Change your way of thinking to bring change to the country as a whole – Haufiku
Getting his company to the level where it is recognised in the industry, was not an easy journey for a young entrepreneur. He had to face generational prejudice, racial stereotyping and many other obstacles to grow his cargo handling outfit which he started in 2014 to the established company it is today.
For DK Freight Services, it took guts, sweat, tears and sometimes blood, to enter the freight and cargo business. Its founder and Managing Member, Daniel Haufiku, said along the way, they also had to contend with hurdles like increasing fuel prices, skills shortage, rising costs in new technologies, and roads and railways that suffer from neglect.
“I used to deliver from a taxi five years ago” said Haufiku who worked in an import and export business previously. He saw the gap in service delivery and decided to take on the challenge to bring about change. In addition, he always wanted to be a businessman, an active participant in the economy as well as to play a role in poverty alleviation through job creation.
The company started with no vehicles to deliver clients’ cargo, no office space and just two employees, consequently outsourcing most of its work to other companies. However, driven to deliver excellent service, they pushed and worked hard to expand their operations to Noordoewer, Buitepos and the port of Walvis Bay with their main office at Hosea Kutako International Airport near Windhoek.
DK Freight Services is a wholly-owned 100% Namibian company with the vision to be the leading agency for customs clearance and freight services. This vision has helped them expand and evolve their services to ensure excellence in service delivery. They provide an extensive and diverse stream of logistics, imports & exports services for both businesses and households.
DK Freight Services offers customs clearance services to ease the hurdles and tussle of customs documentation, import and export taxation procedures, airline and or port liaison, compliance advice and all paperwork involved for any sea, road, or air consignments.
As a freight-forwarding agency, they also offer an effective and efficient freight service with consolidation on all major trade routes via sea, road or air.
Their growth has made it possible for DK Freight Services to secure its own delivery vehicles and employ more staff and interns.
One of its very first employees, Goodman Mvulo, commented “At first, I didn’t realize how important it is to serve people, DK Freight Services made me realize how good it feels to serve people and make people happy. We deliver on time and the cargo is always in good condition.”
Haufiku urged the Namibian youth to be driven and bring about the change that they want to see. “We live in a country where we depend so much on government or jobs to actually pitch up but we don’t realize that if you change your way of thinking, you can bring change to yourself and to the country as a whole,” he advised.
Caption: From the left: Johny Nghiitwikwa, Driver, Miriam Amutenya, Finance & Admin, Daniel Haufiku, Managing Director, Maria Heita, Customs Clearing Agent, and Goodman Mvulo, Driver.
