Meet the doctor selling Kotas to help patients who cannot afford surgery
Dr Ephraim Kgoete is using his side hustle to fund surgeries for patients who cannot afford medical care and South Africa is inspired.
While most doctors spend weekends resting after long shifts, Dr Ephraim Kgoete spends his behind a kota stand.
Not because he has to, but because somebody else desperately needs help.
The Sekhukhune doctor has become a local hero after using his kota business to raise money for patients who cannot afford surgery.
One of those patients, Thomas Mogale, knows exactly what that kindness feels like.
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According to Scrolla Africa, for more than 20 years, Mogale lived with cysts on his face.
He was mocked, laughed at and cruelly labelled “the ugly man” while sitting on a waiting list he could never afford to escape.
Then Dr Kgoete stepped in. The doctor removed the cysts for mahala, ending two decades of pain, embarrassment and hopeless waiting.
“Dr Kgoete is a hero,” said Mogale, 54, from Kgapane. “I pray that he lives more years in order to help others.”
Honestly, if there was ever a real-life example of “not all heroes wear capes,” this man is it.
Sometimes they wear aprons and hand you a kota with extra atchar.
The People’s Doctor
Dr Kgoete started selling kotas in 2018 as a way to raise money for surgeries and medical assistance for disadvantaged patients.
Since then, the side hustle has grown into something much bigger. He now employs three part-time helpers who work alongside him at street corners and events.
Beyond the kota stand, he runs free surgical drives, health awareness campaigns, school visits and even an annual fundraising long walk.
His mission is simple: become “Doctor ya batho”; the people’s doctor.
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He also had an important message for young professionals trying to survive this economy:
“In this economy, a salary alone is not always enough,” he said.
“Having another stream of income helps you save, invest and support your family better.”
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