The country’s leading retailer, Sefalana, has set itself a target of creating 800 jobs in the coming year.
The bold declaration was made by Sefalana Managing Director, Chandra Chauhan, speaking at the official opening of a new Sefalana Shopper in Sebina last Friday.
At the beginning of 2020, Chauhan had promised President Mokgweetsi Masisi that his company would create 600 jobs before the end of the year.
“Unfortunately we only managed 400 jobs,” he disclosed.
The Sefalana MD attributed the shortfall to the impact of Covid-19 on their operations. He revealed that due to the numerous lockdowns and travel restrictions, Sefalana’s construction deadlines were affected and thus had to be deferred.
“We were unable to open two shops due to these delays. But I’m certain that these stores will be opened early next year. We plan to create 800 jobs in 2021 with or without Covid-19!” declared Chauhan.
The MD maintained his company showed some resistance in the midst of a pandemic that has brought a lot of businesses to their knees. He said despite the struggles experienced by many companies, including government-run institutes, Sefalana has managed to stay afloat.
“We’ve not retrenched anyone this year. In fact, we gave salary increments in July at the heart of Covid-19! We’ve also paid out bonuses to our employees,” revealed Chauhan.
The MD is especially proud of this feat, as it comes in a year where there’s very little job creation.
“This is not a year for hiring, but as you can see today in Sebina we’ve created 65 jobs for citizens, and this trend will continue in 2021,” pledged Chauhan to rapturous applause.
Sefalana, with a 93 percent shareholding in the hands of citizens, has a total of 74 stores across three countries (Lesotho, Namibia, and Botswana).
It currently employs over 3, 400 individuals and has over the years managed to diversify from consumer goods to property and motor dealerships.
