Rising from cleaner to director of Gateway Hotel
THE first black director of the Gateway Hotel in Umhlanga said the opportunities for black people in the hospitality industry were there, they just needed to grab them.
Andrew Ngwenya said when he got into the industry in 1993 he was just a cleaner and things were very different then.
“Black people were not in managerial positions for quite some time in this industry. Now there are a lot of general managers who are black in the hospitality industry and this is our time as black people. We should embrace this,” he said.
Ngwenya, who was born and bred in Soweto, said he moved from being a cleaner to a runner, waiter and supervisor until an education programme was implemented at the hotel he was working for at the time.
“I was working for the Karos Hotel and they had an education programme with Wits. I was one of the lucky people who got the opportunity to study. After graduation I was a junior manager for food and beverage in the same hotel. I also became senior banquet manager,” said Ngwenya.
He said before joining the Gateway Hotel in 2019 he worked at the Durban International Conference Centre as a function manager, and then at Royal Hotel, Tsogo Sun and the Hilton hotel.
“In 2020 we were hit by Covid- 19 and things were never the same. When the hotel opened they restructured and I got the opportunity to be a director. Life is not the same because I have huge responsibilities now but I am happy. I am now managing four hotels and I am constantly travelling but I would not have it any other way,” he said.
The general manager at this hotel, Joseph Mgobhozi, 54, applauded the management of the Gateway Hotel by recognising black management.
“In the 32 years of being in the industry, I have learnt how important customer service is. You need to look at and embrace a customer’s serenity.
“We would not be able to grow this industry if customer service, customer needs and expectations were not the fundamental and value of it,” said Mgobhozi.
He said black people had been given equal opportunities now and seeing them in management positions had been “beautiful to witness”.
“We now have a black director in our hotel management and this is giving hope to young people who want to get into this industry,” he said.
Mgobhozi said he was the third black manager in succession of the previous two managers.