News

In honour of Nelson Mandela’s legacy of giving and community upliftment, City Lodge Hotels commemorated Mandela Day on 18 July with a series of meaningful initiatives across its hotels. Here, we highlight just a handful of activations that took place.

The team from City Lodge Hotel Johannesburg Airport, Barbara Road spent the day at Dzulani Children’s Care Centre in Vosloorus, where they refreshed and repaired the premises. The centre is home to 30 children, ranging in age from 2 to 18 years, and provides a vital space of safety, dignity, and belonging. The team’s efforts helped create a more welcoming and comfortable environment for the children and the staff who care for them.

City Lodge Hotel OR Tambo International Airport donated food, towels, and soap to the Johannesburg Children’s Home, as part of its ongoing investment in the future of our country and the youth. Our three hotels (Courtyard Hotel, City Lodge Hotel and Town Lodge) in Waterfall City, north of Johannesburg, collaborated to provide a tasty meal and treats to 160 future leaders and team at the New Jerusalem Children's Home in Midrand. They were rewarded with a warm welcome, smiles and a special song of thanks from the little ones.

In Gqeberha, our local cluster of five hotels representing all four of our brands – Courtyard Hotel, City Lodge Hotel, Town Lodge and Road Lodge – participated in two impactful projects. Staff joined the 4th Annual Madiba Day Beach Clean-up at Summerstrand, working alongside other hotels and community members to help preserve the area’s natural beauty. They also volunteered at a soup kitchen run by Uviwe Child and Youth Services (formerly Childline), in collaboration with Bay FM. Our hotels prepared and served wholesome and hearty soup while the team from Bay FM read stories to the children. Live interviews took place, where representatives from the initiative spoke about the value of partnerships in creating real and lasting change.

City Lodge Hotel Umhlanga Ridge paid a visit to the Edith Benson Children’s Home, laden with delicious treats to spoil the kiddies. The team from Town Lodge Umhlanga spent their Mandela Day hosting an Amazing Race with the Reach For A Dream Foundation and partners. Together, they lightened spirits and created memories to last a lifetime for these children facing life-threatening illnesses.

Further afield, the team from City Lodge Hotel Maputo in Mozambique was honoured to visit Hospital Geral de Mavalane in Maputo alongside Madame Graça Machel, Mr Puleng Chaba (Acting Ambassador from the South Africa High Commission), members of the South African Chamber of Business in Mozambique, and fellow representatives from South African-based companies. Together, they embraced Madiba’s spirit of service and unity, making a meaningful impact in the community.

“Mandela Day is a powerful reminder of our shared responsibility to support the communities around us,” says Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo, Chief Operating Officer of City Lodge Hotels. “We are proud of our teams who chose to serve and uplift others through practical and heartfelt contributions. As a group, we remain committed to acts of service that extend far beyond Mandela Day, working year-round to make a positive impact on the communities and natural habitat in the areas where our hotels are located.”

Lindiwe continues, “We remain forever grateful to Madiba, and remember one of his many quotes such as when he said, ‘My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together’.”