Meet Temahlane Masuku; a 23 Year-Old Entrepreneur, High School Teacher and Mother

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Temahlane Masuku. I am 23 years old, from Mbabane, but my homestead is in the Shiselweni Region.

I am a young person who recently graduated from UNESWA in 2018. I studied consumer science education, am currently unemployed and searching for a job. I was raised by a single mother; I lost my father when I was four years old and have three siblings; two brothers and one sister. I have a child; a baby girl, who will be turning three years old soon.

Before I graduated, jobs were difficult to find so I wondered what I could do for myself. With my allowance money, I started a small business and managed to get a trading license for mobile money; an informal trade. At the same time, I had to earn enough money to graduate, so I started to work as a nanny and waitress. I was finally able to graduate like normal kids.

While I was working as a nanny, I saw a newspaper ad about the youth fund and I applied for the loan. Fortunately, I was granted it. No one is working at home so I am the provider and am trying to pay back the loan. My business also ended up failing. Now, the situation with COVID-19 has made things worse but I am trying to earn a living; I am selling clothes, communicating with young people and finding new ways of living as I am currently stocking-up in China.

How has COVID-19 affected you?

To be honest, all I can say is that it is by the grace of God that we get through it. Sometimes, I am hopeless, crying at night and not okay, as this year I was hoping to work. I am a senior school teacher by profession so I was hoping to be employed, although I am looking for other opportunities. I am looking on the positive side because when you look at the negative side, you aren’t going to survive the stress. I have people to live for.

My daughter stays with my mother but at the moment, I am with her in Mbabane because my mum isn’t physically well. Besides  that, she has been taking care of my daughter since she was a baby, so I think I should give her a break.

Where would you like to see yourself next year?

I have decided to go back to school again. In my profession, there are many people waiting for the same job so I decided to make a new start. I am still trying to observe new opportunities for myself. Unfortunately, sometimes, I am rejected from attaining scholarships as I finished my degree early, so at times, I am over-qualified. But I am still hoping for the best.

What brought you here today?

At some point, I was looking at what my career will be based on and hoped to get an understanding of what is happening out there. Yes, we are being affected by COVID-19 but there is much I don’t know about the pandemic, so I have been seeking new information. On the other hand, if ever I want to pursue my education such as getting a masters, I hope to have something to work on as a project.

If you had a message for young Emaswati, what would it be?

Get educated but don’t stick on the fact that you are educated. You might want that job and cannot sleep, but there are many things you can live on such as skills; develop new skills, especially in business. You can survive through business no matter the situation. You might be unemployed but it is another source of income. It is a great source of income over time and is a lifetime investment. Don’t look for profits now but look at the end. Each and every day, I am learning a lot such as handling people and customers; what they need and what they want. You should sell something unique. Be innovative on what to sell and what direction to go.

If you had a message for the UN, what would it be?

As much as you need education, especially in Swaziland, you should not only focus on education. Give life skills from a young age; children should be taught how to fix cars from an early age because jobs are vanishing, especially office jobs. Education is only teaching us office jobs.

On the other hand, I feel that there should be an unemployment fund so that you can earn a living. When people are hiring, they should consider those on scholarships. The government has been paying for me from a young age so I hope to pay them back but I can’t if they are not hiring me.