Page 13 - Gondwana Collection Namibia Value Creation Report 2021

ABOUT GONDWANA

Manni Goldbeck – Gondwana’s brand father
2015 The Academy launches establishing the Owambo People’s Congress, the forerunner Some stories have surprising beginnings. Who would have guessed that a history and geography teacher would co-found Namibia’s iconic tourism
Since our inception, training and development was a company of the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO). He brand? Manni Goldbeck, a third-generation Namibian, with German forefathers, is a teacher, storyteller and visionary.
focus, and this was formalised into the Gondwana Hospitality considered an Oshiwambo name to represent two-thirds of
Training and Leadership Academy in 2015. Read more on page 49. the population. He thought of an Otjiherero name but realised Manni grew up on a cattle farm about 100km east of Windhoek. He was not the eldest son, otherwise, he would have taken over the
that it too would shift the balance. He realised that it wasn’t farm. His love for nature started on the farm, happily exploring in solitude and reading. He attended boarding school, completed
2015 – One person can make a difference wise for one group to have supremacy over the others. He his teachers' training and then joined the army for three months. He disliked the army as it did not align with his values.
decided on ‘Namib’, a neutral name from the Nama language.
Consistent service excellence is critical if we wish to maintain Kerina suggested that the independent nation be known as Manni began teaching at a multicultural school that catered to students from all walks of life, many on bursaries. Many
our competitive edge. With 'The Power of One Voice' campaign, the ‘Republic of Namib’ and that the country’s nationalism be of Namibia’s leaders hail from that school. He also joined a multicultural soccer club. He felt privileged to experience
Gondwana and other leading Namibian brands united to support known as ‘Namibianism’. The name filtered through the ranks different cultures, which was rare under Apartheid.
a national awareness of service excellence. Canadian musician and of SWAPO and the United Nations and was adopted by other 2017 – Passing the baton Gondwana is proud that it is a born-free company built after independence. Namibia’s values are reflected in Gondwana
speaker Dave Carroll added his voice and lyrics to this initiative. nations, finally evolving into ‘Namibia’. After 21 years, Gondwana’s founder and MD Manni felt it was time and its people. Even Namibia’s founding president, Dr Sam Nujoma, who rocked up at Canyon lodge in 2001, took Manni

Dave achieved social media fame after United Airlines failed The professor had travelled the world, met to step down. He successfully handed over the baton to the 2020 – 30 Years of Independence aside and asked how he managed to unify different cultures at the lodge. Manni loves how Gondwana embraces diversity
current MD, Gys Joubert.
to respond to damage caused to his valuable Taylor guitar exceptional people, including Mahatma Gandhi For Namibia’s 30 Years Independence, Gondwana and creates safe spaces where everyone is welcome.
adequately. His retaliatory music clip United Breaks Guitars and Nelson Mandela, but had not enjoyed the 2017 – Employees become invited the living members of the Namibian Manni believes Namibia to be the greatest country in the world. Its varied landscapes capture the whole continent of Africa in one
reached over 15 million people and cost the airline US$180 beauty of the Namib. He described what shareholders Constituent Committee to be part of The Great country. Although Namibia has its challenges, her people's spirit makes living here worthwhile. Namibia’s stories inspire Manni, and
million. This underlines social media’s power to create a the visit meant to him: “This invitation is Conversation, a historic reunion held in the Windhoek he considers himself to be a story hunter, living out his dreams to become a journalist through finding and sharing unique perspectives.
connected and transparent world. one of the greatest honours, completing In November 2017, Gondwana restructured Parliament Building. The reunion aimed to keep the He handed over the baton to Gys Joubert in 2017 and notes how rare it is for former and present leaders to work so well together. After
the company so that employees could
Constitution in the minds of all generations.
2015 – Etosha Safari Boys – the cycle of my life.” He sadly passed become shareholders. Gondwana has 25 years, he is happy to still be part of the company. He is proud to have created an example for Namibia and the world. Manni sums up his Gondwana
away in 2021.
Gondwana’s resident band always believed that each employee 2021 – The iconic quiver trees of journey by saying: “I have surrounded myself with diverged people all my life, that includes Alain Noirfalise (Operations Director), Jaco Visser
(Financial Director) and Gys Joubert (Managing Director). What an inspiring journey.”
the south
should benefit from success. Shares
No one can remember where the name Etosha Safari Boys came allocated to employees were loyalty- When Canyon Lodge entertained its first guests,
from. It arose naturally as several musicians formed an in-house based, with long-serving employees they enjoyed visiting the clusters of quiver trees
band at Etosha Safari Camp. The first permanent musician in the receiving a larger portion. near the lodge.
band was Leonard Gewers, from the Khorixas area in Damaraland. 2016 – Toivo ya A brand message from Chris Gouws, director and co-founder
He recruited other Damara-Nama- and Afrikaans-speaking Toivo: Namibia’s 2018 – Street art and vandalism A well-known aloe, the quiver tree or ‘kokerboom’ The concept of the word ‘brand’ was not part of our vocabulary when we, as company, namely our passion for the environment and our people,
musicians. Music is vital in the region where people gather around humble hero Gondwana partnered with other Namibian (Aloidendron dichotomum, previously known as founding shareholders and directors, established Gondwana in 1996. I knew underpinned by sound financial principles. This pinpointing of the
a fire for storytelling and singing. The region is home to many Namibia’s Andimba Herman brands to host renowned graffiti artist Mo Aloe dichotoma) is a familiar sight in the arid areas both Lothar and Manni as mere acquaintances from the past; and the only three, equally strong legs on which the company was founded,
Riemvasmakers who came from South Africa in the 1970s, bringing Toivo ya Toivo changed the world Starr from Kuwait for unique workshops on the of southern Namibia and the Northern Cape. Its common ground between us was the excitement and prospect of creating a namely people, planet and profit (today referred to as the triple
their stories and music. The Etosha Safari Boys brought new life to through his vision of peace. The 90 year difference between street art and vandalism. He bright yellow flowers, which emerge mid-year, new wilderness area. Alain and Sonia Noirfalise were strangers to me when they bottom line approach or PPP) has been the company’s core focus
the Okambashu – meaning ‘our home’ – restaurant. They built up a old played a crucial role in establishing a discovered a five-year-old self-taught Namibian attract birds and bees. joined in 1998, but they shared the same passion. and has moulded the brand from the start.
repertoire of over 200 songs. democratic Namibia. He alerted the United drummer from Mondesa, Swakopmund, during his Due to intensive karakul farming in southern
Nations to the dissatisfaction with South African visit. Elijah Hwande (Kati) blew Mo away with his drum- Namibia, vast areas were overgrazed. In At the time, Namibia was the newest independent country on the continent. The Having pondered on what triggered the Gondwana brand
2016 – The man who named Namibia rule and the inhumanity of the contract labour system playing skills. He gave Kati a brand-new drum set. Manni, the absence of protective grass, the young people were hopeful about future prospects and the country was bustling with that we know today, I now know that it was the alignment of
How often do you meet someone who named a country? In in the late 1950s and 1960s. He was a founding member of the Ovamboland with the assistance of sponsors and the Gondwana Care populations of quiver trees perished. As the new development. Namibia was being discovered as a tourism gem and the the universe to bring together a group of uniquely qualified
individuals with the same values. The brand and values of
number of guests arriving was steadily increasing.
2015, Manni met 83-year-old Professor Mburumba Kerina. People’s Congress and later the regional secretary for SWAPO in the north, Trust, sponsored his schooling and music lessons. grass recovered in the Gondwana Canyon Park, Gondwana were not workshopped and implemented – the
The professor had never visited the Namib, nor travelled the recruiting members and mobilising the youth. He paid dearly for this. In 1966, In 2020, Gondwana invited Kati to Etosha Safari Camp. new trees emerged. When there was insufficient Initially, ‘meetings’ took the shape of informal discussions, often over cold beers. triple bottom line approach was genetically entrenched in the
country, being in exile for 40 years. Gondwana took him he was arrested with 36 other Namibians. He was tried for treason two years The seven year old impressed the guests with his musical rainfall, they would die off the following year. The points up for discussion centred mainly around the excitement of new genes of the founding members as well as most of the early
and his family for their first trip to the Namib. later and sentenced to 20-years imprisonment on Robben Island. Released skills as he performed with the Etosha Safari Boys. Several good rainfall years, combined with conservation and wilderness project with a small tourism venture to finance the directors. I must mention the names of Dr Chris Brown and the
after 16 years, Ya Toivo lived in exile until independence, then returned to be winter rain, were required to kickstart a new dream, the people to assist in realising the dream and the
Professor Kerina told his story. He studied political science a parliament member and was part of drafting the first Constitution. He quiver tree plantation. cashflow to survive another two to three months. When late Hans-Günther Stier who added tremendous value to the
on a scholarship in Indonesia and was invited to the home served as the secretary-general of SWAPO from 1984 to 1991. the complexities of the new venture dawned upon us, environmental and financial aspects of the company.
of President Sukarno, Indonesia’s first post-independence In Gondwana’s early days, Manni started a tree more formal meetings took place. Today, a measure of successful companies is based on their
president. Over tea, Sukarno asked him: “My son, what is the He visited one of the Gondwana lodges in 2016 as a guest of nursery. Two hundred trees were planted at adherence or compliance to the United Nations Sustainable
name of your country?” Sukarno wasn’t satisfied with the honour. Eager to see more of his country, he visited The Delight Canyon Village. They were watered for three As time passed, and under the pressure Development Goal (SDGs) Others have a people, planet, profit
answer South West Africa, saying: “Slaves and dogs are named Hotel in Swakopmund, Damara Mopane Lodge and Etosha to five years until they were big enough to of personal finances, some of the initial and partnership (PPPP) approach. Both approaches are
by their masters, but free men name themselves.” His words Safari Lodge. His photograph is displayed on our ‘Wall store sufficient water in their stems, from shareholders had sold shares to people who underpinned by sound corporate governance principle notions.
remained with Kerina. of Fame’ in the Okambashu Restaurant, along which time they could survive on limited shared the dream. One of the first shareholders
with Mahatma Gandhi, Dr Sam Nujoma and rainfall each year. and directors was Frikkie Mouton. The SDG and PPPP approaches are not new to Gondwana. They
When he completed his studies, he joined a team at the other peacemakers. have been practiced from the beginning and will remain. These
United Nations petitioning for Namibia’s independence. He In 2021, Gondwana launched the Adopt- It was at one of our first formal meetings that values are essential to the business of Gondwana and have
remembered Sukarno’s advice. At the time, he was involved in a-Quiver Tree project to encourage Frikkie Mouton identified, or rather extracted the fondly been termed the Gondwana Way or Gondwana DNA.
Namibians and travellers to save these three common (but unspoken) denominators, which This is our style, and this is our brand.
trees. Read more on page 69. existed between us. These were the ethos of the

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