While the tourism and leisure industry was reeling from consecutive lockdowns between 2020 and the beginning of this year, entrepreneur Lindo Buthelezi decided to come up with a new travel business right at the start of the pandemic.
“I founded Explore Soweto in 2020. I was at home, everybody was at home, and I was spending so much time on the internet. I came across some businesses that I really thought were interesting, and I spoke to my sister and she was like, ‘Why don’t you start a blog?’ And I was like ‘That is actually a good idea because I have editorial experience and have freelanced.'
“I also noticed that, at the time, because more and more people were working from home, there was a huge fibre rollout and it was picking up really quickly. So, I though you know it is a great time to do this. More people are actually going to consume my content and consume even high-data content like TikTok because they have access to unlimited internet.”
That is how Lindo's travel blog was born. She tells Drum that she uses TikTok to pull in the big numbers, however the blog is the mainstay of her business. “My main place is the blog, so I have a blog on www.exploresoweto.co.za and on Instagram. My biggest platform right now is TikTok, which is doing very well.”
To create content, she says she goes to different places in Soweto and, after getting permission from the owners, she then starts working on her magic. “I go to the places and speak to the owners, and they will allow me to take pictures and videos. And that is how I show people what is available in Soweto, what is happening here in Soweto.”
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To narrow the scope of her offering, the 28-year-old who studied fashion but majored in media, says she visits businesses within the hospitality industry only. “So it's restaurants, lodges and B&Bs, and then on the other side of it there is also like sporting places, recreational places and community developmental places, so it's just showing different parts of Soweto through media like video and written stories.”
Lindo says her biggest challenge at the moment is loadshedding and load reduction.
As she showcases what you might be missing in Soweto, Lindo says the fun part of her job is that she is always finding new places to explore.
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“I am always discovering new places, and I think the biggest thing that is interesting to me are people’s stories. People always have stories to share and I always find them very fascinating – stories about how people have started their businesses and how people started certain organizations that are benefiting the community.
"So more than the places it is always the people.”
