extended family members, living from hand to mouth on his salary which was insufficient, he knew that things had changed with Covid-19 taking the center stage, spelling job losses and threatening other means of living.
As a man of his ego, he still had to provide for his family and loved ones against all odds and he wasn’t ready to just allow the pandemic to rob him of his normal life, more so because as a sportsman he had already been robbed with the one thing that kept him busy and active, soccer, with the introduction of hard national lock-down.
He then decided to get out of his comfort zone and juggle his 8.00- 4.30 job with something that could ease his financial situation and take his mind off stressful things.
With liquor businesses and many others either closed or partially operating except for basic grocery shops, Sebusi ventured into a liquor business partnership with his cousin. The lockdown restrictions which confined people in-doors, opened a window of business opportunity which he seized as consumers bought drinks and took them home.
But this was not for long as rising Covid-19 infections, forced the government to introduce hard lock-downs, thus affecting many businesses including Sebusi’s.
Before he knew it, as a budding businessman he was thrown out of action and was forced to bow out as he had other financial obligations like loans and rent to take care of. He was out!
But he decided to treat this as boon rather than bane and took it in his stride like a man. Though he had witnessed that the road was not easy, he just wasn’t ready to give up and ventured into a different business, a ‘shisa-nyama’ eatery, this time going solo.
He was met with some challenges in this new venture including acquiring land on which he was to erect his shack, but he found a way around it without his spirit being dampened.
Business looked and still looks good for him, but he had to find a way of getting his meat supply at affordable prices and at a convenient time. He didn’t chicken out, neither did he just sit back on his laurels; instead he started developing his father’s site at Makeneng in Mafeteng and erected some pigpens.
This he had to set up in Mafeteng as he is staying in Maseru and doesn’t have space for that.
Maseru is some 62 kilometers away from his home. This meant he was going to incur extra expenses to ascertain the success of his new projects, but still this challenge he overlooked as he eyed the bigger picture, success!
Success, success and success, is all that rang in his head and through sweat and tears he managed.
Never had Sebusi pictured himself as a farmer at any point in life, and for his pigs to survive he also had to find means to cut the feeding costs, this he did by leasing and ploughing a maize field in Thaba-Bosiu to help supplement what he would buy, an activity that also came with its fair share of challenges.
As if that is not enough, this hustler cop also fetches his own fire wood and sometimes this entails taking the whole day looking for trees big enough to cut at a cost.
Truth be told, this is equally challenging but the positive mindset he has makes him the conqueror that he is.
By the look of things, Sebusi still has a long way to go and is very much aware of it, but the perseverance and determination he allocates his projects is working wonders for him.
“When the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, I was very scared and didn’t know what the future had in store for me and my loved ones. The uncertainty was just too much, but I had to find other things to ease my mind off things and stop worrying, more especially about death because people I knew were dying in numbers.
“At first the deaths were announced in figures and the same figures had names, and these were names of people I happened to know and it was very scary. I had to find things to keep me busy and happy, away from congested places and I found peace in my new adventure, farming.
“Never had I thought of a time when I would get my hands dirty with anything other than my day to day job of being a police officer and serving my people. I had always been very comfortable with what I had and felt that it was enough as I had learnt to live within my means.
“I have now developed a very strong love for my animals and small eatery business, even though this means being busy most of the time, I still have not compromised my police duties and social life. There is never enough time for everything, but I have learnt to make time and strike a balance to accommodate it all and this means a lot to me and those around me.
“Covid-19 has taught me lessons I don’t intend giving up on in exchange for anything. The most precious lesson is staying hopeful in an era of hopelessness and never to take anything for granted and cherish life.
The hustler cop on a relaxed day-Sgt. Sebusi
“From where I stand, I’m a very happy man and proud of myself and I guess my mother is also happy in her grave. My dad is still around and this also gives me a push to do right and make him proud as well.
Today Sebusi owns a successful eatery and is rearing enough pigs to meet his daily demand. One thing he knows for sure is that “to live like a king you must work like a slave.”
Find him at his Interpol offices registering cars; you will be thrilled with his service, always bubbly and humorous, going all out and serving clients with a smile.
Find him at his business you might just look past him as a client, not knowing that he is actually the owner.
Find him feeding his pigs and fetching wood in his blue overalls, you would swear he is a hobo! On some days, you could mistake him for a fashion model.
Covid-19 did not break him, instead it broadened and nurtured his way of thinking about life.
