29 July 2021

Peermont Celebrates MBA Graduates

Submitted by: Lee Herrmann
Peermont Celebrates MBA Graduates

Three Peermont Employees obtain Master's in Business Administration under during COVID-19 conditions.

2021 has been a challenging year for many with the obstacles of COVID-19, the global pandemic. However, some have rose to the occasion and persevered through lockdowns, load shedding and unrest to reach their goals. At Peermont education and betterment has always been a cornerstone and the Casino Hospitality Group is proud to celebrate three employees who obtained their MBA (Master's in Business Administration) from MANCOSA in 2021.

Thembekile Makhoba, Makgoshi Majane and Themba Mnguni all achieved distinctions on achieving their MBAs with dissertations probing the challenges within the tourism industry and local communities.‘

At Peermont we have always viewed ourselves as a family and we are exceptionally proud of Thembi, Makgoshi and Themba. Their success is our success and we  have always prided ourselves on supporting a strong educational platform for growth,’ says Peermont CEO Nigel Atherton. ‘It’s also incredibly impressive that they received such distinguished results, especially during such trying times.’

About Thembekile Makhoba: Thembekile Makhoba is the Chief Financial Officer at Emperors Palace and obtained distinctions in Operations Management, Research and Quantitative Methods, Strategic management and Leadership. Her dissertation was Assessing the Feasibility and Adoption of a Knowledge Sharing System at ABC Casino in Gauteng. ‘I was working for an IT company, when I decided on a career change and did my BCom Honours in Accounting)/CTA at the University of KwaZuluNatal,’ says Makhoba who, is accredited by SAICA and IRBA. Her nomination to Peermont’s Executive Development Programme (Women in Tourism with the UNISA School of Business) ignited the fire to pursue a Masters in Business Administration. ‘This was no easy journey, as six months into my studies, I decided to expand my family and was pregnant again during my studies, but it was manageable as I clearly tapped into the extra braincells growing inside me!’ 

About Makgoshi Majane: Makgoshi Majane is the Financial Controller of Gaming at the flagship resort Emperors Palace and got distinctions in Strategic Marketing Management, Operations Management, Financial Management and Leadership. She explored Investigating the Effects of Financial Management Knowledge on the Survival and Growth of Small Medium Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in Ekurhuleni for her dissertation. ‘ My journey started with humble beginnings as a young girl from Limpopo who wanted to spread her wings and have a career as an accountant,’ says the mother of three, who   joined Peermont looking to further her BCom Accounting Honours degree. As a career woman and mother, I had to put in long hours at work and still focus on my studies and my family. This was strenuous and challenging, but with hard work and my family‘s full support, I  completed my MBA and graduated with 4 distinctions.’ 

About Themba Mnguni: Themba Mnguni is the Group Legal Services Specialist for Peermont did his dissertation on “Investigating the challenges faced by tourism businesses in Daveyton”. Mnguni is a  a law graduate who decided to challenge himself to study law 10 years ago, and was awarded an opportunity to join Peermont’s legal team. The 27-year-old, who was awarded a bursary through the Peermont Education Trust (PET), is a beneficiary of the Trust, which saw his potential. When asked about the major challenges Themba confesses: ‘The hardest part was conducting interviews with business owners during lockdown.’ 

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About Peermont
Peermont owns or manages 11 casino and hotel properties in South Africa and Botswana, including:In South Africa, Peermont owns and manages; Emperors Palace Hotel Casino Convention and Entertainment Resort, Johannesburg; Graceland Hotel Casino and Country Club, Secunda; Frontier Inn & Casino, Bethlehem; Umfolozi Hotel Casino and Convention Resort, Empangeni; Rio Hotel Casino and Convention Resort, Klerksdorp; Khoroni Hotel Casino and Convention Resort, Thohoyandou; Mmabatho Palms Hotel Casino and Convention Resort in Mafikeng, Thaba Moshate Hotel Casino and Convention Resort, Burgersfort. In Botswana, Peermont owns and manages The Grand Palm Hotel Casino and Convention Resort, the Gaborone International Convention Centre and the Mondior Hotel in Gaborone; the Metcourt Hotel and Sedibeng Casino in Francistown.