Thula is a short cut to his full name Celaukuthula which is a Zulu/Ndebele name meaning advocating for peace. He was given this name by his grand mother when he was born at a time Zimbabwe was going through a liberation war for independence- lots of hope for a peaceful community. He comes from a family of 10 brothers and 3 sisters.
His father was a self employed general builder and his family lived on subsistence farming in Ntabazinduna Communal lands next to Bulawayo the second largest city in Zimbabwe. Due to a large family, Thula’s parents struggled to feed and send all their children to school. His mother was so good in weaving reed mats and traditional baskets which she would sell to the villagers in the community to supplement the thin income that was generated by his father as a general builder.
Born and bred in the country side of Zimbabwe and faced with survival challenges, Thula used to cover about 20 kilometers turn around distance to and from school. When he finished his secondary school, he couldn’t get a job even though he had passed. He had to keep on staying at his father’s rural home being a herd boy until he got an opportunity to train as a police officer. However this coincided with another opportunity to work as a general hand at a safari camp. Thula decided to take the 2nd option as he desperately needed cash to take care of himself, his parents and youngsters.
Thula Manzini is a qualified professional Tour Guide. His passion to become a safari guide was ignited by the beautifully coloured birds that he used to see when doing his garden duties at that safari camp where he was employed. In one evening he was found by the Chief Guide showing and explaining to resident clients some of these birds. The Chief Guide then encouraged him to explain more about what he has observed on these birds.
Whilst Thula could not identify most of these birds in English but in local language, it is the way he explained about them that he was immediately invited by the Chief Guide to train as a safari guide and since then he has never looked back. His personal mission statement is to ensure all his guests enjoys an excellent combination of sightings, smells, sounds and knowledge as they adjust their eyes and ears to Africa’s nature show.
Thula’s immense knowledge of the region, passion for wildlife and natural landscapes, spiced with his love for the rich divergent cultures and history of the African communities makes him the ideal person to guide you through any Southern African safari trip.
