Wangara stands the test

From being a civil servant who was continually haunted by the desire to become a business owner who wakes up before the break of dawn to ensure the smooth running of operations, Elizabeth Asino-joseph would not want things to have turned out any other way.The Wangara Automotive Group Managing Director notes that she had to rush to the office at 06:30 this morning to sort out some business, while her husband was up at 04:00.Business has come a long way since she and her three fellow female, civil servant partners decided to set aside the much of their monthly salaries for a year, which they eventually used to set-up shop in a rented facility in Windhoek’s Northern Industrial area.“Being in this rat race, one never really has enough money. Time passes, your children are growing, and you don’t have anything to offer them because you are just doing what you’ve always been doing,” she tells Namibian Sun.“It took a lot of sacrifice at first,” noting the amounts saved ranged in the area of N$10 000 each month among the partners, “a lot of money for a civil servant.” she remarks.In the meantime, she says, the women contemplated over what type of business would make the most sense.“We looked at the troubles facing the world, and decided that road safety was one where we could have an impact. People are always being warned about tyre safety, so we decided to look into it, talked to some experts, and started conceptualising,” Asino-Joseph says.The women were also very sensitive to the type of treatment they recalled whenever visiting similar businesses, she says, resulting in a deliberate effort to ensure that “everybody” would feel comfortable visiting the Wangara Tyre and Fitment Centre.“There is always this concept of ‘yes I’m female and a driver, but if you ask me what size tyre I need, I don’t know,” she explains.“So we thought we need a place that would be comfortable for everyone. For women especially, and train our staff to be accommodative in that way. Hence we even have a beautiful lounge area where customers can have a cup of coffee, and read the newspaper.”Having officially launched in April 2014, the company recently acquired its own building and a second workshop in Prosperita.It presently employs 25 people.Priding itself on both stellar customer service and state-of-the-art equipment, the Wangara Automotive Group currently offers a range of automotive services, ranging from standard tyre fitment, to fleet management and vehicle supply and leasing.It also has a unique mobile wheel alignment service, convenient for customers with trailors or anyone stranded along the road. “The main thing is, when you are out here, you have to fight for that bread,” she shares, asked about the biggest lesson learnt in business thus far.“You will meet a lot of people who will dismiss you, or who will say no to you, but you just have to be forthright until you get what you need. I was never, for example, one to address a crowd of people, but now I must. That’s what I’ve learnt,” she says.DENVER ISAACS

Wangara stands the test

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-05

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Wangara stands the test

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-05

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