Hoteliers roll up sleeves for children on Mandela Day

"It always seems impossible until it's done," said Nelson Mandela. And in his honour, around 80 staff from 15 City Lodge Hotel Group properties in Johannesburg set about refurbishing the boys' dormitory and cleaning the girls' dormitory and main kitchen of the New Jerusalem Children's Home in President Park, Midrand in a single day. The home provides residential care facilities for some 95 boys and girls, ranging in age from infants to 18-year olds, and is run by 32 staff members. The centre is a place of safety for abandoned and abused, orphaned and vulnerable children and has sheltered more than 1,000 children since it was established in September 2000.

Issued by City Lodge Hotels

6 Aug 2019

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.

Hoteliers roll up sleeves for children on Mandela Day

“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.

At City Lodge Hotels, we offer accommodation options to suit every type of traveller and trip. Our upscale Courtyard Hotels deliver the soft life made easy; upper midscale City Lodge Hotels focus on easy living; Town Lodges are the easy choice; and economy Road Lodges provide the most affordable, basically easy accommodation.