21 Mar 2019

Ghotungu company director, Mr Kabelo Mahupe says plans are underway to open a hospitality and vocational training school in Shakawe.

He said learners from Okavango District had been travelling long distances to Gaborone, Maun and Francistown to access vocational and hospitality training.

In an interview, Mr Mahupe, who is a former teacher at Shakawe Junior Secondary School, said they had already secured a plot and were currently working on the logistics to kick-start the project.

The school is expected to offer courses such as automotive and electric engineering and canoe production as residents use canoes as a mode of transport for various purposes in the Okavango Delta.

“We will offer courses that are relevant to the local market and to the rest of the SADC member states,” he said.

He said there was a need to have such a school in Okavango more so that the was in a tourism hub, and that graduates would have an opportunity to penetrate the tourism industry.

Furthermore, Mr Mahupe stated that Okavango shared the border with Namibia and that it was an advantage for graduates to work in neighbouring countries.

Though he appreciated Shakawe Brigade, he said the institution had not offered courses which impacted positively on the livelihoods of the graduates, adding that courses offered included bricklaying and mechanics.

He said the new school would complement government efforts in education, adding that it would also provide employment opportunities for locals.

The company had ventured into hospitality, education and transport logistics and currently, they had opened doors for graduates from the mentioned fields to try their luck as fleet managers, conductors, drivers and accountants.

“My company’s vision is to become one of the biggest employers in the country, and I am proud to have already recruited some graduates in some of my businesses,” he stated.

Mr Mahupe also operates a guest house at Shakawe called Shakeville Bed and Breakfast, which has employed more than five people.

Born and bred in the dusty village of Kauxwi along the Okavango Delta, Mr Mahupe said he knows the needs and challenges of the district, and hoped that the services offered by his company would be an answer to residents. He said he intends to expand the guest house into a lodge to create more employment for graduates roaming the streets with qualifications.

One of his employees, Ms Rami Sendimba from Kauxwi acknowledged what Mr Mahupe’s company has done for residents of Okavango. She said she completed her certificate in hospitality and tourism operations in 2017, and fortunately got a job at the guest house.

She said it was worrisome as some companies had a tendency of bringing their own workers from other places, and wished they could stop the practice and give priority to the community they operated within.ENDS