Always willing to accept any challenge – Norman Maine

January 5, 2012 – Mildred Thabane

Norman Maine has only been at Maropeng for a few months but he’s already shining in his new role as a tour guide.

All the way from the Mafikeng in the North West Province, Norman Maine studied tourism at the Tshwane University of Technology but left after a year to pursue a degree in Business Management at Sebokeng College in Vereeniging.

“I never thought I’d be here,” says Norman. “I was looking for a job and applied for a tourism guide post at Maropeng.”

Reuben Tsime, Sterkfontein Caves operations supervisor, says Norman is one of the more focused staff at Maropeng, “He’s excelling in his work and the guests love him, their feedback has been phenomenal.” Norman loves the challenges he’s faced with on a daily basis at Maropeng, “I never know who I’m going to meet and it challenges me to adapt my tours depending on the group I’m with.”

Very passionate about his work, Norman says, “I love interacting with people. That’s what I enjoy most about Maropeng, the people. With a cheeky grin he adds, “And if I get to meet someone famous or important, then hey, that’s a bonus.”

Norman has just completed training through the tourism training company, Energy Guides. “I really enjoyed the course,” he says. “The training taught me how to handle myself and visitors, so I’m more confident now and am comfortable enough to tailor my tours so my personality comes through and I can make sure visitors enjoy themselves.”

When asked which group is the trickiest to deal with, Norman says, “The kids. Children get bored very easily so you have to keep them on their toes. When you are dealing with a big school group you have to understand that some kids will be more interested than others and it’s quite tricky to keep the whole tour educational and fun.” But this is a challenge that Norman has taken in his stride.

Fellow tour guide Maropeng Ramalepa says, “Norman is fitting in well; he’s dedicated and seems to be genuinely enjoying his job.”

When he’s not at work, Norman enjoys hanging out with his friends. He makes sure he goes home to visit his family in the North West as often as he can. “My family means a lot to me,” concludes Norman, who feels that working at Maropeng is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

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