EX-SOCCER STAR STARTS CORPORATE SHUTTLE BUSINESS

mfanukhona@times.co.sz

MBABANE – An ex-footballer has ventured into a corporate shuttle business.
Thembisa ‘Schuster’ Dlamini, the former soccer star who played for Moneni Pirates, said his business concept entailed transporting travellers and tourists to the doorstep of their destination.

It further makes accommodation bookings for them at the country’s hospitality facilities, including Sun International hotels.  
In fact, Dlamini, who runs a salon at Royal Swazi Spa in Ezulwini and several beauty spas in South Africa, said besides transporting the tourists to the hotels, his shuttle took corporate clients and private individuals from Oliver Tambo International Airport to their destinations.
He said their destinations could be hotels in Sandton, South Africa, Eswatini and Mozambique or convenient places where they could connect their places of abode.

The beauty therapist said he also chauffeured his clients to their homes during awkward hours.

awkward hours

“You don’t dump a client at the bus rank during awkward hours,” he said. 
He advised former footballers to invest their money so that they could start businesses in future. He was grateful to his celebrity client, Stuart Baxter, the former Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana coach and his wife who religiously supported his beauty spa business outlets in South Africa.
“I will never forget many clients for what they have done for my business. The list is endless but Baxter and his wife have been there for me and many others.
Through their support, I was able to buy an executive car for use as a shuttle,” he said.

“The uniqueness about my new business is that we take clients to the doorstep of their destination. We don’t just leave tourists at the bus rank.”
“We pick you from Eswatini and drop you at the doorstep at Sandton and we also take you from O.R. Tambo to the doorstep of your hotel in Eswatini.”
He added: “You just pay the rider’s fare and discounted hotel accommodation.”

The businessman said he was actually running a free for all business, urging those who will not book accommodation through his company to come for services as well.
Dlamini is a member of the Eswatini Tourism Association.
 He said it was worth noting that his shuttle also transported the tourists, businesspeople and private individuals back to the airport in South Africa or Eswatini/Mozambique.

Asked what made him venture into such a business as he was known for operating salons and beauty spas, he responded that tourists in particular contributed immensely to the economic development of a country.
“Tourists want convenience and comfort. Purchasing an executive car and developing this business concept was one way to tap into what they want and like,” he said.

He mentioned that broadening economic activity base through empowerment of SMEs basically increased competition among peers and heated up the market scenario.

The former soccer star and now businessman pointed to the fact that it was common knowledge that SMEs have the remarkable ability to fuel economic growth as new entrepreneurs brought forth innovations, ideas and skills.

Dlamini said recent studies have shown that such small enterprises have registered a higher growth rate as compared to the global industrial sector.
“We are the entrepreneurs who need everybody’s support, including government and the media, which is a powerful vehicle for our growth,” he said.

Media adverts
He said clients would see his business advertising in the Times of Eswatini, so they can get a hold of his services.

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