Hwange women in tourism

Two local women are carving a future for themselves at Imvelo’s Camelthorn Lodge in the Ngamo area of Hwange, Zimbabwe. Despite the massive disruption to our business brought on by the Covid pandemic, Dudu and Siboe have stayed, welcoming Imvelo’s slowly returning guests with a bright smile and genuinely warm reception.

Dudu and Siboe are hosts whose skills complement each other – they have learned to manage long periods caretaking an empty lodge during the pandemic and then change gear quickly when the lodge filled up with a conference group or locals on safari after lockdown.   

Siboe Sibanda is truly a local lass with a passion for the youth of her area. She was born near Camelthorn in Tsholotsho and was educated at the local Ngamo Primary School and Tsholotsho High School. She completed a course in Nature Conservation and Environmental Education with Southern African Wildlife College and worked at Hwange Lion Research taking surveys in the community focused on the human/wildlife conflict in the area. She started at lmvelo in 2019.

“It was my dream to work in tourism – Imvelo being part of our community l thought of Imvelo as a world of opportunity – the best place to develop new skills.

“l have learnt that tourism is not only about other people travelling but it can also benefit the local people in many ways such as the creation of employment. Eighty percent of employees at lmvelo are from the local community.

“l feel blessed that l have an opportunity to make a difference in this world by working in tourism and I’m hoping to pursue a degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management. 

“l like working with happy, motivated and enthusiastic people – you never ever get bored in this industry. One of my most memorable experiences since joining lmvelo was helping our Smile and See Safari last year giving fluoride mouthwashes to the children at the local schools – it was an awesome experience. l would love to see more young people from the village working in the industry – it needs young and energetic people like the girls and boys from the village.”

Dudu Hlabangana comes from Makwakweni area in Tsholotsho. She attended junior school at Mgombane Primary School and then secondary school at Usher High, proceeding to Luveve High School for Advanced Level. In 2014 she attained a Bachelor of Science degree at Solusi University – “a dream come true as it was something I had strongly wished for from a very young age.”

“As a graduate it was easiest to find employment in the teaching profession. I was offered a place to teach physical education at Ngamo Secondary School and I spent a period of four years there as both a teacher and mentor for a group of young vulnerable girls.

“While working at Ngamo I got to know more about Imvelo. In 2019 an opportunity arose to join the Imvelo team and I immediately applied. My move to Imvelo was good because of my love for nature and people and I appreciated Imvelo’s contribution to the community. I felt that as a local person it was a great opportunity to also have a role in the development of our communities. 

“It is a special privilege to be working in tourism, creating memories for travelers, providing experiences that bring people joy; happiness is an emotion that multiplies. After work I go to bed feeling like I have made the world a better place. There is nothing more gratifying than having a guest come to you and say their stay has been perfect and how much fun they had and that they can’t wait to return or refer other people to visit. These are my best memories at Imvelo because it means we have done our job well. 

“My dream now is to become the best female safari lodge manager, and to empower women in our area to take on male-dominated jobs such as guiding and mechanics, so that one day we might be able to open our own companies and create more employment opportunities for people, thereby helping in the fight against poverty. I strongly believe that empowering women is essential to the health and social development of families, communities and countries. When women are leading productive lives, they can reach their full potential, contributing their skills to the workforce and can also raise happier and healthier children.”