Why Botswana youth can still built wealth

Good afternoon, let’s get into it.

Today you’re receiving the article later than usual, but it’s okay. Yesterday, I was having a conversation on WhatsApp with one of my friends about a book he’s currently reading, “The Stellenbosch Mafia.” he says the book is about how the Stellenbosch friends and relatives built their wealth with each other.

Those were deeply interesting words he said. As we know, men like Johann Rupert, Jannie Mouton, Markas Jooste, Christoe Weise, etc, are among this mafia. They built their great wealth through unity.

Now, how am I relating this to the youth of Botswana who have basically little income compared to these? It’s simply because even a little income that is united can create vast wealth if united by an individual goal.

I’m also drawing inspiration from Mma Khumo Nawa of Money Managers, with her motshelo team that invests in stocks and businesses.

Most young people feel they can’t invest because of their low income. A typical varsity student earns P1900, and that’s true; most investments in the stock market are expensive for a student; they might take 2/3 of your allowance. This also includes if you want to start a business, your only option is to save up for it. But when you’re with friends who want the same thing, money can be split.

It dawned on me yesterday that, if maybe one can’t pop out P600 individually for buying an ETF like NewGold, which currently trades at P502.00, it’s a better option to use friends to build with them. So that means you and your friend will contribute P300 each.

But here’s the catch: most young people aren’t united like rich people, especially in terms of wealth creation; we’d rather unite over going on a trip or for food and alcohol. That’s why they like to say your closest friends determine your net worth.

In my opinion, when it comes to black people, the biggest curse on us is the lack of unity. This is the biggest problem that gets transferred to their children. If we can unite, we can build wealth, build this economy and society better.

This was the exact conversation I was having with my friend as I was encouraging him for us to be more united as we’re both in media, him pursuing his Master’s in Media and I going for them next year, not to get better jobs, no, but to fill gaps we see in Botswana’s creative industry, build and form good investments for our communities.

So remember, united we stand, divided we fall. This country was built on unity; we can build our lives on unity, individualism, competition, and keeping up with the Joneses sets us back.