Over the 30 years that Tim and Gail Davidson have owned the 17 acre plot, they have placed a focus on nurturing this prime beachfront property into much more than a luxurious five-star estate.
With a passion for reaching out to neighbouring communities, Prana Lodge recruited its labour force from Chinsta Village when the building of the lodge began. This process took place over a two-year period, during which Tim taught the men that he hired various skills including bricklaying, paving, carpentry, tiling, plumbing and other basic building skills.
Still, there continues to be a special emphasis on skills development. Many of the men who started out in the initial phases of building the lodge have extended their abilities and now work as porters, maintenance staff, butlers and waiters at Prana.
Bongani Goli and Botha Sayinile are two of the valued men that assisted Tim with the establishment of the lodge as labourers in 2008. They were taught how to do carpentry and bricklaying, and when the lodge opened in 2010 they were both trained as barmen and waiters. To this day, Bongani and Botha remain important Prana Lodge team members. They receive ongoing hospitality training, as well as participate in butler training from the South African Butler Academy once a year.
Two other men that began their walk with Prana Lodge as labourers were Luvuyo (Vuyo) Matakane, who has embraced his role as general cleaner and porter, and Vusumzi (Richard) Tiyisi - also known as "Big R" - who is now part of the maintenance team and displays exceptional skills in carpentry. Elias Jack also started when the lodge was built, and now fulfills the role of painter in the maintenance division.
Even before the foundations of the lodge were laid, Bonakele (Ivan) Mda started working with Gail as a gardener. He then also assisted with the building for a two year period and was appointed head gardener when the lodge opened in 2010. He now manages all of the indigenous gardens, the herb garden and the worm farm.
Other staff members have also grown in leaps and bounds from their beginnings to their current positions. Simba Kaudani started his journey at Prana Lodge as a waiter in February 2011, and has since acquired significant skills. In 2013 he took on the role of housekeeping supervisor and office assistant, where he was able to learn much about the different aspects of working in the hospitality industry. He is now the assistant general manager and night duty manager, and displays exceptional ability in his current role.
Bongi Fipaza grabbed the opportunity to develop her skills within the industry. Having begun her journey at Prana Lodge in February 2013 as an administrator, it didn't take long before her capabilities and confidence grew to the point of where she was able to take on a new role. In November 2013, Bongi took on the responsibility of housekeeping manager.
Nico Mnyandeni, who started out working in the scullery in 2012, has embraced the opportunity to learn and develop new capabilities in the kitchen. Over the years, Nico has walked alongside Head Chef Jaycee Ferreira who offered him exceptional insight into creating exquisite cuisine. In October 2013, Nico was promoted to assistant chef and now pieces together beautiful dishes full of flavour and creative appeal.
Another valuable asset to the Prana team is Simon Gogela. Many years ago he began working at Prana Lodge during his school holidays as a young boy. After finishing school, Simon worked as a reservist for the South African Police Service (SAPS), but his dream was to start his own private security company. Soon he returned to his home village, Chintsa, to pursue this venture. He now owns his own successful security business, and is contracted by the lodge to assist in keeping it a crime-free zone.
The Davidsons have employed a number of staff with the assistance from butler trainer Newton Cross and the South African Butler Academy, focusing on upskilling the employees that are under the lodge's wing. Having created many jobs for local community members, the Prana Lodge team now consists of over 40 staff members.
