PAGE STRAPON YOUNG KZN ENTREPRENEURS SPOTLIGHT
The future is young for youth in tourism business The month of June commemorated South African Youth Tourism. KwaZulu-Natal thought it best to celebrate the success of young entrepreneurs in the tourism business.
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ore and more young people are leaving their cookie-cutter nine-to-five jobs to venture into entrepreneurship.
Nkosiyazi Makhanya was born and raised in Izingolweni, a small village on KZN’s south coast, began his business – KXC Adventures – in 2016, which focuses on tour operations, branding and marketing. “My passion for entrepreneurship ignited when I joined the work environment as a sales and marketing representative, allowing me to work with diverse people. The experience in the fast-moving consumer goods industry gave me confidence to start my own business,” he said. Mr Makhanya had faced many challenges in terms of financial capacity and how to establish a business. However, he overcame this by having worked in the sales industry for nine years and attending a variety of business workshops, networking and analysing
business trends in South Africa. KXC Adventures now manages KwaXolo Caves Adventures, which has three permanent and two contract staff. Mr Makhanya envisions KwaXolo Caves Adventures will offer more activities to locals and tourists with a zipline, a suspension bridge and even a restaurant and coffee shop in the future. “Tourism KZN has been a critical part of our progress and success today. With the help of their Growth and Development Unit, our staff have been trained to become professional tour guides and have received accredited certificates.” His advice to young people is to work tirelessly to turn dreams into reality.
Philile Nzimande, is the founder of Traveling Cheapskates, a travel company that creates group travel experiences for millennials in KZN. Philile manages a team of two freelancers, multiple drivers and a few accommodation establishments. “My passion for travel and giving young people the gift of
40 Business Events Africa August 2021
travel is what inspired me to start my own business," she said. Her love for making travel accessible to her counterparts pushed her towards entrepreneurship. She lives by the motto “Travel first, think later!”. Ms Nzimande said that even in a liberal and democratic society, establishing a business as a young black woman in the travel industry was the hardest time for her. “Lack of finances is not the end of your business; start with what you have and build from there,” she said. Her advice to young people moving forward in the tourism industry is collaboration — it is important to collaborate with as many likeminded companies as possible. Ms Nzimande sees a promising future for Traveling Cheapskates. Her five-year vision board includes being a leader in South African black travel, attracting clients from the UK and the USA and also owning a transport business to create more authentic travel experiences for her clientele.
Another remarkable success story is Lungelo Phakathi, founder of Tuscany by the Sea, located in Port Edward. He opened the guest house in 2016 and www.businesseventsafrica.com
