By Mpho Modiba
Refilwe Selepe is the owner of Fifie’s Kitchen, a restaurant that serves delicious food at The View Car Wash in Namakgale.
The 33-year-old woman from Nobody Ga-Mothapo in Polokwane is a professional chef who grew up in Namakgale where she started Primary School at Stanbury Primary School now called Foskor Primary.
She went to Sebalamakgolo High School where she matriculated in 2008.
In 2009 she enrolled at Mopani Tvet College to study Travel and Tourism where she completed level 4. In her final year, she got a leadership at Kruger National Park based at Letaba Camp for twelve months.
In 2013 she worked at Villa Luso restaurant as a waitress for two years. Then in 2016, she worked at Cajori Hotel as a bar lady. She proceeded to work at Bushveld Terrence Hotel as a front hostess. She also worked at a Big Five restaurant as a waitress that is where she got a breakthrough when she was identified by a person whose company was contracted at PMC and told her to apply for a position as a stock controller of the company inside PMC.
In 2018 she was employed at Kwashek Environmental doing water sampling and even in the Kruger National Park. In 2019 when her contract ended she registered a company that supplied cleaning material to PMC, Foskor, Moshate, Epic Water Park and Namakgale Shopping Complex.
In 2022 she started her restaurant operating from her family home in a garage. People loved her food and the demand was very high. She then had to rent out premises at The View Car Wash where she is currently based and now she has a second store at Sediba Beer Garden Shop no 17.
Fifie currently employs four people. Her message to the community members is that in life when you meet challenges do not give up. “Sometimes you will lose and sometimes you will win but always be consistent,” she said.
She says passion and hard work pay off. She encourages the youth not to sit and wait because time is waiting for no one. She further encourages young people to start their businesses.
She can be found at 1596 Bosveld The View Car Wash or be contacted at 0786556949 or refilwefaith@gmail.com
