Hoteliers roll up sleeves for children on Mandela Day

A lot was achieved by staff from the City Lodge Hotel Group on Mandela Day at the New Jerusalem Children’s Home in Midrand, Johannesburg.

Hotels donated their time and expertise, housekeeping and maintenance teams, suppliers’ services and discontinued bedding, curtains and towels. As CLHG refurbishes its properties, used items in good condition are passed on to organisations in need, like this one. Rooms were painted, cupboards repaired, new shower curtains installed, holes in ceiling boards and leaking taps and toilets repaired, curtain rails replaced, and the entire space deep-cleaned.

The CLHG team achieved the impossible on Mandela Day, undertaking a refurbishment of the boys’ dormitory at the New Jerusalem Children’s Home in Midrand, Johannesburg. Pictured (from left): Cindy Ferreira, GM City Lodge Hotel Waterfall City; Socrates Koom, GM Road Lodge Southgate; Roslyn Khumalo, GM Town Lodge Roodepoort; Raymond Madibogo (communications and PR) and Nomfanelo Raadt (home manager) from New Jerusalem Children’s Home; Marvin Theron, GM Road Lodge Randburg; Brenda Botha, GM City Lodge Hotel Bryanston; (front, from left) Suzanne de Jager-Cranston, GM Road Lodge Rivonia; and Brendan Luttig, GM City Lodge Hotel Fourways.

“The New Jerusalem Children’s Home thanks City Lodge Hotel Group for going the extra mile and celebrating Mandela Day with us, offering your valuable time to give our boys’ residential unit a total facelift, fixing and maintaining broken items, including electrical components and plumbing, and making it homely for the children,” says Raymond Madibogo, communications and PR manager.

“Nelson Mandela loved children and always lamented the fact that, whilst he was imprisoned, the sound he missed the most was that of children’s voices. When he was released from prison, the most cherished sound for him was of children laughing and playing freely. Therefore, I feel that our staff dedicating their time to helping children is a most significant cause and one which receives my heartfelt support,” says chief operating officer, Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo.

The teams from more than a dozen CLHG hotels, head office and their suppliers got stuck into the refurbishment of New Jerusalem Children’s Home in Midrand, Johannesburg on Mandela Day.

CLHG is grateful for the support from suppliers that donated expertise, time and consumables, including Octavo Electrical, Hychem, Gazbusters and Heat King.

This was one of several charitable initiatives identified and undertaken by general managers and their teams from across the group’s 54 hotels in South Africa.