​IKETSETSE

Iketsetse Single Stroke Maize Sheller

 

One of Iketsetse's unique contibutions is our Maize Sheller. This tool invented and developed by Staff members Terry Ellard and Litsebe Tsiame has the potential to save thousands of hours of monotonous labor freeing women to engage in more lucrative income generating activities. It can also also provide income to its owners through subcontracting shelling services.

It is being locally constructed at Iketsetse and our apprentices are being trained to build this and our other tools with the hope that they will start their own businesses.

The machine can shell maise at 16 time the rate of traditional methods and 6-7 times faster than crank type devises sold in some countries. The ears of maize are placed in the machine as shown and the handle is pushed down. All the kernels are deposited into a sack or bucket placed below the outlet.

A 20 liter bucket can be filled in 18 minutes or less at a normal speed. The value of this service in Lesotho is R5 so 3 buckets and hour would pay twice the going wage rate of R7 per hour for those lucky enough to have a job.