Mothae Becomes a Village Entrepreneur and Community Champion

In a township where opportunities can be hard to find, Emmanuel Mothae has built something people once might not have expected to see there: a thriving bakery providing bread, creating opportunities for young people, and earning recognition across South Africa’s Free State region.

Known in his community as the “village entrepreneur,” Mothae recently saw his work at Bots Bakers recognised when the business won the Iwisa No. 1 Community Championship competition, a regional competition that celebrated businesses making an impact through the empowerment of township youth.

But for Mothae, the award is more than a business achievement. It is the fruit of a mindset that began developing years earlier at African Christian College.

When Mothae arrived in Eswatini in 2013, his ambition was simple. He wanted to preach the Word of God. He had little idea that entrepreneurship would become part of his ministry story.

“One of the classes that redefined the game was the entrepreneurship class. It taught us about identifying problems in your community and turning the solution into a viable business. A business must solve an existing societal problem.”

After graduating in 2015, Mothae returned to Bothabelo and began looking at his community through the lens he had gained in college. He noticed that access to baked goods was limited and that bread supplies were sometimes unreliable.

He saw a problem. He knew that meant there was an opportunity to provide a solution.

With determination, community support, and the skills he had developed through education and experience, Mothae established Bots Bakers. What started as an effort to create a sustainable livelihood soon became something much bigger.

Mothae began giving young people in his community an opportunity to apprentice at the bakery. They could spend months learning practical baking skills and gaining experience before being encouraged to use what they had learned to start businesses of their own.

That became an important part of Mothae’s vision. Success was not simply about building a business for himself. It was about creating opportunities that could multiply through the community.

Today, Mothae continues to preach the Word of God while running a business that supports his family, sustains his ministry, and equips young people with skills to build their own futures.

The village entrepreneur has become a community champion, but his story began with a lesson at African Christian College that changed the way he saw the place he called home: sometimes the greatest opportunity is hidden inside the problem everyone else has learned to live with.