P14 05072017

14 Wednesday 5 July 2017 BottomLine
THE NAMIBIAN THE NAMIBIAN
BottomLine
Wednesday 5 July 2017
From cleaner to
business owner
SEVEN years ago,
Namibian entrepreneur
Selma Jonas started a
tourism business named
Namibia Express Travel
Tours and Information
Centre. Due to capacity
constraints, Jonas approached
Bank Windhoek’s
Emerging Small
and Medium Enterprises
(ESME) branch last year
with a view to expand her
business. Her application
was successful, and she
now employs four people,
being a full-time driver,
two travel consultants and
an international consultant
based in Scotland.
Namibia Express Travel
Tours and Information
Centre is registered with
the Namibia Tourism
Board as a booking
agent. It offers flight
bookings, and free travel
information to local and
international tourists.
Additionally, the business
sells regional and
international holiday
packages, car rentals,
tours and a variety of
tourism-related offerings.
The story of the sole
owner, Jonas, is one of
absolute determination.
The beginning
Jonas’ story is of humble
beginnings. Her career
in hospitality and
tourism started 23 years
ago when she worked at a
local hotel during school
MEMORIAL
SERVICE
The memorial service for Francis Wanda
Hilfiker-Schumann will be held on Thursday,
06th July 2017 @ Christ Church
( Christus Kirche) @ 11h00
“I alone cannot change the world but can cast a
stone across the river to create many ripples”
Contact person: Marco: 081 127 8296
Photo: Contributed
DETERMINED ... Entrepreneur Selma Jonas (right) with one of her staff
members, reservations consultant Kuiina Kangootui posing in front of their
workplace.
holidays. “I started off
as a cleaner, and then a
waitress. When I eventually
matriculated from
Academia High School,
I was offered a full-time
job as a switchboard operator,”
said Jonas. She
strived for success, and
was subsequently promoted
to banqueting and
conference coordinator,
and later to receptionist.
“I enjoyed working,
but decided to further
my experience. I resigned
from the hotel and joined
a clothing retail group as
branch manager at Keetmanshoop,
and later Karasburg,”
she explained.
With retail experience
under her belt, Jonas
joined a chain of tourism
companies as a reservations
consultant, working
there for six years. She
became an expert in the
field of hospitality, travel
and tourism.
“It is my passion and
talent,” she beamed.
Challenges
Jonas faced many challenges
when she opened
her own business in 2010.
At the time, she lacked
financial discipline and
proper business planning
skills.
“I have been a Bank
Windhoek customer for
the past 23 years. I love
the bank’s culture and
customer service. Since
I approached the ESME
branch, my business has
grown tremendously. I
am psychologically and
financially matured due
to the advice I received
from the ESME team,”
she added.
According to her, obtaining
finance is one
of the major challenges
SMEs face. “My experience,
as the owner of an
SME, is that most of us
suffer silently because
we are scared to fail. We
do not want to approach
the banks, and we also do
not have our documents
in order,” she stated.
“Jonas had already
invested her own money
into the business, and
showed that she had
financial discipline,”
chipped in Mbo Luvindao,
branch manager:
Bank Windhoek ESME.
The ESME branch
caters specifically for
Namibian entrepreneurs
who can contribute positively
to the country’s
economy. Entrepreneurs
are provided with access
to Bank Windhoek
ESME branch, offering
a comprehensive range
of products tailored to individual
business needs.
“Jonas’ experience in
the travel and tourism industry
spans 18 years, and
Bank Windhoek assisted
her business with capacity
development through
financing the business’
growth,” added Luvindao.
“I am sincerely grateful
to Bank Windhoek’s
ESME branch. The bank
gave me a chance to grow
my business. Bank Windhoek
is not just a bank, it’s
my Namibian business
partner,” said Jonas.
“My advice to entrepreneurs
is that they
should stand up and approach
financial institutions,”
she said, noting
that business people
should know that it is
only through good financial
discipline and
ethics that a business can
succeed.
Chinese engineers
dig deep into Africa’s
infrastructure ambition
• RONALD SSEKANDI
and YUAN QING
KIRYANDONGO (Uganda) –
Thousands of kilometres away
from home, and deep underground
in northern Uganda,
27-year-old Wang Jian every day
traverses tunnels at a construction
site under the Nile, the world’s
longest river.
Fifty-three metres underground,
Wang, a civil engineer
from China’s Hunan province,
receives situation reports on the
ongoing construction of Karuma
Hydro Power Dam, Africa’s first
underground hydro power plant.
Outside the tunnel, Shen Jianjun
(47), was giving orders and
directions to local employees who
hope to draw from his 27 years of
experience in civil engineering.
Several hundred metres away
is 30-year-old Hou Fuqiang, the
chief engineer of the US$1,4 billion
project. Seated in a shared
office, Hou scrutinises a pile of
reports on his table.
Hou, like thousands of other
employees both in and outside the
tunnels, are determined to ensure
that the first power is produced by
the middle of next year.
They are among the thousands
of Chinese engineers working
to change the face of Africa by
developing the continent’s muchneeded
infrastructure.
VENTURE INTO AFRICA
When Wang learnt of his assignment
to Africa, he was perturbed,
and friends of the young graduate
were quick to remind him of the
wars and disease there.
Shen’s family had similar concerns.
“My family did not agree
with me, they have the impression
that Africa is not very stable, has
many diseases and most importantly
it is very far away from
home,” Shen said.
“But when I came here, I found
the place safe, the local people
are friendly, and there are a lot
of fruits,” Shen said.
This is a similar situation that
many Chinese engineers went
through after being assigned to
Africa.
Wang, like Shen and thousands
of other colleagues, had to fight
thoughts of leaving loved ones
thousands of miles behind and
working in a remote corner of
Africa.
Indeed, some of their fears are
not ungrounded.
For Wang, his greatest fear
was malaria, a disease that has
largely been wiped out in China,
and indeed it struck six of his
colleagues. Some persistently
fell sick until they had to leave
the project and return to China.
Despite the many challenges,
most Chinese engineers have
decided to stay here until accomplishing
their mission.
Wang told Xinhua that when he
wakes up every morning, what is
on his mind is achieving the goal
of completing the construction on
time. To that end, the Chinese engineers
and local employees often
work long hours with few breaks.
It is the work attitude that many
locals are hailing the Chinese for.
“When the Chinese came, it
changed the attitude of youths
here towards work. They used to
come out of bed late but now by
dawn, everybody is out working,”
Thomas Belly Okello, a resident
of Karuma town, told Xinhua.
– Nampa-Xinhua
Nampa-AFP
BUSINESS HICCUP ... Firemen remove
chicken and transport boxes from the A1 highway
in Asten near Linz, upper Austria, where a
poultry truck caused traffic chaos after losing
its freight yesterday.
Bank encourages generational banking
MOST good parents work hard
to ensure that their children are
equipped with the necessary
skills to get them through life
and succeed.
However, the one common
mistake that most parents make
is delaying teaching their children
the importance of banking
from a young age. Children
need to learn about banking
during their formative years so
that they can easily implement
the lessons learnt when they
grow older.
“A lot of people find it hard
to budget, save and invest
as adults because they never
learned how to when they were
younger. At Standard Bank, we
encourage our clients to instil
a culture of generational banking,
which begins with teaching
their children about banking at
a young age,” Standard Bank’s
PR and communications manager
Surihe Gaomas-Guchu
stated this week.
Gaomas-Guchu stressed that
it is never too early to start
talking to one’s children about
money because the sooner you
start, the more ingrained banking
gets in their minds, and they
will be able to navigate their
way through money with ease
in the future.
“Teaching your children
about money and banking
becomes generational because
they will see the role it played
in their lives, and they will
teach their children, who will
in turn teach their children.
This snowball effect becomes
generational,” she explained.
Piggy banks or savings jars
are the first steps in teaching
your children about the value
of money and saving, Gaomas-
Guchu advised. Give them a
target they need to reach every
month, and guide them on how
to stick to it. This teaches them
discipline and commitment, and
they also realise that the more
they save, the more money
they have.
“If your children want the
latest gadgets or toys, have them
save up for it, as opposed to just
buying it for them. It not only
teaches them about saving, but
also on investing in the things
they want,” she noted.
Gaomas-Guchu added that
it is important for a parent to
lead by example, so show them
that you too practise what you
preach. If need be, start your
Why tourism is important to Namibia
• ZELNA HENGARI
Transnet wants to recapitalise Zim railways
HARARE – South African logistics
group Transnet has bid to
recapitalise National Railways of
Zimbabwe (NRZ) with US$400
million, the state procurement
board (SPB) said yesterday.
NRZ is saddled with a debt
of US$200 million, and has
gone for months without paying
workers as Zimbabwe experiences
a serious dollar crunch
IT IS a known fact that tourism
is an important industry
in Namibia. It currently contributes
significantly towards
the Gross Domestic Product,
making it a valuable sector
within the country.
Unlike other segments
which have not been spared
by the tough economic challenges
the country is going
through, the tourism industry
has witnessed a tremendous
boost over the past two years.
This tells us of the resilience
within the industry, and the key
role it can play towards the
attainment of the Harambee
Prosperity Plan (HPP), fifth
National Development Plan
(NDP5) and the ultimate success
of Vision 2030.
Even during the weakening
of the Namibia dollar against
other major currencies, the
industry has seen a boost in
visitors, along with increased
revenue, due to the affordability
experienced by international
tourists travelling to
Namibia.
However, credit must also
be given to the exceptional
work that has been done by
the Namibia Tourism Board
(NTB) in marketing Namibia
as a destination of choice,
along with Air Namibia, in
getting foreign tourists into
the country, especially from
Namibia’s biggest source
market – Germany.
It is for this reason that
as government continues to
tighten its belt, it should not
reach a point where the country
reduces its expenditure
within the industry which will
result in a loss of momentum
that has been created over the
past few years. What could be
of assistance is to continue
investing in the sector, as this
not only gives the country an
opportunity to expose itself
to the world, but Namibia
also benefits from the direct
foreign exchange that comes
with international tourists.
A recent Facebook post
by Strive Masiyiwa, a wellknown
Zimbabwean business
person who travelled to Mauritius
on holiday a few years
ago, illustrates how further
investments into the country
can come from tourists. While
in Mauritius, Masiyiwa was
pleasantly surprised at how
knowledgeable the taxi driver
assigned to him was about the
tourism industry and investment
opportunities within his
country.
This interaction with the
taxi driver and the hotel manager
where he stayed later
resulted in him going back to
invest in that country.
It is for this reason that
we need to invest heavily in
customer service and product
knowledge. This is not only at
the tourism establishments,
but at the different points of entry
as well. To put it simply, the
first impression of any guest is
how they are welcomed when
they arrive at the airports, or
any of the border posts.
This experience creates a
and electricity shortages.
Transnet made the bid jointly
with Diaspora Investment Group,
a group of Zimbabwean investors
living abroad, the SPB said in
Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare.
The board also said Malaysia’s
SMH Railway had made a bid
to spend US$100,7 million to
refurbish locomotives for NRZ,
while the Zimbabwean operations
of chartered accountants
group Crowe Horwath International
said it could secure funding
of up to US$2,5 billion for the
state-owned railway company.
In another bid, local firm
Croyeaux Pvt Ltd said it would
organise US$700 million in debt
to recapitalise NRZ.
“Within the next coming 10
days, we should actually be
lasting impression on how they
will perceive Namibia, and
later inform their family and
friends about their experience
within the country. It is also
important that we ensure the
safety of the tourists while in
the country so that they do not
suffer any criminal activities
during their stay here.
The future looks bright for
the industry. What is critical
is for each one of us to keep
building on what we have in
order to leave a solid foundation
for future generations. It
would be sad to get to a time
when all the beauty we have
is destroyed.
That is why we should
continue to guard against individuals
who want to tamper
with this. Lastly, the Namibian
government deserves credit for
its current and future efforts
to safeguard our wild animals
and environment.
* Zelna Hengari is the managing
director of the Namibia
Wildlife Resorts.
able to come up with a recommendation
as to who the winning
bidder is,” NRZ chairman Larry
Mavhima told reporters after the
opening of six bids.
“What we are looking for is
an investment in NRZ, whether
it’s in debt form or equity, and
it’s not about buying a certain
number of locomotives only,”
Mavhima said – Nampa-Reuters
own savings jar for a small item
that you wish to buy. When your
children see how you are filling
up your jar and eventually buy
the item, they will be motivated
in their savings endeavours.
“When your child becomes a
teenager, open a bank account
for them, which they can use
to save their money and have
access to use it. It also teaches
them to be responsible, and this
is the time they learn to budget,
based on what they have in their
accounts,” she said.
This will aid in creating a
culture of banking, saving and
budgeting in the children, and
will be carried on for generations
to come.
Gaomas-Guchu said it is important
that parents always have
honest conversations with their
children about money. “Money
doesn’t have to be a scary subject
or a taboo. Use financial
discussions as teachable moments,
and your children will
be better for it in the long run.”
For more information on
the best accounts for your children,
visit your nearest branch,
Standard Bank website at www.
standardbank.com.na, or log
onto the bank’s Facebook page
Surihe Gaomas-Guchu
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N$4000.00
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Terms and conditions apply
Made in Germany for the Namibian People.
Find our show room at Dorado Valley Complex
next to Shoprite U-Save. Call: 081 035 8326
c/o Ara & Bach Street, Windhoek West
Visit our website: www.nampengo.com
15
If your children want
the latest gadgets
or toys, have them
save up for it, as opposed
to just buying
it for them. It not
only teaches them
about saving, but
also on investing in
the things they want.
– Surihe Gaomas-Guchu
Zelna Hengari