24 Mar 2015

Around this time of the year, there are hardly any foreign tourists as it is normally the case in Kasane. This is what off-peak tourism season means up here. Tour companies have to rely on Batswana to give them business. 

Thirty-three year old Chire Morundu knows this full well. He has been in the industry for eight years now, seven of which he was an employee. 

But come May, the town is awash with tourists from all over the world, walking up and down the walkways and streets of Kasane, oohing and ahhing over warthogs and monkeys, animals which residents would not have to look twice at. 

Now  that Murundu is a business owner, he is using his seven-year experience  to make his mark. He owns Katerina, a 12-seater boat which he uses for cruises and fishing expeditions.

While he is certainly not the first, he seems to be making quite some waves in the industry. He reveals that his selling point is telling customers how his business started and how government gave him a head start.  “Whenever I tell customers my story, they are so impressed and go on to tell their friends about me, who in turn come back to give me more business,” says an elated Murundu.

Funded under the Youth Development Fund (YDF) to the tune of P100 000, Morundu had to raise the other P87 000 to have enough cash to buy the boat. That was after a certain woman, who had always been like a mother figure to him, offered to help with the rest of the money hence the name Katerina to honour her. 

With only about seven months in the business, Morundu reveals that he is now close to paying off Katerina loan and wants to start paying the youth department soon. “I want to clear the youth loan within a year, two maximum,” he reckons.  

Asked about profit, he hesitates. “During the peak season, I can make between P50 000 to P70 000 per month,” he pauses, “but in a season like this, I am content with P10 000.” Good customer service, he says, is what is growing his business. Lodges that he has worked for before also give him business. He can be so busy that he gets bookings for all the day’s three slots while others remain idle for days, he says. 

He credits Kubu Lodge, where he once worked as a porter, for inspiring him to go into tour guiding business as the manager bought him some books to teach him tour guide basics. The lodge continues to support him by referring clients his way.

Interestingly, Morundu seems to have fused boat cruising with cultural tourism. Originally a Shakawe native, he is a renowned diware dancer. “One time I surprised my clients during a boat cruise by switching off the engine and changing into my traditional attire then out of nowhere I danced for them and they loved it,” he quips. 

Since then, he has added cultural dance to his services and often dances for his clients after boating expeditions. On the tipping culture, Morundu notes that tipping differs depending on nationality. 

“White South Africans are the best in tipping and appreciating our job,” he says adding, “when they enjoy the services, they will ask for my business card and market my business to their friends and refer more clients to me”. 

What about Batswana? “Batswana who stay in places outside Chobe are often good tippers and really abide by the rules of the national park. As for locals here, they are familiar with the environment and really do not care much for anything else except partying,” he says

He says at times he gets into trouble with park authorities over noise when doing boat cruises as locals often want to party, dance and sing. However, there are a few exceptions. 

“There is a group of Batswana who are my customers, who are very organised and abide by the industry rules and tip very well. I think because they are mostly based in the tourism industry they understand the dynamics,” he notes. Morundu, however, acknowledges that Batswana also play a big role in growing his business. 

The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture has observed that tourism oriented projects tended to perform much better in Chobe especially boats. Morundu is on his way to becoming one of those success stories.  He is planning to create a website to expand his reach and wants to expand his fleet. 

“Given the bookings that we have for the coming season, I am afraid I will have no choice but to expand soon,” he notes. BOPA