Covid-19 Creates New Opportunities For The Group
VICTORIA MARUMO
DC Group has rebranded to DC Empire and brought new companies to the table namely Sanrez Catering Services and DC Hygienic Services bringing the total to five companies. The other three companies are DC Tours, DC Lounge and DC Logistics.
DC Empire Group Marketing Manager, Ontlametse Malaika said the Covid-19 pandemic has affected them like it has the rest of the economy but it also opened doors to new opportunities for the group. Following the establishment of the two companies which was born out of the pandemic crisis, the company’s staff capacity has grown and exceeded the 100-man mark. “We have 100 plus staff members all of whom are youth as this is a 100 % locally youth owned company, “she highlighted.
Malaika further explained that only a handful of new employees are experts but the majority were recruited from their homes without any skills and engaged in training workshops to equip them with necessary skills and knowledge to work for DC Group. “We strive to curb the unemployment crisis by bringing on a new a team with this expansion, ” she said.
DC Hygienic Services is a cleaning company that focuses on all types of cleaning and housekeeping; offices building, living areas, corporate spaces and more. Sanrez Catering Services is involved in catering but also offers camp management services. “Khato Civils is one of the companies that recently engaged us as Sanrez Catering and they were quite satisfied with our services,” she beamed.
The company was on government’s pay roll providing accommodation to Covid-19 contact persons when it turned into a quarantine site at the dawn of the pandemic. They later became an isolation center for Covid-19 positive persons, an arrangement that ended only recently. “We are now in the process of rebranding and setting up the lounge for its initial purpose which is a self-catering hotel and accommodation apartments,” Malaika explained. While they acknowledge a possible reluctance by clients to book their accommodation for leisure purposes for fear of the pandemic, Malaika said all clients can be rest assured that proper measures were taken to mitigate the virus and necessary cleaning and fumigation has been done on the property. According to Malaika people are likely to have negative perceptions given the circumstances but as a company with its own hygiene company, they took extra precautions even when they operated as an isolation center to contain the spread.
In an effort to appeal to their clients and attract more business during this ongoing pandemic, DC Empire through its hospitality Franchise DC lounge is set on introducing new holiday packages for the closer market. This is influenced by the constant use of permits and restriction on inter-zonal movement; as such their holiday packages will target but will not be limited to Gaborone residents and surrounding areas. “The company is growing and what started off as a single entity now has 5 companies. We are confident in the future of DC Empire and continue to be grateful to society for their unwavering support,” Malaika added.