January 20, 2006
By Tammy O'Reilly
MANDY Mankazana says she left her modelling and acting career to start a tour operating company because she didn't want to be famous. Today, her business is so successful that it has rendered her attempts to escape the limelight futile.
Imbizo Tours, based in Soweto, is known in several countries and many tourists tell other tourists about the company. A number of websites have highlighted her tours as a must-do, and now she has won the prestigious International Award for the Tourist, Hotel and Catering Industry.
The Trade Leaders Club, an organisation that has been honouring the most outstanding tourism establishments since 1975, will present the award to Mankazana in Madrid on 25 January. The following day the South African embassy in the Spanish capital will host a reception in her honour.
Speaking at a press conference at the Gauteng Tourism Offices in Newtown, Mankazana said that when she started her business, her aim was to give visitors a multi-faceted view of Soweto.
"I didn't start this business because I wanted to make money; I started because I wanted to make people aware of how beautiful Soweto is. Most tour companies put the tourists on a bus and drive them through the streets.
"We do the same, but we get off the bus. I take them to the shacks, to the sangomas and to the places where they can experience Soweto life the way it really is," she said.
She also offers safari tours and the Kruger National Park seems to be a favourite destination for tourists.
"Tourists just love animals. Many of them still think we have lions and elephants walking around so some of them are surprised to see that they are actually kept in a very controlled and friendly environment."
She said that much of her success could be attributed to the support she had received from the community.
"Soweto is my product, and if you don't have a good understanding of your product then it will be hard to succeed in any business. I have such a good relationship with the community that they even tell me to invite my tourists to their weddings and funerals."
In the 10 years since Mankazana started her business, she has managed to attract clients from around the globe and has close business relations with travel agents in Germany, Britain, France, Australia and the USA.
Two multi-lingual tour guides conduct the tours. They say they not only give visitors a chance to get to know Soweto, but that they themselves get to learn more about the place and its people.
"Everyone thinks because we are tour operators, we know everything about Soweto, but that's not true," said Thomas Madau.
"Because it has such a mixture of personalities, minds and cultures, one person can never know everything about that place. It's a wonderful experience even for us."
For a real cultural experience, contact Imbizo Tours on 011 838 2667 or on 083 700 9098.
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