By Pinehas Nakaziko
Despite her humble background, 28-year-old Dalah Hapulile had always been aspiring towards entrepreneurship.
From the Tamariskia residential area in Swakopmund where she grew up, Hapulile attended her lower and high education at the Westside High School and her early life was not as easy as it seems today. “Like most children born by mine workers, I was raised by my dad, with my young siblings, while my mom was working in the North. Since I was the eldest, I had to be responsible at a young age. I first started only playing sport. I played hockey, soccer and street marble. The truth is, I was a tomboy and I played street soccer until Grade 12,” says Hapulile adding that time her ideas of being an entrepreneur never escaped her mind for a moment, and she had to start selling chips and flavoured ice cubes while in Grade 7, that caused their house to be labelled “Die chips huis in die hoek.” (The chips house on the corner)
“When I was a child, I also wanted to become a princess, but when I got to high school, I wanted to become a businessperson, as I always got the best pupil awards in the Business Management subject or came second to my then best friend, Laurencia Jossop. I also got the Principal’s award for the most hardworking and good behaviour learner from Grade 8-12,” says she.
After finishing Grade 12, Hapulile always wanted to study media but her father wanted her to do something different. “Although I didn’t know what to do, I was really a self-driven, hardworking child, who applied and took part in anything that I had time for, as long as it would contribute to my growth. I applied for every bursary [I saw advertised] in 2004. I got a bursary from Namdeb. Namdeb was looking for a Geologist, Electrical, Mining and Metallurgical Engineering [trainees]. I am Dalah Hapulile, a Metallurgical Engineer, that sounded nice, and I chose it,’” says Dalah.
She applied to the Polytechnic of Namibia to do Bachelor of Information and Technology. “I nailed my interview, so Namdeb offered me to start the training programme and go to Poly the year after. However, I started my job as a Plant Operator in Oranjemund and went on to study Chemical Engineering in Cape Town. While studying, I really hated the course but I didn’t want to quit and disappoint my family and Namdeb,” she says.
In 2008, during her in-service training, Hapulile initiated and registered her own company, Dalarize Development Project, and started the empowerment network to empower students, with branches at the Polytechnic of Namibia and University of Namibia. “That was my awakening and I decided to drop everything and fulfil my lifetime dreams. All I know was that I wanted to live my life in such a way that when I finally die, I am rest assured that I have done the best I could for both mankind and God. I decided that I was not going back to Cape Town and I didn’t want to work in the mine,” says Hapulile.
She is currently producing I am the key, a children’s educational television show which airs on the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC)’s First Channel. I am The Key is also a children business fair which teaches children under the age of 15 years financial education courtesy of the sponsorship of the First National Bank (FNB) Namibia.
Hapulile also initiated her 2015 project called Dalarize Studentsville, offering affordable accommodation to students in Windhoek, ensuring that their education is the only thing on their mind. “We are currently offering accommodation to 42 students, as well as serving them with breakfast and dinner. The idea was birthed from my own experience at varsity, triggered by the current high prices in Windhoek,” she says. She adds that all her business ideas aim to solve a societal problem or to improve the livelihood of young Namibian people. “Initiating this project, I actually used up all my savings and sold my taxis that I used to have, as I received no financial support from any organisation. Like any other business person, getting funds it’s a challenge. However my greatest challenge is the level of racism in the corporate world. As a black woman, you have to work extra hard to prove yourself in order for a company to invest in you,” says Hapulile.
She adds that the challenge has been making a profit and helping students who can hardly afford the market price students with accommodation having at times to just settle for a break-even. “A lot of time is spent on research, analysis and costing to ensure that you are not killing yourself while trying to save the world. Another problem is employee’s commitments. Most people only want a job to earn a salary, thus often they fail in terms of delivery and commitment. Passion is scarce in Namibia,” says Hapulile.
Her future plans is to get involved in the administration and governance of Namibia, and that’s why she is currently pursuing her LLB with the University of South Africa through distance learning. She is employed by Air Namibia. “The future is full of endless possibilities, I never limit my vision….Everything is possible,” she says.