Gofaone Magano ~Tutor| Healer| Multiple Business Owner| Occupational Health & Safety Graduate

Gofaone Magano ~ I am a Woman 

 The year 2021 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of liberation struggle heroine and human rights campaigner, Charlotte Mannya Maxeke. The Theme of this years Woman's Month- The year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke. Every year in South Africa on the 9th of August we celebrate Woman's Month and pay tribute to over 20 000 women who took to the streets and marched to the Union Buildings in 1956 in protest against the extension of pass laws imposed on women. From time immemorial women have been subjected and sidelined in different spaces of their lives, be it in the work place, at home, church, politics and in society at large. 

Charlotte Mannya Maxeke was an extra ordinary women who took the plight of fighting for women and the greater struggle of  human rights, workers rights and for peace and justice. She might have been overlooked due to being a woman but her dedication and remarkable work will forever be engraved and celebrated for many more years to come.

Today we go on a journey with Gofaone Magano (28) a young black talented, creative and ambitious woman. She was born in Mahikeng Montshiwa and later moved to Rustenburg where she lived in Mogwase and currently residing in Phokeng Masosobane. She attended high school at JM Ntsime as a boarding school resident, she was unable to finish her matric due to life difficulties which caused her to drop out of school. 

A year later she gained enough strength and picked herself up and returned back to school to finish her matric. She then proceeded with her tertiary education and studied Occupational Health and safety at Oxbridge Academy. Gofaone is a mother and has three siblings two boys and two girls making her the second born of the four siblings. She comes from a very spiritual family (Prophetic Family) of healers.

She began her independent life soon after matric, where she found employment at Sun-city as a casual worker, this particular position influenced her to study (Occupational Health & Safety). The department in which she worked for didn't have a health and safety officer, she saw this as an opportunity and nominated herself to take the task of being a safety representative, her aim was to improve the working environment and working conditions in which they worked in. 

Soon after she completed her studies she resigned and later moved into business. She went into business with her Dad where they went into construction and due to lack of knowledge and research within the construction business, she failed dismally which led her back to job hunting. As a developing country the rate of unemployment keeps rising even for graduates like Gofaone, she didn't give up but she continued hustling her way regardless of the challenges she experienced. 

She started a small business selling kiddies goodie bags and like most small businesses she struggled to get customers, her only customer at that time was her sister, she later put it on hold and went back to working 9-5 which was later disturbed by the lock-down due to Covid19 Pandemic. As demoralised and devastated as she was, she had to go back to the drawing board and brainstorm on ideas that will assist her to implement a strategic plan to rebuild her business and generate income.

Gofoane saw a gap in the market during lock-down when schools were closed and children couldn't attend classes. This season in her life gave birth to Mathudi Educational Program & After Care. Most children were now home and in need of Tutors. She focused mainly on Early Childhood Development and through word of mouth parents came in numbers seeking her services. She enrolled learners from Grd R-7 her services included lessons on entrepreneurship, social development and extramural activities.

Mathudi Educational Program & After care covers programs that are not included in the educational curriculum but are quite pivotal for children to learn and acquire necessary skills more so in the economic state of our country. It is of great importance that children are given the opportunity to acquire skills that will benefit their growth and create employment. Apart from the day to day lessons Gofaone has incorporated K53 theoretical lessons for Grade 7 learners which will assist them when they are of driving age. 

On Saturdays she runs a kiddies Book Club, with the main aim of instilling a reading culture especially in our current era where social media has taken so much attention from children. Reading should not be forced but rather instilled in a fun and interactive way, where children can develop their minds and have the ability to read and comprehend what they consume. The Book Club also teaches writing skills which enables children to write their own book reviews and develop their vocabulary. 

Gofaone is indeed the epitome of what the women of 1956 fought for, the freedom to establish systems that will benefit women to work freely and expand their avenues in Business, Education and in our society at large. At this stage nothing could set Gofaone back she was off to a good start in the business world, she refused to limit herself and gave birth to her second business Gofaone Maids Services a residential & commercial cleaning company. 

She was able to strive through her darkest period of unemployment when the whole world was going through a pandemic, people losing their jobs and businesses shutting down mainly affecting small businesses and street vendors. Gofaone saw an opportunity and grabbed it with both hands, she could no longer wait for employment and she seized the moment and took a risk. A year later she has a strong clientele within Rustenburg and neighboring areas. The cleaning company has different services which include; Smart Shopper, baby Sitting, Car and Industrial Cleaning. 

Having a business comes with it's challenges that we often not spoken of, in as much as more and more women are in business, it comes with it's own challenges that can either break or make you strive even further. Gofaone and her multiple businesses were no exception, establishing and running a business during Covid times was stressful. 

She needed to adhere to all Covid regulations and at the same time she could not guarantee for certain that children who were enrolled at her school were safe from being infected or infecting others, the same applies to her cleaning business. Being able to maneuver around Covid19 regulations and running two businesses simultaneously was the biggest challenge for her, as a small business and being new in the business world it came with making a lot of mistakes and learning as you go.

One way that Gofaone kept herself in check was networking with other women  who have been in business for a longer period, women who have well established businesses that are thriving  particularly in the same field she is in. She collects various books in business and personal growth that assists her to develop her mind and find new ways to stay relevant while improving her services. She often reads books that are also in line with her business in order to gain more knowledge within the space she is occupying. She also utilises various YouTube channels that are business related, to keep herself informed with new innovative ways and up skilling her digital knowledge and learning new ways that come with the times we live in.

In any Business having savings is quite important and with lack of funding for small businesses it becomes quite hard to save. Gofaone explained how hard it was to save from the beginning and sometimes she would live from hand to mouth just to reach break even point. This is another learning curve which requires extensive discipline and further training in how to use income generated from the business to sustain the business.

Personal growth is a great part of self awareness and growing beyond just being a business woman and being able to navigate through life. Mental illness is one factor that disturbs our personal growth, Gofaone suffered from depression and anxiety, she attempted suicide and her mental state was drastically affected. She worked twice as hard to get out of that dark space, she found solitude in being around family and working on herself finding constructive ways in dealing with disappointments and challenges that come with life. She stayed positive and moved away from friendships that only drained her and pulled her down. She meditated, exercised to keep her energy levels intact and a clear mind and building her strength and resilience. Prayer was also part of her therapy, communicating with God and opening up herself that God can work His way in her healing process.

Gofaone is also a healer she comes from a prophetic family and so she heeded the call and began her journey. Transitioning into being a healer came with its challenges. 

"It is quite a complex and difficult journey it required me to be physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally ready"

She further explained how difficult it gets to sleep, sometimes you don't even get enough rest because you need to be constantly praying and seeking guidance from God and her ancestors. She lost many friendships and relationships due to her calling, there are certain places that she cannot go to or people she cannot be around.

She relates how difficult it gets at times, being a mother a healer and running multiple businesses and making time for herself. To be able to navigate around everything she has set Sundays apart for re-charging and also being in her sacred place of prayer. She believes strongly that without God and her ancestors she would have not reached and accomplished what she has now and therefore continues to be rooted in prayer.

In closing she had this to say for all the young girls and women of South Africa and beyond;

"I wish to show young black girls that you can come from a disadvantaged background but that does not determine your destiny, with courage and determination you can conquer any obstacle that may come your way. You are more than your looks and body you have the power to change your situation and anything is achievable" 

Gofaone wants to inspire many young girls through her work and tenacity, to work through life's adversities. 

"In conclusion Gofaone further stated that life is beautiful and colourful, you get to choose your own colours in your own canvass and how you write your own story and paint your own canvass is entirely up to you. Your dreams and your purpose cannot surface without you working towards it. Use your talents to grow and build yourself and others. Pray, meditate and have faith in God and in your craft, start with what you have make a difference don't forget to rest and don't give up on yourself"

For more info you can follow Gofaone on her social media pages

Facebook~Gofaone Oro Magano

Mathudi Educational Program

Gofaone Maids Cleaners