Owner and tour guide of Karibu Cape Tours, Victor Kasongo, is celebrating his company’s first year in the Cape Town tourism industry.
Kasongo, who is now a South African citizen, was born and raised in the DRC. Thirteen years ago, he moved to South Africa and began working in the hospitality industry while pursuing a degree in tourism.
After the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Kasongo’s luck changed unexpectedly. The hotel he worked for had been dealing with financial challenges and had to retrench most of its staff, including Kasongo.
However, an optimistic Kasongo decided to take the change in his stride and channel his years of experience and wealth of knowledge into starting up his own tour guide company.
The company name, ‘Karibu’, means ‘welcome’ in Kasongo’s mother tongue, Swahili. He explains that the name is also a warm gesture for tourists to “feel free to express themselves and enjoy their holiday”.
Setting up his company in Cape Town was an easy choice as “the city has been consistently voted one of the best cities in Africa”. “It’s a hub for tourism,” he says.
Most of his tours are aimed at international tourists who can book private tours through his company. They can either tailor their own tour experience or choose from the available packages that include The Cape Peninsula, Hermanus Whale Watching, Cape Winelands and Cape Town city tour.
Kasongo, an avid traveller himself, has always enjoyed learning about what different places have to offer. “I love meeting people of different cultures and getting to know about the history of where I am,” he says.
He believes that being a tour guide is a rewarding experience. “I forget that I am working because it is just fun and that’s what people really remember when they go somewhere.”
Kasongo admits that, although he loves what he does, there are also obstacles that come with running a small to medium enterprise single-handedly. These include having to do tours and simultaneously market his company, follow up on emails/calls and make alternative plans in the event of double bookings.
To alleviate some of the pressure, he has partnered with a network of tour guides who assist him when he has double bookings. “It has been a bit tough, but the second year sounds promising and I now have brochures in different hotels, social media and a website,” he says. “Things are moving forward step by step.”
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