Our Staff
Susanna
I was born in Angola and speak Khwedam. Since I have begun working in the restaurant‘s kitchen I have learned a lot of new things. The children can attend school and I thank God for this. I grew at !Khwa ttu and !Khwa ttu itself is also growing.
Carlos
I was born in Angola and am Khwedam-speaking. I work as a tour guide. I think it is very important that I tell the people from far away about our tradition and also the stories my grandfather told me a long time ago. The !Xun, Khwe, !Xõó and ‡Khomani have built !Khwa ttu. There was not much in the beginning and now it is a big centre. !Khwa ttu is also important to the San from other countries.
Baba Rosie
I am 25 years old and a qualified Grade R teacher. Since the children attend the Darling Primary School I am now working as a waitress at the restaurant. I like it that I meet people from many other countries. My English gets better and better because I communicate a lot with the tourists who visit !Khwa ttu. !Khwa ttu is a good place because it gives me a lot of opportunities.
Vivienne
It is a privilege to be part of the !Khwa ttu philosophy of educating our indigenous people – a national treasure! My wish is to be instrumental in seeing the first and many more San people, qualify as fully fledged chefs!
Donika
I came to !Khwa ttu in 2002. For a long time it was my desire to work at the !Khwa ttu restaurant. Now I am working there and I am very proud of this. In the beginning !Khwa ttu was small, then it grew bigger and bigger. That is good as many San people got jobs here.
Michael
My work at !Khwa ttu gives me an opportunity to help to make a difference to the lives of my colleagues, to the environment near to us and to offer our guests a memorable experiences. I will continue to play a role to work towards making !Khwa ttu a sustainable project that brings enough income to support itself, to create further training opportunities for many other needy San and to support initiatives so that we will have a continuous impact on the conservation of our land and the environment.
Andre
I am a member of the ‡Khomani community from the southern Kalahari and I like culture and nature. I am a guide and assist with marketing at the working place of my dreams. You are welcome to visit us!
Nunke
I am from Platfontein near Kimberley, was born in Namibia but grew up in South Africa. I am a waitress and look forward to serve you in the restaurant.
Ivan
I am here at !Khwa ttu to fulfil my dreams and wishes. I love to learn about my ancestors' history and I like to share this knowledge with other people. Most importantly, I am here to show my respect to my extinct forefathers.
Baba
I was born in 1978 in the Kalahari Gemsbok Park which is now the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. I have been at !Khwa ttu for many years. To work as trainee manageress at the restaurant and now as public relations officer means a lot to me because it shows that people put confidence in me. I take on a lot of responsibilities and that is quite a challenge.
!Khwa ttu means for me an open door, open to go into different directions. !Khwa ttu offers a lot of opportunities. !Khwa ttu is also my home. !Khwa ttu’s name which means waterhole is exactly that for me. I feel my fellow San in the different countries of the southern African region will agree with me that there will always be water for us to drink at !Khwa ttu.
Magdalena
For more than two decades I have been working with various San communities in southern Africa. As an educationalist I have thoroughly enjoyed working for San education programmes and mentoring young San people from Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. In 2006 I joined the !Khwa ttu team with the task to assist in the area of fundraising, training and of establishing a !Khwa ttu Newsletter. The !Khwa ttu team has welcomed me with kindness, curiosity, cooperation, openness and sincerity. These attributes certainly form a solid foundation for making visitors to !Khwa ttu aware of the San heritage and their future aspirations.
Gila
I was born in Angola, grew up in Tsumkwe in Namibia and have lived at !Khwa ttu since 2000. Willem taught me the work of a bricklayer, I learned by doing things. I liked to work on the bush house because it was an old house.
Margaret
My interest (passion) for accountancy started way back at the end of 1966 when I began work at my first job. Over the years I have worked in an accounting capacity with a few breaks to have my three children and now I am a proud granny of three beautiful grandchildren. !Khwa ttu means a place of new beginnings, a "peace from within" to me. We are here to help and stand by one another in many different areas of life because our strength lies in unity.
Willem
I am 44 years old and a ‡Khomani from the Kalahari. I have constructed a lot of buildings at !Khwa ttu. I believe that my work is important.
!Khwa ttu has a lot of advantages for San people, for example I earn money here. It is also important for the other San as it is a place, where our people learn a lot.
Kerson
I came to !Khwa ttu in 2001. As a field guide I like to communicate with the tourists. I also like to get information from the tourists and I give them my information about the San. I am very happy with my work. !Khwa ttu gives me a better life and future. San from the other countries like to have training workshops here and that is good.
Pieter
I am 28 years old and from the !Xun community. At weekends I work as a tour guide and during the week I give a hand to the builders. I like my work very much because I can tell the tourists about our tradition and the animals. !Khwa ttu is for all the San and we have to keep up the good work here at the centre.
Afrida
I am 23 years old and married to Kerson Jackson. I love my work as trainee assistant chef very much because I like to prepare food. I am looking forward to learn a lot from Thomas, the new chef. I want to learn more about cooking skills, how to bake cakes, so that one day I will be able to bake some cakes for my family on special occasions. It is a dream coming true to become a qualified chef because I wanted to work in a restaurant one day. For me !Khwa ttu means a place to get a lot of opportunities. I think the other San people love this place and would also like the be part of the !Khwa ttu team.
Ollo
I have been here at !Khwa ttu since 2004. My sister Lientjie told me a lot about !Khwa ttu. I take care of the small children in the morning and afternoon. I learned to do that at the Bergzicht College in Stellenbosch where I did an early childhood education course for three months. !Khwa ttu means a lot to me because they made my training possible.
Bets
I believe that the strongest foundation for any education system starts with a happy and balanced home. The !Khwa ttu kindergarten and after-school care programme should be an additional support to offer our children an organized structure. I believe that my role as teacher is to help create a harmonious environment where the children could be stimulated intellectually, socially and emotionally to be prepared for a prosperous adult life.
Our Trainees
For the next nine months the following young San men and women will enjoy both formal courses and on-the-job training:
Andre
I am a member of the ‡Khomani community from the southern Kalahari and I like culture and nature. I am a trainee guide and, the working place of my dreams. You are welcome to visit us!
Joaquim
I am from Platfontein, near diamond town (Kimberley) where the !Xun and Khwe community lives. !Khwa ttu is the place where you will learn about the history of the San culture and you will meet the San themselves.
Lotsia
I am from Platfontein a place near Kimberley but I was born in Namibia. I am 26 years old and speak Khwedam, Afrikaans and English. I am a trainee guide at !Khwa ttu as a guide and I hope to become a good guide in the future.
Arnestu
I am 33 years old and originally from Namibia. I like nature, San culture and traditions. One day I will be a tour guide thanks to !Khwa ttu.
Hendrik
I really like nature, especially plants and at !Khwa ttu I learn a lot about them. Besides that, I like the view of !Khwa ttu.
Collin
Here at !Khwa ttu I learn more about how my people survived at different places, I really like nature because it differs from place to place.
Anna
I am a bush lady from Namibia and stay now at the San Culture and Training Centre. I love to be in the bush.
Nunke
I am also from Platfontein near Kimberley, was born in Namibia but grew up in South Africa. I like to be in the field to identify flora and fauna. I like to be at !Khwa ttu because it gives me a chance to learn more about the flora and fauna.
Ivan
I am here at !Khwa ttu to fulfil my dreams and wishes. I love to learn about my ancestors' history and I like to share this knowledge with other people. Most importantly, I am here to show my respect to my extinct forefathers.
Volunteers
Ilse
I am a International Business student from the Netherlands and help !Khwa ttu with marketing activities and the main goal is to attract more visitors. During my stay at !Khwa ttu I learned a lot about the indigenous people of Southern Africa. I think everyone, tourist from overseas or South African resedents should come to !Khwa ttu, the place to explore the extraordinary way of living of the San!
Sheila
I am a student from the Netherlands where I study Tourism and Management. The last few months I assist !Khwa ttu in marketing its products. It was very interesting to learn about the San culture, !Khwa ttu is a unique place and it’s great that it provides the San with education and work while staying in touch with their culture.
