By IANS,
Phalaborwa (South Africa) : A group of 11 women in this town has opened a 4.5-million rand ($587,696) guest house, targeting visitors during the 2010 FIFA Football World Cup the country is hosting.
The Sasavona Guesthouse in Lulekani, a few kilometres from the Kruger National Park in Phalaborwa in the northern province of Limpopo has been opened to tourists and visitors this week, but the real target is the World Cup tourists, BuaNews reported Saturday.
The municipality of Phalaborwa encouraged the 11 women to come up with the plan to build a guest house. The Limpopo Business Support Agency (LIBSA), provided the necessary funding for its construction.
The guest house has 10 chalets and a conference hall which has been named after former president Nelson Mandela. All the chalets were also named after the country’s warrior kings such as Shaka, Soshangane and Ngungunyane.
“We want to thank all the people who helped us achieve our dream. We were poor and unemployed, but today, we have become entrepreneurs,” said project manager Mercy Mabunda.
The women were also taught life skills, business management, marketing, computer literacy, food preparation, tourism and hospitality.
One of the women, Nomia Mokoena, lives with her unemployed husband and seven children in a shack.
“I am happy because I will soon be earning a decent salary. I will use the money to build a proper house for my family,” she said with a smile.
The guest house has been registered with the government as a cooperative.