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Resident Gardener at Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat, Thanduxolo Fobela has been named Bushmans Kloof Employee of the Year for 2009. He will be flying off to London on Tuesday 23 March to attend the Red Carnation Hotels Collection Staff Appreciation Awards Gala, where he will personally collect his award from the owners of Bushmans Kloof, the Tollman family.
Fobela will be among a team of 40 employees from 3 Red Carnation Hotels in South Africa, Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat; The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, and the newly opened Oyster Box Hotel in Umhlanga Rocks (Kwa-Zulu Natal) to travel to London to attend the prestigious awards ceremony, held each year at the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane. This event, which recognises and rewards staff for their loyalty and service excellence, will be attended by over 800 Red Carnation staff members from hotels in the UK, USA and Geneva, Switzerland as well as South Africa.
‘Thandu’, as he is affectionately known by his peers and colleagues, was born and raised in the rural village of Rocklands, in Queenstown in the Eastern Cape. Here he lived for most of his early adulthood, working as a farm hand. In 2004 his life took an upward turn when, learning of a position as a scullery hand at Bushmans Kloof, he uprooted his young wife and children to move to Cape Town, in search of a better life.
Recognizing the young man’s strength of character, Bushmans Kloof employed him as a scullery hand in August that year. For three years he demonstrated his impeccable work ethic, washing pots and pans in the kitchen, while catching the eye of his superiors. A son of the soil, he longed to work outdoors, and could often be seen staring through the window at the lush lawns and gardens of the lodge. In 2007 he was promoted to Kitchen Cleaner, and finally in 2008 to Gardener, the position he had yearned for since arriving at the reserve.
He spends his days assisting the gardening team with the maintenance of the gardens, trimming the lawns and tending the vegetable garden, and clearly revels in getting his hands dirty and being outdoors! His wife Asanda is also employed at the lodge, where she works in the Housekeeping department.
Says Clive Bennett, Managing Director of the Red Carnation Hotels Collection in South Africa: ‘We believe that it is paramount to reward staff in such a way and present them with an opportunity to grow and develop their skill set, which maximises their professional and personal potential. Investing in the growth and development of our staff through this type of International opportunity, which for many is something they would never have considered possible, is a point of material differentiation. It is something the owners have developed as a culture of The Red Carnation Hotel Collection and is an integral part of the development and reward program for those who are outstanding achievers. While in the UK they are afforded the opportunity to experience the London Hotels within the Red Carnation Hotel Collection and this helps them to create vital synergies here within their respective careers and to gain a flavour and small insight in to the Hotel business in another country.
Bushmans
Kloof Reservations:
Tel (021) 481 1860
Fax (021) 481 1870
email
info@bushmanskloof.co.za
www.bushmanskloof.co.za
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