Namibia: Tourism Group Tells African Story

By Matthew Dlamini

The Hafeni Afrika Tourism Group at Mondesa, Swakopmund, has found inspiration to sell the African story through community tourism.

According to Heinrich Hafeni, the founder and chief executive officer of the group, the company, which started operating in 2011, focuses on cultural tourism and organises guided tours to informal settlements to promote community tourism.

The company has three subsidiaries - the Hafeni Traditional Restaurant, the Hafeni Africa Tourism City, and the Hafeni Guest House.

"Tailor-made tour packages to the townships of Mondesa and DRC at Swakopmund, Kuisebmund at Walvis Bay, and Katutura in Windhoek are very popular with foreign tourists," Hafeni says.

The entrepreneur says tourists love going off the beaten track to eat kapana, see locals drinking tombo, and to witness their way of life.

"We also have tours in Windhoek, Swakopmund and other towns, and take tourists to historical sites as well as on camping safaris at places like Etosha, but our focus is on cultural and community tours, during which tourists see shebeens and cuca shops in townships and along the popular tourism routes," he says.

Hafeni is also a Swakopmund municipality councillor.

"Our aim is to be at every strategic tourism location, telling our own African story about communities along these tourism routes to enrich tourists' experience in Namibia," he says.

Ironically, informal settlements are not only attractive to European tourists, but also to people from South Africa, where there are shacks as well, Hafeni says.

"They may stay in top hotels, but they come down to see their brothers in the townships," he says.

He says Namibians have been supporting the Hafeni Restaurant at Mondesa because they love the environment and the traditional food it serves.

"We are working with banks and other investors on constructing a 20-room facility at Mondesa which will offer affordable accommodation to local and foreign tourists and will also serve traditional food from different regions of the country," he says.

He says he has spent five years working in the tourism sector in eastern and southern Africa before setting up his company.

Hafeni says the envisaged hotel would also provide information to people going on boat cruises, or participating in quad biking or other outdoor activities at the coast.

The Covid-19 lockdown has taken its toll, he says, and he had to sell some company assets, including vehicles, to stay afloat.

"We are not out of the woods yet, but we are rebuilding and repositioning the business to remain a strong African brand. We want the business to become an intra-Africa tourism giant by bringing in partners from Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and even Ghana," he says.

Hafeni is also the president of the Africa Economic Leadership Council, an organisation creating a link between African entrepreneurs.

He says they have learnt lessons from the pandemic and have gained the motivation to move forward.

Although some workers had to be laid off, they are still in the company's plans and will be taken back as business operations return to normal, he says.

Hafeni advises those aspiring to venture into the tourism sector to have a positive attitude, be passionate about their business, and believe in themselves.

"We want to make the townships an attractive tourist destination as this will inspire communities, especially the youth, to find ways of uplifting themselves."

He says besides encouraging entrepreneurship in the council, he also holds motivational talks for budding entrepreneurs at his Mondesa restaurant.

"I and other Erongo business leaders held motivational talks at Arandis, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay during the lockdown to encourage budding business people to persevere during tough times," he says.

March 31, 2022