From waiter to MD: Lempheditse Odumetse’s rise
Maun native, Lempheditse ‘MC’ Odumetse, was last week announced as the new managing director of Chobe Holdings, one of the country’s largest tourism groups. He talks to Mmegi Staff Writer, MBONGENI MGUNI, about his humble beginnings and the rise to the top
Mmegi: Please give a brief outline of your career path leading to your current position. Odumetse: Having completed my high schooling in 1996, I was employed at The Duck Inn, a famous bar and restaurant in Maun, as a waiter/bartender. In 1999 The Duck Inn closed business and I was offered a position at Desert & Delta Safari’s Camp Moremi, located in the Xakanaxa area of Moremi Game Reserve.
This was indeed a very exciting opportunity for me as it was always my desire to work in the bush and get back to my roots of being in the great outdoors. I was also intrigued by the greater aspects of the tourism industry in general and this opportunity allowed me to fully anticipate and plot my career path within this industry. Whilst working at Camp Moremi, I studied to be a professional guide and I obtained my professional guide’s licence.
In 2000, I was transferred to Xugana Island Lodge where I worked as a Professional Guide until 2005 when I was promoted and offered the role as Assistant Camp Manager and shortly after that, I became the Manager of Xugana Island Lodge.
This appointment made me the second citizen manager in the Chobe Holdings group. This was the start of a very successful localisation programme and something both I and the company identified as crucial to the overall benefit to the future of the Botswana tourism industry at large.
In September 2005 I travelled to the United States of America to work at Disney World, Florida on a cultural exchange programme in the Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge. On my return to Botswana in 2006, I immediately returned to my duties at Desert & Delta Safaris as a camp manager and was delighted to grow myself by managing Camp Moremi, Camp Okavango and Savute Safari Lodge.
In 2013, I was promoted to Chobe Holdings head office in Maun as assistant General Manager for both Ker & Downey Botswana and Desert & Delta Safaris. This was a great position to learn the ropes of the Maun-based operations. In 2015, I took on the role of Ker & Downey Botswana general manager looking after five lodges in a 5-star circuit.
In 2017, I was promoted to Operations Director of Ker & Downey Botswana and in 2020, I was asked to join the Chobe Holdings Board and took on the position of Group Operations Director.
My most recent position is now of Managing Director of Chobe Holdings Limited.
Mmegi: Your brief background?
Odumetse: I was born in Maun in the late 1970s and grew up with my grandmother in Sexaxaxa village on the outskirts of Maun. My mother had taken the brave decision to relocate her children from Nxaraga Island, a remote island in the heart of the Okavango Delta, to Maun, to provide her children with formal education. My fondest memories remain of my preschool and younger years when I ran in the bush herding cows, riding donkeys, eating wild fruits and learning the ways of the bush. This was also made special by spending time with my grandmother around the evening fire learning oral traditions and stories from her youth on the islands of the Okavango Delta.
My primary education started at Botswelelo Primary School in Maun. I didn’t enjoy this school as the distance to walk to and from school, each day was too far and so I signed out of that school and enrolled myself at Mathiba Primary School, which was a closer walk from home. From there I moved to Sedie Community Junior Secondary School and later completed my high school career at Maun Senior Secondary School.
As a young boy, one of my ambitions was to find employment and be able to buy myself a 10kg bag of sugar, rice, tomato sauce and mayonnaise as these items were not always readily available to me in my childhood. If we were lucky, we would be treated to these wonderful goodies at Christmas time only! Also, before entering formal employment, I would have loved to have studied law.
Mmegi: It is quite interesting that you started in the group as a waiter. At that point in your life, what were your ambitions or plans?