The Wild Coast is a world-renowned beach holiday and coastal adventure destination, but it is also a region that has among the fewest jobs per capita in South Africa.
Nkuthalo Nogwina, founder of Wild Side Hiking (WSH), is determined to blend his passion for tourism with a quest to be a job-creation catalyst.
Aside from a historic and still flourishing informal hemp industry, tourism is one of the few career opportunities in the job-scarce region.
Nogwina said he had been leading hiking tours as a freelance guide on the coast, between Port St Johns (PSJ) and Coffee Bay, for nearly 20 years. He started WSH in 2013.
“I was born and raised in Sicambeni, near Port St Johns, and schooled at Vakele Tech near the Majola area, and after school got attracted to guiding.”
He said the company had grown steadily, although the pandemic was a major setback.
We have a village accommodation agreement with eight families in four villages, so the impact on job creation is already being felt. Hikers love being able to sleep and eat in traditional Xhosa homesteads on the overnight stopovers
“We employ three full-time guides and four freelancers, and three support staff. We have a village accommodation agreement with eight families in four villages, so the impact on job creation is already being felt. Hikers love being able to sleep and eat in traditional Xhosa homesteads on the overnight stopovers.
“We also work with the Village Based Accommodation initiative that offers accommodation. We later added three more families that provide traditional meals to our hikers.
“Each community has a small group of young village entertainers who perform traditional dancing, singing and telling folklore tales for donations.”
Amanda Madikane manages WSH from its PSJ office. She was born near PSJ and later attended school at Hudson Park High in East London.
“Nkuthalo, or Albert, as he is mainly known by the foreign tourists, has built a company that will change the employment prospects of local communities by focusing on a unique tourism offer.”
Madikane graduated from the Wildlife and Environment Society of SA (Wessa), was later contracted to it, and then joined WSH.
I love tourism and the interaction with local and overseas people. Wessa is an excellent base for a tourism career, and the education modules cover all aspects of the industry
“I love tourism and the interaction with local and overseas people. Wessa is an excellent base for a tourism career, and the education modules cover all aspects of the industry.”
Nogwina said: “We are a new-generation, community-based company whose primary objectives are job creation, uplifting the formerly disadvantaged people in the area as well as providing an internationally accepted level of tourism service.
“Aside from the stunning coastline, one of the powerful tourist attractions is that the Eastern Cape was home to many of the political giants in the struggle against apartheid, including Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, Oliver Tambo and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, to name but a few.
“Through our guides’ experience [most of were born and brought up in the area], and first-hand knowledge, we are able to provide an experience that most companies cannot match.”
The overnight breaks enhance the cultural aspect of the trips.
“Visitors sleep over in the homes of tribal people, who have been trained in hospitality. The meals are traditional Xhosa food. The response in the post-hike evaluations is always extremely positive, especially from our international guests.”
Another job-creation aspect was the activities linked to the tours, either before or after the hikes, said Madikane.
“We offer a host of add-on activities, all of which are guided by experts in their field. Included are fishing, diving, and visits to sangomas, dancing shows, and surfing. Traditional Xhosa dishes and Xhosa bread making lessons are a hit.”
The future, said Nogwina, was looking bright.
“Fortunately our bookings for July are very good. Our goals for the next three years are to train another 16 or so tour guides that will be permanently employed.
“We are targeting two hikes every week, which is achievable, and that should be a major boost to the villages on the route, and further extend my goal of job creation.”
For more information on WSH visit Facebook: www.facebook.com/wildsidehiking.
For information on Wessa, phone 076-108-2571 or 066-307-4210, email training@wessa.co.za or visit www.wessa.org.za.
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