Turning hardships into opportunities: Meet the businessman who didn't let being an orphan stop him from chasing his dreams

• Karabo Letsoalo became an orphan when he was only 12 years old, and he was forced to jump from family member to family member’s homes
• Speaking to Briefly News, the 30-year-old had to face growing up without his mother, bullies and unemployment, but he made a life for himself
• Letsoalo founded an NPO and company that focuses on empowering disadvantaged young people
• Letsoalo spoke to Briefly News to share his story and plans to empower young people in South Africa

Resilient, driven and fearless – these words best describe Karabo Letsoalo. The 30-year-old’s childhood was marred by the harsh realities of being an orphan. He was passed from one family member to another and bullied in school, all while trying to cope with the heartwrenching loss of his mother.

Karabo Letsoalo owns a printing company offering free services to people in need. Image: Supplied Source: UGC

These unfortunate challenges shaped Letsoalo’s character, fostering a can-do mindset that not even the toughest challenges could break. Briefly News spoke to the entrepreneur, who shared how he overcame the struggles of being an orphan and transformed his hardships into opportunities.

A teen mom who never saw her son grow up

Letsoalo was born on 24 September 1993 in Soshanguve to Pauline Ramokone Setlhare and Lloyd Mabusela. Letsoalo never discusses his father, but he has fond memories of his mother:

“She would always make a plan so that we don’t sleep on an empty stomach. That’s how she loved me, she was always with me and she would take me with her everywhere.”

Pauline gave birth to Letsoalo when she was only 15, but she was never ashamed of him. For the sake of her reputation, Pauline could have pretended to be Letsoalo’s sister, but he said to Briefly News she proudly told the world he was her son.

The entrepreneur lost his mother when he was 12 years old, and her death marked the beginning of a long and hard battle to succeed. Letsoalo moved from one family member to another and attended eight different schools. In some of the schools, he had to face bullies.

Karabo went from orphan to unemployed

When Letsoalo left high school, he faced another hurdle: unemployment. The 30-year-old faced the same reality as so many other young South Africans. Karabo promised his late mother that he would never give up, and his break came in the form of a local internet cafe that provided him with the tools to overcome it.

It inspired Letsoalo to open Pontana Printing, a business that offers the same services that helped him get on his feet:

“We offer free internet access is because of the experience I had when I was looking for employment opportunities, why are we charging alot of money to people who seeks job opportunities?

“This is the question I wish printing companies can ask themselves.”

Letsoalo empowers orphanages through an NPO

No one helped Letsoalo when he was a child, and it ignited a passion in the entrepreneur to make a difference in kids who faced the same struggles he did.

“We also have an NPO, our vision was directed by my life.

“We are determined to close the gap in the orphanages, we want to gather all the information regarding learnerships and internships to orphanages so that they can be aware of the opportunities they have.”

Karabo wants to help those growing up in orphanages with job opportunities, too:

“We have learnt that those children in the orphanages are limited and excluded from the information and opportunities out there,” he told Briefly News.

Letsoalo works a full-time job to make ends meet

Karabo’s desire to help other young people exceed his own needs.

The 30-year-old started his printing business with funding he got from the government. The money was enough to buy the necessary equipment, but because they offer free services for those in need, Letsoalo has to work a full-time job to sustain himself and his family.

Drawing from his own experiences, Letsoalo encouraged young people never to give up, always be humble and stay away from substance abuse as an escape.

His motto is: “Take a risk, you’ve got nothing to lose.”

KZN orphan who lost mom at 8 becomes an engineer

Briefly News previously reported on a similar story. Lungile Tracey Nsele, a young artisan in KZN, is thriving as a mechanical engineer after overcoming the struggles of growing up as an orphan.

Lungile’s mom died when she was eight in 2003, with her dad passing when she was around 12 in 2007:

“Growing up was not easy. Sometimes you need your parents’ advice. So, it was hard, and I felt like I had a hole in my heart. My dad was never part of my life.”

Nsele had to pave her own way, working as a domestic worker to fund her studies.