When she saw a gap in the market for young black women in tourism, 30-year-old Ngoako Lerato Mannya decided to get involved. Through Motherland Connect, a tourism business cofounded by herself and Christopher Daniels, Mannya found a way to facilitate South African cultural immersion experiences, conferences, internships and volunteer experiences for a global audience.

Mannya holds a bachelor’s degree in graphic and web design from the Design School of Southern Africa. She hails from Glenanda in southern Johannesburg sand has always been excited by the possibility of showing off South Africa to the world.

Getting involved in the tourism industry happened naturally for me, as I have a true passion for hosting people and showing them the beauty of South Africa. Over time, I realized that there weren’t many young black women in the tourism sector, so I decided this could be a great opportunity to create a unique experience for guests that didn’t previously exist.

Motherland Connect’s active social media presence (with a staggering 11.5k followers on Instagram alone), shows how its travel experiences have had a positive impact on South African small businesses, as well as global travellers’ attitudes towards South Africa. The cultural immersion trips enable tourists to get “an authentic South African experience” according to Mannya.

“We carefully choose the right combination of activities to show the past, present and future of our beautiful nation. We focus on ensuring that our tours empower local small businesses by taking our guests to restaurants and shops in multiple townships and less frequented municipal areas.”

Mannya’s tours are to hidden gems in Gauteng and North West. She has the inside scoop on what to visit in each area, and Motherland Connect partners with local organisations to not only donate clothing and sanitary products, but also to facilitate entrepreneurship programmes and workshops.

And with a host of awards under its belt, such as the Most Innovative Use of Social Media, and Brand of the Year awards from New Generation Awards, Motherland Connect is going from strength to strength. “Opportunities find you when you put in the work to actively find them,” is one of Mannya’s guiding principles, and it’s clear that she’s putting these words into practice.

— Youlendree Appasamy

Twitter: @MotherlandConn