05 Jul 2020

Boat operators  need an association to help members speak with one voice.

That is the reason why a group of 16 boating business people have come together and registered a name while the drafting of a constitution is ongoing.

One of the 16 is Mr Kenneth Tsie, who has been offering boating activities for the past four years.

He said, in an interview, that an association would help address critical matters such as having a standard price for activities to benefit all equally.

The membership, Mr Tsie noted, was open to all interested boating operators.

Mr Tsie owns Bush Adventure, a company that offers boat and mokoro activities.

He boasts 15 years of experience as a tour guide, mainly in the Chobe region and that has come in handy in his business.

Boating, he observed, required professional training and for one to be familiar with Water Affairs Department regulations.

“Safety precautions are a must.

The use of life jackets and availability of fire extinguishers at all times must be ensured,” he said.

He said one must be able to spot any change in the channel.

“Water bubbles tell the kind of animal that might be in the vicinity, whether its fish, hippo or crocodile,” he said.

Mr Tsie’s self-sponsored his business and owns a six, four and 20-seater boats.

Mr Tsie, originally from Sepopa in the Okavango Sub-district, employs four people on part time basis.

Like others in the tourism industry, the boating business suffered losses as a result of COVID-19. Nonetheless, the boating industry has been given the green light to operate under COVID-19 regulations by the Ministry of Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism.

He said some clients came intoxicated with alcohol and failed to cooperate, but the police assist with those.

He offers short boat and mokoro trips, long trips and weekend aways to the Okavango Delta.

He noted that prices had been reduced in recognition of the fact that many locals could not afford boat cruises. Ends