Pic: MEC Jesta Sidell (In Blue) and HOD Immy Serakalala
From White River, in the City of Mbombela, Emelda Mithi, Sales and Marketing Manager for Hotel 24/7, came to meet buyers for the 3-star hotel that serves both domestic and international guests.
“Our expectations for the Africa’s Travel Indaba were 50/50 met,” she said. Some confirmed bookings didn’t show up, partly due to travel disruptions from recent flooding. Still, she valued the platform.
“I thank MTPA(Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agemcy)for creating this platform that we get to meet different types of businesses, clients, and also giving us a chance to grow as SMMEs(Small Medium and Micro Enterprises), as well as getting the exposure. Tourism is a very fun industry but at the same time it needs a lot of hard work,” Mithi said.
Pic: MEC Japic:and HOD Immy
Across the hall, Angie Shabangu, owner of Blossom & Blooms Flowers and Events, was telling a different story, one of growth from a single idea. She started the business in 2019 with flowers, then expanded into hampers, candles, diffusers, room sprays and bath salts.
“I needed to create a hamper that people can keep and remember for a very long time,” she said.
Chosen by Ehlanzeni District Municipality to represent her business, Shabangu said the Indaba opened doors she hadn’t expected.
“I have met great investors, who are people that are from outside the SADC countries and they are requesting my services. It has been such an amazing experiencing and it makes me very emotional as I look back from where the business started and where it is now,” she said.
Sales weren’t her main goal.
“My intention was get investors to order more of my product and take it outside the country. I’m so grateful to be here, I’m growing as a business,” said Shabangu.
She’s now planning to supply guest houses and spas, and collaborate with a beadwork artisan to fuse Western and African designs. For other young entrepreneurs, her message was clear:
“I would like to encourage new entrepreneurs not to sleep on their ideas, because my idea started with nothing but I knew that it must end with something… We need each other as entrepreneurs to grow. You are not an island,” said Shabangu.
Nathi Masango, responsible for tourism at Ehlanzeni District Municipality, brought the delegation of SMMEs from the local municipalities of Thaba Chweu, Mbombela, Nkomazi and Bushbuckridge. His focus was exposure and follow-through.
“We came to this Travel Indaba with our SMMEs so that they can be exposed to avenues in line with the service they provide. What is important is that they’ll go back home with added experience,” she added.
Ehlanzeni district committed for the long haul.
“As Ehlanzeni District Municipality we want our SMMEs to be exposed to their counterparts, and they can have an exchange programme. We are always there to support them and we’ll be working closely with them for the next two years to ensure that they can eventually stand on their own pushing sustainable and successful businesses,” said Masango.
He also noted the role of provincial support. “I’m so happy that our MEC for DEDT(Department of Economic Development and Tourism),Jesta Sidell, has engaged them and encouraged them to interact with her Department,” Masango concluded.
From hotels in White River to handmade hampers heading overseas, the message from Ehlanzeni’s SMMEs was the same: the work is hard, but the opportunity is real and they are ready for it.
