SEFALANA MOTSHELO TRADE SHOW RETURNS

Sefalana held a successful Motshelo Trade Show at Majestic Five Hotel in Palapye this past Saturday, 8 October 2022.

The annual event, which was making its return after a two-year Covid-19 enforced hiatus, attracted 15 Motshelo groups (communal fund groups) from Palapye and surrounding villages. In his welcome speech, Head of Wholesale Division, Moagi Buzwani noted the trade show was an opportune moment to touch base with customers, give an update on their latest programmes and products and ultimately celebrate what Sefalana stands for. “We’re here to celebrate after the most difficult three years. If you recall we last met in a similar setting in 2019,” said Buzwani, adding the timing was ideal as people and Motshelo groups around the country are preparing for their festive shopping. Sefelana’s Motshelo Account has made shopping simple for both individuals and groups. The concept allows groups or individuals to deposit money into their Motshelo Account monthly and buy whatever they want when they need, provided a shopping list is submitted two days in advance to allow the shop to sort out stock in time. Speaking at the well-attended event, Franchise and

Marketing Executive, Reginald Klinck encouraged Motshelo groups to consider investing some of their money rather than spending it all on food at the end of the year. “This is why we have the Motshelo Account where you can keep your money. You don’t have to clean out the account in one purchase. You can buy shopping vouchers enough for Christmas shopping, and have another one in January which will allow you to buy school uniform for your kids,” he pointed out. “There’s no need to throw away tons of food because Sefalana gives you the freedom to buy what you want at your preferred time,” Klinck continued, noting the Trade Show was a perfect opportunity for customers unaware of the numerous opportunities available at Sefalana to learn more. Giving a brief history of the communal fund, Klinck explained they are not limited to Botswana and are also popular in countries such as Ghana, Tanzania and South Africa. “In Tanzania they have Mfuko wa Jumaiya, Stokvel in South Africa and Susu in Ghana. All these are traditional intermediaries in Africa. For a small fee they provide an informal means for group members to securely save and access their own money, and gain some limited access to credit, a form of microfinance,” he said. Klinck revealed Motshelo in Botswana was pioneered by women who came together to form burial societies in the past. These sentiments were shared by Projects Coordinator, Bob Hirschfeldt. In his presentation, Hirschfeldt encouraged customers to buy into the loyalty scheme, Sefalana Rewards, which allows customers to earn ‘Sefbacks’ on all purchases by giving them a percentage of the purchase value in the form of cash that can be redeemed for cash discounts at any time. “The scheme does not compare to any in the country, and is safe as access is only through the card, not cellphone number as other shops do. With us your money is safe, and you earn as you pay,” reiterated Hirschfeldt proudly. Launched in November 2016, the scheme now has well over 100, 000 registered loyalty customers. “We now have what we call Bank your Change, which gives customers an option to add their change onto their loyalty card for future purchases,” he highlighted in conclusion.