Ngwenya Newsletter May 2020

“If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” The first part of 2020 dealt some hard blows, not only for our part of the world, but for the entire global community. We have had to learn to adapt and face change; something which has made us all stronger and even more resilient. We have learnt to value the things we hold dear even more and one of those things is Ngwenya Lodge.

Ngwenya Lodge is a home-away-from-home for many. It holds warmth, tranquillity and memories. The kind of treasured memories often triggered by a scent, the kind

of memories that enrich the tapestry of our lives; and the kind that we would not wish to endure without. Although our gates are closed and we are missing our valued shareholders terribly, we have been hard at work to ensure that the same warmth that Ngwenya has provided for your family remains ignited, ready for your return. Please spend some time with us as we share some important information and updates; and some of what we've been up to over the past few months.

VRS Covid-19 Shareholder Notice

We would like to extend our gratitude to every shareholder, as well as to South Africa as a nation, for heeding the call of President Cyril Ramaphosa on the eve of the nation address in relation to the COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions. We, as the Managing Agent of your preferred holiday destination, would like to thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to navigate this pandemic.

A message from Marjorie Forssman, Managing Director of Vacation Recreational Services:

“Our commitment to providing an environment to create everlasting memories for all our shareholders and guests remains at the forefront of our mission. In light of the current COVID-19 situation, VRS is implementing viable management solutions for your home-away-from-home to ensure the health and safety of you and your families for when you can enjoy your holidays once more. The VRS Team extends their heartfelt empathy for all who have been affected, direct- or indirectly, by this outbreak. Our faith lies firmly that South Africa will emerge from this situation stronger than before and with a heightened appreciation for this beautiful country; let us remain united as a nation.”

Kindly note, in compliance with government regulations and our own policies and procedures that Ngwenya Lodge will remain closed to the public until it is deemed appropriate, by government, to return to normal operations. That being said, we want you to know that we are missing the sight of all your lovely families arriving in Reception and the happy sounds of your holidays unfolding! We are eagerly awaiting, and we know you are too, the day when we are able to open our gates once more; returning to a time where you may relish every moment at your ‘Jewel at the Kruger’ in a safe and relaxing environment.

Click here to view relevant COVID-19-related news and information

As our further commitment to you during these trying times as we are sure you are looking forward
to being able to visit your home-away-from-home:

DON'T LOSE YOUR WEEK

VRS Options has been made available to our shareholders to deposit the week(s) which have been lost, due to the nationwide lockdown and/or the extended closure of Ngwenya Lodge in return for tokens to the full value of the respective week.

Please visit VRS Options, bank the stay you can no longer occupy and retrieve your tokens, to be used for a future Resort-stay. A small Exchange Fee is the only payment required to open the possibilities of a multitude of Resorts to you. While we understand this means you might not receive an equivalent stay at Ngwenya Lodge for a future date, we are sure this gesture, of an alternative holiday for your family, will result in many cherished holiday memories.

Visit VRS Options

Our thoughts and prayers are with each shareholder, as you manoeuvre through these trying times. Please do not hesitate to reach out to VRS Property Admin, should you require further information.

All emails can be directed to propertyadmin@vrs.co.za

Your Rare Jewel at the Kruger
– A Legacy worth taking good care of

We are well aware of and sensitive to the impact of the current state of national disaster, but in our role as ‘caretaker’ of your Resort, we understand that our monthly obligations – such as municipal charges, rates and taxes, administration, Resort maintenance – remain payable; and are necessary in order for us to ensure that we are able to welcome you back to your beautiful Resort as soon as possible.

We would like to thank all those shareholders who have continued to pay their levies, especially those who have paid even though they, sadly, lost the use of their week this year, due to the COVID-19 situation.

This is a Team-Ngwenya match
and we need each one of our shareholders,
at our side, in the line-up.

We thank all shareholders for your continued support in ensuring the upkeep of the Resort at this time.

Our thoughts are with you and your families as we all navigate this challenging time.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if we can be of further assistance, or if you have specific matters you wish to discuss.

Excellence is a Habit…

We are always thrilled to receive feedback from our visitors. We are provided the opportunity to refine our efforts and channel our energy into areas where improvement means further success. We also appreciate positive feedback from shareholders that commend excellent service, which we strive to provide. Many of the RCI OSCAS Awards originate from guests’ feedback and ratings and we especially love when it’s the people who matter most – our shareholders and guests – that are noticing and celebrating our efforts!

The 32nd RCI OSCAS took place earlier this year and we are delighted to announce that Ngwenya Lodge shone brightly in the line-up. In true Ngwenya-style and in testimony to the phenomenal Ngwenya Team’s commitment to excellence and the provision of an exceptional experience, Ngwenya Lodge brought home an array of incredible accolades!

RCI Awards (held in March 2020)

Top Gold Crown Resort – Large:
WINNER


Superior Service in Hospitality – Large: WINNER	Top Check-In and Check-Out – Large: WINNER

Top Housekeeping – Large: 3rd Place	Top Unit Maintenance – Large: 4th Place

Top Resort Maintenance – Large: 4th Place

VRS Awards (held in November 2019)


Resort Manager of the Year Diederik Herholdt	Operations Manager of the Year Juan Prinsloo

Front office HOD of the Year Chantelle Alberts	Waiter of the Year Bonsile Dlamini (Le Fera Waiter)

Big Daddy Award Diederik Herholdt (Resort Manager)	Hands On Award Diederik Herholdt & Sarie Herholdt (Resort Manager & Senior Administrator)

We celebrate the spirit that drives each and every individual that works consistently at making Ngwenya Lodge a true home-away-from-home and at creating the environment for everlasting holiday memories for all our shareholders, and our guests.

The cats have come out to play:

Our 2020 Ngwenya Lodge visitors have been graced with the close presence and great sightings of a very special cat. This elusive big cat is a hard spot throughout the Kruger, but particularly loves the large overgrown trees along Ngwenya’s section of the Crocodile River.

Leopards are certainly a sight to behold and are, kilogram-for-kilogram, the strongest of all the large cats. Interestingly, while the leopard does lead a solitary life, their territories often overlap; males will only become fiercely territorial and protect the range of their space during mating season. The leopard, often spotted along the river in front of Ngwenya Lodge, is likely an individual leopard which has claimed this territory as its home. We have relished each and every sighting, to date, of this private and oh-so-special big cat and our hearts melted at a glimpse of two new additions to the Leopard population in the Kruger.

Watch Here

The ever-confident and special Crocodile Bridge pride are always stopping visitors in their tracks and are a wonderful sighting to stop and appreciate. These big cats truly are the “Kings of the Kruger” and have been seen, throughout the Park, showing their dominance and confidence.

Take a look at Kruger’s Latest Sightings video; depicting an intense head-on battle between teamwork and a strong will to survive as a crocodile displays courage against the Kruger lions..

Watch Here

One “big” cat, which is relatively small in fact, is the cheetah. The average male cheetah weighs approximately 60kg; three times smaller than the average male lion! Their strength lies not in numbers like that of the Crocodile Bridge lions, or the brute strength of the lone leopard near Le Fera, but in their agility. Cheetahs can run in short bursts of up to 93km per hour – an astonishing speed to witness. One such witness was Charl van Tonder, who finally spotted his first cheetah after 29 years of visiting the Park. “We have been visiting the pristine Kruger every year since 1989 and we spotted wild dogs on our first safari. But it took us a long wait, until 2018, to get a proper sighting of cheetahs.”

View the photos
and his story here

2019 Mining Rights Application

One of the things we are most appreciative of at Ngwenya Lodge is the unity that we share with our shareholders. This spirit came to life and displayed its potency when Ngwenya Lodge, Marloth Park, Lionspruit and a number of properties near Komatipoort on the southern border of the Kruger National Park came into contact with Manzolwandle Investments; a company who applied for a mining right spanning approximately 18 000ha near the Kruger National Park, in Komatipoort.

By now we are all aware of this news and the struggle Ngwenya, and other properties, have put up against the mining group; to protect the heritage and to preserve the incredible flora and fauna of the area. We are happy to say that our shareholders heeded the call to register as Interested & Affected Parties and counter this threat against the preservation of plant and animal life.

It would seem that this fight for the rights of wildlife and the surrounding areas of the Kruger National Park is not over. While there were cheers of celebration because of the withdrawal of the initial mining application by Manzolwandle, it has emerged that a new application has been submitted for 5 hectares of land, in place of the previous application. This news arrived on the 26th of February 2020, as once more, proper protocol and procedure has not been adhered to. A new environmental consultant, Limp Earth and Environment (Pty) Ltd has been appointed to conduct the necessary EIA reports and we await feedback from the Department of Mineral Resources on the outcome of these initial reports.

While Ngwenya and the collective properties await these results to carefully study the material and devise a course of action, we ask that those who have registered as I&AP’s, please email the applicant’s environmental consultant and request that they inform you of the outcome once received from the DMR.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our neighbours, including Marloth Park and its representatives, as well as all others who have registered as I&AP’s and participated in this application; your support and determination assisted greatly in quashing the initial application.

Read the Full Story

Ngwenya Lodge Developments

Ngwenya Lodge and Managing Agent, VRS, are currently in the process of implementing further extensions to your home-away-from-home!

As a positive sign of things to come, as well as an additional benefit to the ongoing conservation efforts of preserving the Kruger National Park and surrounds, the further extension of Ngwenya Lodge will take place in the coming years and this process is set to commence in the months ahead. This envisioned future development is of great value to the area, providing much-needed employment opportunities, as well as additional shareholders to register their interests in

protecting the Park and surrounds. The obvious willingness to develop, despite any future mining applications, shows the confidence in the future extension and the sustainability of Ngwenya Lodge.

We look forward to adding to the value of your preferred holiday destination through these developments and will continue to communicate updates on its progress.

Updates and Upgrades

In our ongoing bid to ensure Ngwenya Lodge remains your prized home-away-from-home,
we have been busy with the following:

New sound system
for Games Room
and Mini Golf

New Multi Court.
The court is designed to cater for a number of sports activities like cricket, soccer and netball.

The Reception and Hippo Bend Reservoirs were serviced in March of 2020

Boma tables were revamped making sure that guests have comfortable seating as they sit and relax

New bedside lamps in all our units

Mosquito net doors are routinely being replaced

New sleeper couches are in the pipeline for all units. This project will roll out as circumstances allow.

Holiday Memories…

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou.

Our celebration of special days and holidays are designed to ensure our guests feel great and know just how much we value and appreciate them…

Valentine’s Day

It would seem the Ngwenya Lodge team know more about romance and love than they let on. The idea of a kissing booth to serve as the ‘frame’ for a romantic photo booth definitely hit the right notes with our guests on Valentines’ Day!

A mark of a lifetime of union; that is what a kiss means to couples that decide to share their lives together. One of our guests enjoyed the gesture so much that she shared her enjoyment of the Valentines’ Day celebrations on Facebook: We were there on the 14th. Ngwenya went to so much trouble as they always do. Many thanks to Diederik and his awesome, awesome staff. ❤❤❤

Christmas

The Reception was turned into a scene from a Christmas movie. The elegant decorations sprinkled the Christmas spirit in the air making sure that even those that were still unsure were reminded that Christmas had made its advent.

All dressed up, Santa Claus came in bearing gifts as guests were admiring the festive decorations. Sweets for the little ones and yummy snacks for the adults. The merriment in the room was so palpable; you could slice it with a blunt knife. Smiles brightened up the room while laughter attested to the joy in our guests’ hearts.

New Year's

What’s a New Year celebration without dancing? We saw dance moves that were set to shame Elvis. Great fun was had that saw couples dancing to their hearts content in anticipated joy for the New Year. The superhero theme seemed to allow everyone to come out of their shells, and what a number of great heroes we met!

School Holidays Programme

“The facilities and activities for the kids kept them busy and happy all day long”, is one of the lovely comments we received about the Holiday Programmes, which are specially created and conducted for the Ngwenya kids. Providing fun activities for children of all ages, and in fact for the whole family, is something that we enjoy very much and is an integral part of the overall Ngwenya offering and experience. And on days when ‘the folks’ are catching up on some well-needed rest, or heading off for another ‘sneaky’ trip into the Park, we like to know that you know the kids can enjoy the Games Room and all of the activities and facilities, while they make new friends.

Read All About It

We aim to share valuable information on our blog to keep you updated and entertained. Click on the links for more!

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