inBUSINESS Issue 15

COVER COVER STORY STORY
Tuelo Botlhole
The Ga-Siko Lad at the Helm of PPC Botswana
Often having to be dragged to school as a child by parents who had themselves never
been there is in sharp contrast to Tuelo Botlhole’s latter-day academic credentials
among whose rewards is his current perch at the zenith of one of Botswana’s distinctly
blue chip establishments, writes TUDUETSO TEBAPE
Growing up, Tuelo Botlhole hardly had ambitions
of one day being a leader. Such aspirations can
be difficult to develop when growing up in a
large family. Which was the case with Botlhole,
who is one of eight children. This, however, does
not mean he was ill-motivated because his older siblings
were always there to encourage him to do his best.
This was instilled alongside other values, including hard
work and the merits of a good education, thus laying the
foundation for the leader that Botlhole would become later
in his life. Today he sits at the helm of PPC Botswana as
the first Motswana to ever hold the position of General
Manager of the company that is one of Botswana’s leading
and longstanding partners in the construction industry
that it supplies with cement and aggregates.
Botlhole explains: “PPC has three divisions - cement,
aggregates and lime. As GM, I have oversight authority
over the cement and aggregates divisions. We see ourselves
as providers of materials and solutions. By that we mean we
want to provide customers with a one-stop shop, hence we
try to bring the two divisions together so that we provide
a one-stop shop. My role in this is to provide strategic
leadership.”
He has come a long way from his humble beginnings
at Ga-Siko in his native Ramotswa where he was raised
by parents who, although had no personal experience
of a classroom, were unrelenting in their insistence on
their children obtaining a good education because they
were convinced of the value that would flow from it. But
it was not always smooth-sailing for the parents because
Botlhole’s interest was questionable at best.
“From a very tender age, like most kids I was very
reluctant to go to school,” he volunteers. “And on a number
of times, my parents had to physically drag me to school.
For parents who had never attended school to put eight
children through school, from primary through secondary
school, I think it was nothing short of remarkable. They
played a central role in determining the person that I am
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www.inbusiness.co.bw | Issue 15 | 2017