About Us
Oakwood Travel & Tours(OTT) was originally started by the now departed Colin Wyatt (an ex King Henry V111 pupil from Coventry, England) and his daughter Kerry in 1995. Colin had spent his last 30 years in South Africa and loved sharing this special country with guests/tourists. Also, he had enormous passion for guiding tourists through their journeys andhe was a fellow tourism intellectual who had more than what it takes to drive the company into the cutting edge world. The company has rapidly branded itself as an innovative tour operator in the Helderberg area of Cape Town and it is an active member of the Tour Operator Association of Cape Town (TOACT) and an affiliate of Cape Town Tourism (CTT).
Due to close association with the Wyatt family since 2007, the new principal owner was inspired and motivated by the late Colin to consider entering the tourism business. Consequently, in April 2010, an opportunity presented itself and Nomonde Mabunda bought the business from the family. As it stands now, Oakwood Travel & Tours is solely a black woman-owned entity.
As a result of this change of ownership and management, the company opted to retain the existing staff , clientele and the product/service offerings while in the meantime has to establish a new corporate image and culture. This was essential for repositioning the company in order to re-assure its existing clients of the best service and to enter new markets for the growth of the business.
The new management’s vision is to build a world-class company that has differentiated and diversified product offerings based on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) business model, in the next five years, which will be anchored around strong strategic alliances and partnerships
Our mission, therefore, seeks to commit to providing prompt and professional service to our valuable clients, and to being supportive to local businesses and social activities, friendly to the environment as well as being proactive in the socio-economic environments within which we operate. Our obligation to growth is firmly linked to our commitment to our employees' continuous development and rewarding careers.
THE NEW MANAGEMENT TEAM
The management team has taken exceptional care in selecting the best experienced individuals and professionals (full-time and contract basis). We assure our existing and future customers of the best quality products and services.
Our team hereunder listed is made of individuals with experience in tour guiding and other business areas. The multi-disciplinary nature of the team gives the company the momentum it needs to drive the company forward and satisfy the needs of our tourists and local communities.
Nomonde Mabunda, the principal member and owner, was born in a small town called Worcester in the Western Cape. She did her primary education in Zwelethemba and completed her tertiary education, a Higher Diploma in Education at Cape Town College of Education, now known as Mowbray College, in 1996.
Nomonde (also the owner of Sweet Pea Promotions since 2008), in her quest for excellence in this type of business, has planned to consistantly increase her tourism knowledge in order to benefit the company and its clients.
Sam Mabunda (co-management) is a qualified Cultural Site Guide and has a wealth of experience in tourism and business management.
Apart from management, this company also boasts one of the highly experienced professional drivers, Leo Jones (with Professional Driving Permit) that has immense skills in moving tourists to and from their destinations.
We assure service with dignity, respect and conscientiousness.
Date last updated: 2010/12/30
