Onneetse Mazunga - Botswana Guest CRM & Service and Standards Manager

 

Onneetse Mazunga has a long-held passion for the conservation of Botswana’s pristine wilderness areas after nearly two decades of working in the ecotourism industry in her home country, Botswana.

 

Growing up in Lobatse, she initially wanted to become a teacher or nurse, but – and some may call it fate – she battled to find space in college and her then boyfriend encouraged her to consider the tourism industry. A thrilling journey ensued, and her continued dedication to her work has seen her grow from strength to strength over the years.

 

Fondly known as One, she completed her six-month Certificate in Tourism at the Botswana Wildlife Training Institute, the course covering a number of topics in all tourism departments. In 2002 she gained back- and front-of-house experience through an internship position at a local game lodge, which subsequently led to a permanent receptionist position.

 

 

 

It was during a visit to her then partner, Alex Mazunga, who was a guide at Mombo, that One got her big break. While Alex was with guests or out on game drives, One didn’t just sit around – rather she found herself helping where she could, including in the kitchen and front of house. Drawing the attention of the managers, she returned home to serve her notice after receiving a job offer. In 2005, she began working at Mombo as a hostess, where she looked after the front of house and ensured that guests were well taken care of.

 

In 2005, One and Alex married and had a child. Upon returning from maternity leave, she decided it was time to gain more skills, and completed a Localised Management Training course over six months. Enabling her to broaden her knowledge base, in the next few years One worked in housekeeping, guest relations, front of house, and as a relief administrator-manager. She also convinced her husband to enrol in management training, which opened up a whole new world for the couple. Their skills and competence were realised quickly and they moved to King’s Pool Camp.

 

Having worked as Acting General Managers at King’s Pool, the couple then took over the General Manager positions at Little Vumbura for a short time; here they concentrated on up-skilling the staff to higher service standards, including focusing on English language skills. After a brief interlude at another safari company, they returned to King’s Pool as GMs for a further two years.

 

 

 

2013 marked a year of incredible growth for One, as she was offered a position at Vumbura as the Kwedi Concession Manager, a move which took her by complete surprise – but senior management in Maun believed she was the right person for the job. In this role she supported the GMs of three camps, ensuring standards were maintained across a broad spectrum of operations, and that Wilderness Safaris’ overall guest experience was adhered to.

 

One then moved to Maun, taking on the role of Operations Assistant, which was followed by a promotion to Guest Relations Consultant. In her current position in the Service and Standards team, One is the Service and Standards Manager for our partner properties and is also the main point of contact for the CRM portfolio within the region.

 

Her hard work and dedication have served her well and she continues to demonstrate all the positive characteristics of the Wilderness Way. One says, “I often look back and wonder how I did this. Everything happened so quickly. I intend to continue showing my colleagues that the Wilderness Way arises from caring for others, hard work and enjoying your work environment. The company cares for its staff and its communities, as well as the surrounding wildlife, and I feel I can stand tall and talk with pride about Wilderness Safaris to the world”.