29 year-old Muzi grew up and was educated in Swaziland, being the only male and eldest of seven children. Having completed his schooling, he moved to Johannesburg in 1994, and attended the Benoni Technical College to study financial management, supplementing his income by doing odd jobs for student placement agency Dial-A-Student. Having completed his studies, Muzi was first employed as an accounts clerk at an office furniture company, after which he worked for a media publishing company in a variety of positions. It was in 2002 that Muzi's love of travel led him to sign up for a course run by the Sunday Times called "My B&B", and it was then that he thought about a career change. He initially considered establishing a youth hostel in Soweto, however he did not have the capital to do so. He did some more research, and discovered

The portal is about community-based tourism, profiling tourism businesses in townships and rural villages across South Africa. Muzi explains that this gives tourists the opportunity to experience first-hand how ordinary people live: "This is real life experience without any sophisticated facilities on offer, especially in rural villages." Muzi was, however, surprised to discover the number of township establishments offering upmarket facilities such as satellite television and en-suite bathrooms! Muzi also profiles tour operators who offer packaged tours, as well as eateries who in the past struggled to get listed online. Each profile offers a brief description and three photographs to give tourists a small view of what is on offer.

Muzi has since affiliated himself with an international travel website which offers confirmed online booking facilities for accommodation and tours - services which are generally not offered by township businesses. He is always on the lookout for exchange link opportunities with other international sites relevant to the industry, and charges commission on bookings generated through his site's online booking facilities.

The going hasn't been all plane sailing for Muzi. He comments that even today he struggles to get properties to list on his site and has spent a lot of money on advertising which has not seen expected returns: "People from the township communities are not familiar with the Internet and the potential of tourism as a business." However, now in his third month of having his site up and running, he has received a number of enquiries from potential tourists wanting to visit South Africa's shores. Muzi also attends a range of travel and related expositions to introduce his services to targeted clients.

Muzi offers the following advice to aspirant entrepreneurs: "Once you've decided on going solo, don't give up because there are a lot of obstacles along the way." He also stresses the importance of seeking professional advice where possible. Muzi has high hopes for the future of his new venture, and ultimately hopes to turn the portal into a subsidiary of a publication focused on community based tourism.

Muzi can be contacted on 073-135-8198 or email muzi@accommodate.co.za. Visit his site at www.accommodate.co.za.