Continued building of a family legacy

The managing director of Kubata restaurant, Telmo Vivo manages the financial aspect of the Kubata family business.
With his parents emigrating from Portugal to Namibia pre-independence to start a family business, Telmo Vivo along with his younger brother and parents have worked hard over the years to establish the restaurant and city hotel.
Jemimah Ndebele
Providing a range of services and dishes, Kubata is a business owned and managed by the Vivo family. The restaurant offers Angolan, Portuguese, Mozambican and Brazilian cuisine, and a wide variety of South African and Portuguese wines. The restaurant, run by managing director Telmo Vivo, recently expanded to selling their own line of wines produced by the family’s vineyard in Portugal.

Telmo, who is the eldest of the two Vivo brothers, graduated from the University of South Africa with a BCom degree and completed his articles before joining the family business in 2006. The analytical mind behind the family operations is described by one of his employees, Stephanie Bertolini, who has been win the company for 12 years, as reasonable and easy to talk to. “Mr Telmo is very just when it comes to conflict resolution in the workplace. He makes it a point to listen to all parties involved and makes everyone feel comfortable and valued in the workplace,” Bertonlini said in an interview with Careers.

Bertolini said the analytically minded Vivo has contributed greatly to her individual growth and always lends a hand when needed. She is one of Kubata restaurant’s approximately 50 employees and manages the kitchen as well the bar.

The Portugal-born father of two explained in an interview with Careers Hub that the dynamics differ greatly between working for an employer you are not related to and working for your father. “I worked for a boss before working for my dad and it can be difficult working with family but fortunately my dad has always been a jack of all trades and I have been on the management and accounting side of things,” Vivo explained.

Telmo father’s, Leonel Vivo, is a qualified mechanical engineer who relocated with his wife, Lidia Rosa, and Telmo in 1986 before establishing Kubata City Hotel in 2003 and Kubata Restaurant in 2009.

GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT

The Covid-19 pandemic did not exempt anyone or any business from its pernicious effects. Telmo saw this as an opportunity for Kubata to put its management to the test. “When the pandemic hit we made it a point to ensure that there would be no retrenchments from our side even though the pandemic was really hard on the business, especially because of the travel restrictions. My biggest accomplishment in regards to Kubata is definitely the fact that under my management as managing director there were no retrenchments and the employees we had at the beginning of the pandemic are still with us,” Vivo says.

OUT OF OFFICE

When his not in the office, Telmo enjoys spending his time on the soccer field. “I think it might be the Portuguese blood and cultural influence but I love football, both playing and watching,” he said in his office adorned with ornaments reflecting his passion for the sport. Telmo plays for the SKW Old Boys team in his spare time.

GREATER HEIGHTS

Vivo said he sees himself expanding the family business as part of the company’s long-term goals. “We are considering expanding, probably to other countries such Portugal or just establishing other branches of Kubata,” he said.