Seabelo admits to his bus business suffering
- Employees decry not being paid sometimes - They suspect their accountant to be responsible
Transport magnate Kenneth Seabelo of Seabelo Express is experiencing one of his worst times in business.
Just recently, his Gaborone bound bus caught fire near Morwamosu village in the Kgalagadi region.
The incident left many pitying the mighty entrepreneur and wondering why things are seemingly falling apart for him.
Bad luck seems to be following his transport business, with one bus after the other experiencing road mishaps from breakdowns, freak accidents and fire bursts. The business has of late been trending for all the wrong reasons - if it is not clients complaining of how old and torn the buses look, it is about the buses hardly completing a trip.
Users say the buses break down more often than normal, as if that is not enough some are said to have leaking roofs, leaving passengers soaked in water during rainy days.
In an interview with The Midweek Sun this week, Seabelo admitted that his business is going through difficult times.
“There are things I cannot share with the media but I do admit that it is tough at the moment. We are really trying and hopeful that things will look up soon,” Seabelo said.
Seabelo added that things have been particularly tough since Covid-19 struck back in 2020 and he is doing all he can to save his business and protect employees from losing jobs.
Although he could not go into details about his struggles, Seabelo’s employees on the other hand say the situation is worse on the ground, with concerns that the company money is cunningly 'eaten' by people in whom he has absolute trust. The workers even allege not being paid for two months, something Seabelo corroborates.
“Yes it is true there have been salary issues, but some have been paid, we are trying to ensure that others get paid as well,” Seabelo said.
Seabelo’s employees told this publication that not paying staff shows that the business is now on its death bed. They also point to the past in which it was discovered that some employees who were in charge of the business finances swindled the company of several millions of pula. Insiders who spoke to this publication say it was a matter that even left the company owner suffering numerous health setbacks that landed him in hospitals as the discovery that he had all along been cheated by the people he trusted came when some had already left the company and running their own businesses.
“We have not been paid May salaries as we speak. In the past we were paid on the 15th and latest the 20th of every month but we are already past the 20th of June meaning it’s been two months without pay,” said some of the Seabelo Express employees who did not want to be named for fear of being victimised.
They revealed how some have had their salaries slashed, with some conductors now earning as low as P1400 and driver P3000. “As bus drivers, passengers insult us on a daily basis as they are not happy with us, it is sad because we bear all the heat out there. We have even turned into mechanics, when the buses break down we go under them to fix whatever is wrong. One of us is nursing a broken finger as we speak.
“Seabelo has only one mechanic and he is overwhelmed, all the mechanic does is to try to patch up where possible with the hope that the bus will arrive at its destination. It is a matter of we will cross that bridge when we get to it,” the concerned drivers said.
He explained that currently only five buses in the fleet are operational - two for Gaborone-Maun and three for Francistown-Gaborone route.
The Gantsi-Gaborone route has been temporarily suspended because all four buses plying the route are down and out.
Asked if they have been updated on the business, the employees who spoke to this publication admitted that Seabelo was honest enough to tell them that things are looking bad. However, at the time of speaking to them, they were assured that it was a temporary setback but it is now evident that things are worsening.
“We really like our boss and sympathise with him but we really have strong suspicions that his trusted accountant is running the business into the ground.
“We say so because a bus makes roughly P8 000 a single trip when business is low, on good days, they reach P13 000. Holidays make around P18 000.
“Where is all this money going, we cannot confront anybody with this information lest we find ourselves in trouble but we just wish Seabelo opens his eyes before it is too late.”
The employees had nothing good to say about the accountant whose names were shared with this publication. “She is even rude to us and treats us like nobodies. We have a strong feeling that sheneeds to be investigated.”
Efforts made to reach the accountant proved futile as her phone rang unanswered and she did not respond to messages left for her.