Our People - North West

Tell us about the region/s you work in.

The North West Province has a significant amount of world class tourist attractions and destinations. The area runs predominantly alongside the majestic 2.3 billion year old Magaliesberg mountain range with the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage site nestled amongst them. The area includes the world renowned Sun City Resort and Casino, which lies in the beautiful Pilanesberg National Park hosting our Big 5 animals. We also host one of Gauteng’s no 1 attractions, the Lion & Safari Park, which attracts millions of tourist from around the world yearly. The area offers walking, hiking and biking trails in abundance, as well as animal sanctuaries, outdoor adventure sports like hot air ballooning and ziplining and plenty of water sports.

Tell us something not many people know about you.

I am a qualified open water PADI scuba diver and I have my certificate in 4×4 terrain skills driving. I am adventurous and have ridden elephants, hot air ballooned, ziplined, scuba dived, clay pigeon shooting, ride horses, played with lions and abseiled into caves. I love hiking and off road motor biking.

Tell us about your business, and about the people who work for you (if applicable).

Mark and Myra Keep are very good friends of mine who are retired, and who help out with the distribution of our brochures. Bronwen Elliott is my partner and assistant in running the business.  Christina Kekana is our brochure packer and organiser, she works for me on a part time basis.  She has been with Brochure Management from the start, working for me in Parkhurst when we ran the Gauteng office, then for Veronica Pereira who owed the Gauteng franchise for many years, and now she is back working with me at the North West office.

When you think of your business, what is something that makes you PROUD?

Brochure Management has been around for 25 years and in all that time we have been a part of supplying a very important function for travellers to rely on. We have battled the storms and have come through on the winning side. We have beaten back competition and we have sustained ourselves in a completive industry always believing in ourselves and the business, and the importance of brochures and the services we have offered to the industry. I am very proud to be a part of that history.

Talk us through a normal day (pre-Covid-19) for you.

Each day is always a different day, that is what is so exciting and sometimes stressful about this business. Always computer work to catch up on but generally at the beginning of each week, it is putting a schedule together of what has to be accomplished for the week, whether it’s new business to seek out, brochure boards to be serviced and cleaned up, or visiting clients and collect brochure stock. Always something to keep us busy.

How badly has Covid-19 affected you? Have you managed to access any relief funds? 

Covid 19 has had a devastating effect on our industry and business, all has come to an immediate halt and suspension. I personally have not requested financial aid, however, Bronwen has received UIF, therefore that has helped us financially to sustain ourselves through the last few months and hopefully the next few, or until such time as we can resume business. Unfortunately and sadly, Mark and Myra have emigrated back to the UK after 40 years in SA, due to financial and medical aid from their government as they are British citizens and Christina’s employment has been put on hold until the end of July 2020. I have helped her out financially wherever I can.

What’s the first place you’d like to visit when #coronalockdown is over?

The first place we would like to visit internationally would be the UK to visit family and friends however the first trip will be locally, where we’ll be hiring a caravan and doing a road trip to the Natal Midlands to visit family and friends, and some site seeing and hiking in the Drakensberg.

What measures have you put in place to protect your staff and clients once lockdown has eased?

We have put into place all the recommended and required tourist industry protocol products for all staff. I shall be sending out letters to all clients and location sites informing them of our protocol products we have and how we will be going about with the sanitising of board sites and brochures, and our way forward.

Any recommendations for activities/companies in your area that are now operating?

The Lion Park are now open for self-drives. The Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve are open for self-drives around the reserve. The Elephant Sanctuary and The Monkey Sanctuary are open for walks around the sanctuaries in controlled small groups. Akwaaba Predator Park, Ama Zwing Zwing Zipline, The Harties Boat and Zemvelo Adventures are all open for activities.

Where can potential clients get hold of you?

All our contact details are visible and obtainable from all our brochure board sites, as well as Brochure Management web site. We are in the process of setting up Instagram and Facebook accounts for pictures of our daily progress with cleaning boards, establishments opening, specials that anyone will be offering and anything relevant to the moving forward from lockdown and Covid 19.